| |
Amritsar (Pool of
Nectar) founded by the Sikh Guru Ram Dad, is named after
the sacred pool of Golden temple. It is the second largest
town of Punjab. It has grown from a sacred village pond
into a spiritual temporal centre of Sikh culture. Amritsar
is the soul of Punjab and today it is India's important
distribution centre of dry-fruits. It is also the city
where Jallianwala Bagh, the garden where scores of innocent
Indian people were massacred by the British. Amritsar
is an institution by itself. Amritsar is only 24 Kms
away from Pakistani border. Travellers by land have
to pass through Amritsar as it is the only way to Pakistan.
The holy city of Amritsar has an extreme climate with
very hot summers and very cold winters. Monsoon hits
the city around the first week of July and brings average
rainfall. The best time to visit Amritsar is between
October and March. |
|
The
Golden Temple
The Golden Temple or 'Hari Mandir', situated in Amritsar,
Punjab, is the most sacred temple of the Sikhs. The
site of the temple was sacred to the Sikhs since the
time of the 4th guru, Ram Das. It is a symbol of the
magnificence and strength of the Sikh people all over
the world. All Sikh people tries to make a visit to
the temple and take bath in holy tank of the temple.
More details |
 |
|
 |
Jallian Wala Bagh
This place noted for its most notorious massacre under
British rule. It is 400 meters north of the Golden Temple.
The British General Dyer was the Lieutenant Governor of
the province in 1919. He banned all meetings and demonstrations
led by Indians against the economical set back by World
War I. On 13 April 1919, pilgrims poured into Amritsar
to celebrate the Baisakhi festival, a holiday in the Sikh
calendar. In the afternoon thousands of people gathered
at Jallian Wala Bagh to celebrate the Baisakhi. This ground
surrounded by high walls on all sides has only a narrow
alley for access. General Dyer personally led the troops
to the sight and ordered his men to open fire without
any warning. It resulted in the death of 379 and injured
more than 1200. India was outraged by Dyer's massacre.
Gandhiji, called for a nation wide strike and started
the Non-cooperation Movement, which became an important
mile stone in the struggle for India's Independence. Today
this ground has been changed to a park and it has a pleasant
garden. There is a narrow path between the houses which
leads to the lawn of the park. At the entrance there is
a memorial plaque which recounts the history. There is
a well on the north side in which many people who tried
to escape from the bullets were drowned, and remnants
of walls have been preserved to show the bullet holes.
At the east end of the garden there is a large memorial
built in memory of those who died here. |
|
Durgiana
Temple
The temple is dedicated to goddess Durga and dates back
to 16th century. This Hindu temple also draws its share
of visitors. A large temple is dedicated to Hindu deities
Laxmi ( The Goddess of wealth) and Narayan. ( The Preserver
of Universe ). All dignitaries visiting Golden Temple
make it a point to visit Durgiana Temple also. |
 |
|
Mata Mandir
This Hindu temple situated at Rani ka Bagh , is similar
to the Mata Vaishno Devi temple at Katra(Jammu). The
temple draws a large number of devotees from far and
near. |
|
Fort Gobind
Garh
In the south-west of the city, has been taken over by
the Indian army and is now off limits. It was built
in 1805-09 by Ranjit Singh, who was also responsible
for constructing the city walls. |
|
Ram Bagh
This beautiful garden is named as a tribute to Guru
Ram Das, the founder of the city of Amritsar. It is
situated in the new part of town and has a museum in
the summer palace built by the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit
Singh (1780-1839) the Lion of Punjab. The museum contains
weapons dating back to Mughal times and some portraits
of the ruling houses of the Punjab and a replica of
the diamond 'Kohinoor'. To commemorate the memory of
his valour Ram Bagh has a lively statue of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh saddled on a horse. It's closed on Wednesdays. |
|
Ram Thirth
The place gets special mention in the great Hindu epic
'Ramayana'. It is the place where Maharshi Valmiki gave
shelter to Sita , wife of Rama when she was abandoned
after the Lanka Victory. It was here that she gave birth
to the twins Lav- Kush. There is a temple here. |
|
Taren Taran
It is an important Sikh tank about 25km south of Amritsar.
There's a temple, which predates Amritsar, and a tower
on the east side of the tank, which was also constructed
by Ranjit Singh. It's said that any leper who can swim
across the tank will be miraculously cured |
|
