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Amritsar
- the holy city of Sikhs, has grown from a sacred
village pond into a spiritual temporal centre of Sikh
culture. The city gets its name from the pool-Amritsar
(Pool of Nectar), which was constructed by the fourth
religious preceptor of the Sikh faith. It also lies on
the Asian Highway.
Amritsar city, popularly known as the "holy pool of
nectar", is one of the most ancient and fascinating
cities of India which was founded by the fourth Guru of
Sikhs, Guru Ramdas. As per the legend this was the place
where, Luv and Kush, the twin sons of Lord Ram, were
educated and were taught the Ramayana by the learned
sage Valmiki, before Sikhism came into existence and
present city came to be known as Amritsar. Today,
Amritsar has grown into a historical place and a
religious centre of the Sikhs. Golden temple is the most
important monument in the city and major part of the
history of the city revolves around it.
Place to Visit:
The Golden Temple :
Sikhs and people from other religion as well come here
from all over the world to pay their respect to Guru
Granth Sahib and bathe in the Amrit Saras Kund for
spiritual purification. The temple was founded by the
fourth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Ram Das which is a two storey
marble structure, with an imposing dome of pure gold.
The original copy of the Granth Sahib, which is kept in
the Golden Temple during the day, is ceremoniously
returned to the Akal Takht, at night.
Jalianwala Bagh :
This garden is a memorial of the freedom movement which
commemorates the martyrs, and keeps everyone reminded
about the tragic incident that took place years ago.
General Dyer, a British general ordered firings against
innocent people on April 13, 1919, which took lives of
over 2000 unarmed people. Today, this site of brutal
massacre, encloses a memorial with an eternal flame,
dedicated to the martyrs.
Durgiana
Temple :
This temple is dedicated to Goddess Durga and is located
outside the Lohagarh gate of the old city and is an
important centre of pilgrimage for the Hindus. Other
attractions of the city are Baba Atal Rai Tower, Ram
Bagh garden, Fatehabad Mosque, Tarn Taran, Harike
Wetland Wildlife Sanctuary, Wagha Border.
Wagha Border ( Indo Pak Border) :
Wagah Border is located at a distance of 28 kilometers
from Amritsar. It is the only border crossing between
India and Pakistan. It is an army outpost to protect
check intrusion from Pakistan and prevents any Indian
from going to Pakistan. Special buses and taxes from
Amritsar take the tourists to
Wagah Border.
En route Wagah the tourists chance upon seeing some of
the most fertile lands of Amritsar.
At the border outpost there is a complex of buildings, roads and
barriers on both sides. At the entrance of this outpost,
there is a sightseeing gate with an inscription "Swarna
Jayanti". From this a panoramic view of the landscape is
seen. There are electrified fences with 66,000 volts of
electric current.
People visit Wagah border
to see "Beating the Retreat" ceremony performed by the
soldiers in evening. Soldiers from India and Pakistan
perform a flag march. The flags are both the countries
are brought down. Then the gates between India and
Pakistan are opened. Soldiers perform some drills and
then the complex is illuminated. The whole ceremony
takes about half an hour. |
