Haveli Jalandhar: Colors of Punjab

Thirteen kilometers from my town, Phagwara, towards Jalandhar on the Grand Trunk Road, lies a beautiful heritage restaurant called 'Haveli'. Unsure of what to do over the weekend, we decided to hop on our bike and head there for a delightful time.

Haveli is divided into two sections: one is the restaurant, and the other is 'Rangla Punjab' (Colors of Punjab), a theme park designed to showcase Punjabi culture, resembling a traditional Punjabi village. We began our visit by having lunch at the restaurant. We ordered dry Manchurian and Amritsari kulcha, along with a Coke. The Manchurian was a bit too salty for our taste, but the Amritsari kulcha was delicious. When we mentioned the excess salt in the Manchurian, the manager kindly offered us a replacement. However, since we were already full, we declined. The staff’s courteous behavior deserves a five-star rating! 

The restaurant itself is stunning, with numerous picturesque selfie spots. We took photos sitting on a massive wooden armchair, feeling like royalty, and posed with a real (though non-functional) tractor, which made us look like cheerful farmers. The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating. Indoors, there’s a creatively designed truck and a statue of a munshiji (cashier) as if he’s busy with his accounts. There’s also a bumper car ride, which we didn’t try but were tempted to.

After lunch, we headed to Rangla Punjab. During the day, the entry ticket costs 100 INR, while in the evening, it goes up to 1,000 INR as it includes cultural shows, Bhangra performances, and dinner. Since we visited during the day, we didn’t get to experience the full program, but we still enjoyed the ambiance and had a great time. The entire place is essentially a giant selfie spot! There’s a well with statues of women drawing water, and Priti took a lovely photo there. Other highlights included statues of a woman cooking on a clay stove, a potter crafting clay pots, women chatting in a courtyard, and men playing cards in a chaupal (village meeting place). We also took photos under trees with platforms around them and on a manjha (a traditional Punjabi rope bed). We were both amused and slightly intimidated by the beautiful hens roaming around. Every corner offered something memorable to cherish.

After spending nearly two hours exploring, we decided to return someday in the evening to enjoy the cultural shows and a delicious dinner. Before leaving, we took a few more photos at the magnificent timber gate, reminiscent of the grand entrances of old havelis. It was the perfect way to end our visit.