Amritsar, truly symbolizing its name the ‘Pool of the Nectar of Immortality’, is one of the most significant cities in the northern-western state of Punjab. Sprawling over an area of 50 square kilometers, it is the administrative headquarters of the Amritsar District and major spiritual as well as cultural centre of Sikhs (Sikhism)- the Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple). Believed to be founded in 1577 by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru is visited by a large number of tourists and pilgrims. Geographically, Amritsar is situated around 217 kilometers northwest from Chandigarh, the state capital and about 25 kilometers east of the border with Pakistan. Apart from being an important pilgrimage centre, this city is also known for producing exclusive items such as carpets, fabrics, handicrafts, most importantly, Amritsari Jutti (a special type of footwear), which is the most popular item for its domestic as well as international travelers and exclusive cuisine [like Amritsari Kulche, Amritsari Vadiyan (a special type of snack)] etc. Well, read on to know more about this beautiful and historic city.
When to Visit Amritsar:
Amritsar enjoys an extreme type of climate with very hot summers and cold winters. The four seasons are, the winter season (November to March), the summer season (April to June), monsoon season (July to September) and post- monsoon season (September to November). Summers can be as hot as 46 degrees and winters can drop the mercury to minus 3 degrees centigrade. Therefore, the best time to visit Amritsar is from October and March.
How to Reach:
Amritsar is a rapidly growing city as well as tourist destination in India, thus is well connected to other parts of India and abroad via all modes of transports including rail, road and air.
Air: It has an international airport, Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport which tackles huge international and domestic traffic.
Rail: This city has its own main terminal station which connects Amritsar to almost all major cities of India.
Road: Amritsar falls on the historic Grand Trunk Road (G T Road), also referred to as National Highway 1 and thus, is very well connected to the road network to all major cities of India.
Top Attractions to Visit
The Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) – A landmark of Amritsar, it is an iconic Sikh shrine and the spiritual centre for Sikhism. Therefore, every year this shrine is visited by a large number of Sikh pilgrims not only from India but from around the world. This beautiful monument bestows its beauty to the full golden dome (made of pure gold) and was laid by Sri Guru Das in the 14th century.
Wagah Border – As the name describes, Wagah border is situated (just 28 km from the city centre) at the India-Pakistan border in the north-west regions of India. Once here, don’t miss the evening “The Beating Retreat ceremony” performed every day. The ceremony includes the customary change of guards, escorted by the hoisting and retreat of the respective national flags.
Jallianwala Bagh: It is a public garden located near to the Golden Temple. This garden is basically a monument that commemorates the massacre conducted by British soldiers that killed almost of 2, 000 Indians.
Apart from these, Durgiana Temple (Lakshmi Narain Temple), Mata Mandir Temple, Lalbagh Garden, Tarn Taran (excursion) are some of the other popular tourist attractions of Amritsar. Enjoy a visit to this pious city and golden temple tour with golden-triangle-holidays.com.
