The very first legend of this land talks of a sage king named Kuru. He founded a domain where righteousness and goodwill would render all who lived here holy. The Kurukshetra tank has attracted as many as a million pilgrims during eclipses, when the water is believed to be especially purifying.

Hill station, Bir Shilkargah wildlife sancturary.

Panipat, 92km north of Delhi, is reputed to be one of most fly-infested places in India due, it said, to a Muslim saint buried here. He is supposed to have totally rid Panipat of flies, but when the people complained that he had done too good a job he gave them all the flies back, multiplied by a thousand.

There are many birds, including Flamingoes, at Sultanpur's bird sanctuary 46km south-west of Delhi. September to March is the best time to visit, and you can stay at the Rosy Pelican (ph. 85242) complex. To get there take a blue Haryana bus from Delhi to Gurgaon, and then take a Chandu bus to Sultanpur.

Construction of Chandigarh from a plan by the French architect Le Corbusier began in the 1950s. It is on the edge of the Siwalik Hills, the outermost edge of the Himalaya.

This strange and whimsical fantasy has grown and grown over the years and is now very extensive. It's open from 9 am to 1 pm and 3 to 7 pm from 1 April to 30 September. The rest of the year it opens and closes an hour earlier in the afternoons. Entry is Rs 2.

Close by is the artificial Sukhna Lake, where you can rent rowing boats or just stroll round its two km perimeter.

The art gallery in Sector 10 is open daily except Monday of Indian stone sculptures dating back to the Gandhara period, together with some miniature paintings and modern art. The adjacent museum has fossils and implements of prehistoric humans found in India. Opening hours are 10am to 5pm Wednesday to Sunday. Entry is Rs 1.

The rose garden in Sector 16 is claimed to be the biggest in Asia and contains more than a thousand varieties of roses.