A WEEKEND IN BATHINDA

Its been a very long gap between my last blog and this one. Currently, I stay in Punjab for my degree purpose. Quarantine due to covid19 got me back to writing another blog about a weekend I spend in Bhatinda with my sister. So let me jot down how I spend my weekend.
I had booked a Volvo from Chandigarh to Bhatinda, and it took me around 5 hours to reach Bhatinda around 8:30pm. My stay for the next 2 days was in the guest house of the Central University Of Punjab, as my sister is currently a student there. The university was not located centrally in the main city but some 20mins away in the Mansa road. The campus was full of weekend vibes with students sprawling all over. After my dinner at the hostel mess and a few gossip session later I retired to bed. 
The next morning I had plans to go around the city to see a few places. I didn't have enough time to visit every place but I managed to see the following places-
1.Bathinda Lake-
The first destination I ticked off from my list was Bathinda lake. Situated alongside the Thermal power plant, this lake was serene and beautiful. There were some kid play and adventure zone. Along sides of the walking pavement, there were rose plants of different colors and sizes and some other plants adding their beauty. There were a cafeteria and a watchtower at the end of the pavement but it was not open. The boating facility was present in the lake but due to less time, I was not able to enjoy a boat ride. But boating would have added an extra feather to my trip.

2. Rose Garden-
My next destination was the Rose garden, though I went when winter was almost gone and thus roses too still the whole Garden was so well maintained and it holds a peaceful aura in itself. There were many trees, shrubs, flowers, sitting areas, play zone for kids. it had tracks for leisurely walks across the garden. The jogger's park is also a must-visit area. Overall if one is visiting Bathinda one shouldn't miss this place.

3. Mittal's city mall-

I went for the only weekend and thus I was not planning to visit every place rather I wanted an easy-breezy weekend. In the evening we decided to visit one of the very known malls in the city i.e. Mittal city mall. It was just like any other mall with all glittery shops and restaurants. We took a tour of the whole mall, bought some candies, and finally settled at Dominos eating our favorite chicken pizzas. For shopping lovers, you will get plenty of shops to buy from.

4. Qila Mubarak -

I will end my weekend trip blog by mentioning this place. This has to be my favorite place in Bathinda. There are two gurudwaras one old one and another new. For visiting the old gurudwara You've to climb a few stairs and then you will get the most beautiful birds-eye view of the old town of Bathinda and the ruins of Razia Sultan fort ( building of this fort date back to 90-110 AD). This site is under national importance and under the Archeological Survey of India.

The new gurudwara is serene and a peaceful aura surrounds the whole area. You can take a walk in the fort garden and can get a glance of cannons from Razia sultan's time kept there. This is the same place where Razia Sultan was kept imprisoned. Now, many portions are destroyed and reconstructions were going on.

Though Bathinda is not exactly the definition of a tourist place but it still holds the Punjab charm along its gurudwara's or small lanes. There are plenty of hotels to stay in throughout the city and some good restaurants to eat from.