Bhakra Dam

Bhakra Dam, about 226 m high, was completed in 1963 and was central to India's post-independence push for irrigation and power — Nehru called such projects the 'temples of modern India'. It impounds the Sutlej to form Gobind Sagar, which stretches roughly 90 km back into Bilaspur district. The dam itself has been closed to visitors on security grounds for years, so it is experienced from a distance: from viewpoints on the approach, from the water at Gobind Sagar, and via the free narrow-gauge heritage railway that the Bhakra Beas Management Board still runs between Nangal and Bhakra.

1. The area is reached via Nangal (Punjab), about 15 km away, or from Bilaspur town.
2. Chandigarh is roughly 100 km; the drive goes via Kiratpur Sahib and Nangal.
3. The BBMB heritage train runs from Nangal towards Bhakra and is free to ride.

October to March for clear views over Gobind Sagar. Summers are hot in the valley; the reservoir is fullest after the monsoon.

• You cannot walk or drive onto the dam or photograph it up close — security is strict.
• Boating and angling (including for mahseer) are possible on Gobind Sagar with local operators and permits.
• The old Bhakra–Nangal railway is a genuine attraction in its own right and costs nothing.

Individual pages for these are added as they are reviewed.