Amritsar is a city in the state of Punjab, India, and located mere 28 km from the border with Pakistan. At the center of its walled old town, the gilded Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) also called Darbar Sahib, is the holiest gurdwara (religious complex) of langar the Sikh religion. It’s at the end of a causeway, surrounded by the sacred Amrit Sarovar tank (lake), where pilgrims bathe. Amritsar is home to the Golden temple and the cultural capital of Punjab. Amritsar is the largest and most important city in Punjab and is a major commercial, cultural, and transportation center. The city has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for the HRIDAY scheme of the Government of India.
The Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal situated at Amritsar is believed to be the Ashram site of Maharishi Valmiki, the writer of Ramayana. As per the Ramayana, Sita gave birth to Lava and Kusha, sons of lord Rama at Ramtirth ashram. A large number of people visit Ramtirth Temple at the annual fair. Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh guru is credited with founding the holy city of Amritsar in the Sikh tradition. According to the historical Sikh records, in 1577 the site was chosen by Guru Amar Das, the third Sikh guru, and called Guru Da Chakk after he had asked Ram Das to find land to start a new town with a man-made pool as its central point.
Ram Das founded the town named after him as “Ramdaspur”. He started by completing the pool and building his new official Guru center and home next to it. The town grew to become the city of Amritsar, and the pool area grew into a temple complex after his son built the gurdwara Harmandir Sahib, and installed the scripture of Sikhism inside the new temple in 1604. During Sikh Empire, in 1822 Maharaja Ranjit Singh fortified the city starting from a wall at Katra Maha Singh area. Later, Sher Singh continued with the construction of the wall with twelve gates (Lahori Darwaza, Khazana, Hakeem, Rangar Nangalia, Gilwali, Ramgarhia, Doburji, Ahluwalia, Deori Kalan, Rambagh Deori, Shahzada, and Lohgarh) in it and a fort named Dhoor Kot that had fortification 25 yards broad and 7 yards high.
During RanjitSingh‘s reign Harmandar Sahib was covered with solid gold, thus the name Golden temple. The city is home to JallianwalaBagh and is the site of the infamous massacre on baisakhi day of 1919 when General Dyer blocked the only entry/exit point to the walled park and started firing killing over 1300 innocent and unarmed civilians who had gathered for peaceful protest. During the partition of the Indian Subcontinent in 1947, the Punjab region was divided between India and Pakistan near Amritsar. Pakistan wanted to annex Amritsar due to its close proximity to Lahore and 50% Muslim population; however, the city remained inside Indian territory.
Similarly, India wanted to annex Lahore. Both of the cities experienced some of the worst communal riots during the partition. Mass evacuations were made both in Amritsar and Lahore. Hence, the demographics of both cities were changed following the partition, significantly altering the culture and affecting the political, economic, and social environment of the cities. The Golden Temple complex was the scene of the infamous Operation Blue Star by the Indian Army when Khalistani terrorists had laid siege to the temple. This was the cause of the assassination of then PM IndiraGandhi. Amritsar is well connected by rail, road, and air with all major cities of India and the world, the city is open to # tourists throughout the year.
there are numerous places worth visiting in and around Amritsar, such as Amritsar is an attractive destination for tourists, especially those part of the Golden Triangle. Major destinations are Golden Temple and Heritage Street, Durgiana Mandir and Bada Hanuman Mandir, Mata Lal Devi Mandir, Model Town, Shri Ram Tirath and Valmiki Tirath, Shivala Bagh Bhaiyan[, Punjab State War Heroes’ Memorial & Museum, Sadda Pind[, Urban Haat Food Street, Gobindgarh Fort, Ram Bagh Palace, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum, Wagah border[, Gurudwara Shaheed Ganj Sahib, Partition Museum, Jallianwala Bagh, Pul Kanji, VR Ambarsar, Circular Road, Mall of Amritsar, near Hyatt and Jang-e-Azadi Memorial near Kartarpur, India.
the biggest attraction of the Gold temple is open to visitors 24 hrs a day. and #langar or free food is served to people 24 hrs a day..The city is also famous for its Pashmina Shawls, Woolen Clothes, Blankets, etc. Among handicrafts, the craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru in Amritsar district got enlisted on #UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014. Home to numerous hotels, resorts, lodges, and guesthouses that provide luxurious, mid-range, and budget accommodations for tourism, the city has numerous well-known educational institutions that attract students from India and the world.
Tourists can reach the Wagah border where every evening the lowering of flags occurs simultaneously by Indian and Pakistani border guards. This ceremony also called Beating Retreat attracts a huge number of tourists each day. The streetfood scene of Amritsar is beautiful and numerous street stalls sell everything from vegetarian to non-vegetarian food. The city is home to numerous restaurants that offers a variety of Punjabi cuisine. The nightlife of Amritsar is good with numerous watering holes available to choose from that serve a variety of drinks. Overall Amritsar is a nice place for a weekend visit
