Amritsar Attraction !

    Amritsar is a holy city in the state of Punjab, India and its name derives from the name of the pool around the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) and means “holy pool of nectar”. It is the spiritual and cultural center of the Sikh religion, and they are rightfully very proud of the city & their very beautiful and unique Gurdwara.

    Amritsar was a traditional junction of trade routes and the Yarkandis, Turkomens, Kashmiris, Tibetans and Iranians that were found here indicate its connections with the Old Silk Road and the trade routes of Central Asia. The original site for the city of Amritsar was granted by the Mughal Emperor Akbar (1556 –1605) but the Sikh Guru, Ram Das insisted on paying its value to the local Jats who owned it, thereby eliminating the possibility of future disputes on ownership. Ram Das then invited local merchants to live and trade in the immediate vicinity and the town became Amritsar. In 1761, the Afghan Ahmad Shah Durrani sacked the town and destroyed the temple. The temple was rebuilt in 1764 and during the reign of Ranjit Singh was roofed over with gilded copper plates, thereby giving rise to the name 'The Golden Temple'.

    The main tourist attraction in Amristar is the Golden Temple. Besides, the Golden Temple, the Ram Bagh Gardens, Jallianwala Bagh, Durgiana Temple and Baba Atal Rai Tower are the various places which can be visited in Amristar.

    Golden Temple

    The Golden Temple, the most important and holy Sikh shrine, is located in the old part of the town of Amritsar. The Golden Temple is also known as Hari Mandir (Temple of the Lord). The temple is surrounded by a pool, which gives the city its name ‘Amritsar’, the pool of nectar. There are four doors to get into the Harmandir Sahib, which symbolize the openness of the Sikhs towards all people and religions. The present day Gurdwara was rebuilt in 1764 by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia with the help of other Sikh Misls. In the early nineteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh secured the Punjab region from outside attack and covered the upper floors of the Gurdwara with gold, which gives it its distinctive appearance and its English name. The Harimandir Sahib is considered holy by Sikhs. The holiest text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib,[6] is always present inside the Gurdwara.

    Wagah Border

    Wagah is the only road border crossing between Pakistan and India, and lies on the Grand Trunk Road between the cities of Amritsar, Punjab, India, and Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The border is located 22 kilometres from Lahore and 32 kilometres  from Amritsar. Wagah, named Wahga in Pakistan, is a village through which the controversial Radcliffe Line, the boundary demarcation line dividing India and Pakistan upon the Partition of India, was drawn. The village was divided by independence in 1947. Today, the eastern half of the village remains in the Republic of India while the western half is in Pakistan. It is particularly known for the elaborate Wagah border ceremony that happens at the border gate before 5PM each day. The Wagah border closing 'lowering of the flags' ceremony or The Beating Retreat ceremony is a daily military practice that the security forces of India and Pakistan have jointly followed since 1959.

    Jallianwala Bagh

    Jallianwala Bagh is situated just a five minutes walk from Golden Temple. It is the place where the British General Dyer, massacred 300 innocent people who had gathered there for a meeting in 1919. The tragic even later led to the strengthening of the movement for total independence. The walls are pockmarked with bullets and the well which some tried to hide in can be seen. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, was a seminal event in the British rule of India. On 13 April 1919, a crowd of non-violent protesters, along with Baishakhi pilgrims, had gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh garden in Amritsar, Punjab to protest against the arrest of two leaders despite a curfew which had been recently declared.  The true figures of fatalities are unknown, but are likely to be many times higher than the official figure of 379 and with 1100 wounded.

    Durgiana Mandir

    Durgiana Temple is a premier Hindu temple of Punjab situated in the city of Amritsar. This temple derives its name from the Goddess Durga and it is also called by the name of Lakshmi Narayan Temple. The temple was constructed by Harsai Mal Kapoor in 1908 on the pattern of the Sikh Golden Temple and it is located near the Lohgarh gate. It is sometimes called Silver temple for its carved silver doors. The temple complex has some historic temples such as Sita Mata and Bara Hanuman. It is a few yards away from Railway Station & about 1.5 km. from the Bus Stand. This city of Amritsar is pious, as it was visited by Lord Rama, Maryada Parshotam at the time of Ashavmegh Yagh. Lov & Kush spent their childhood alongwith their mother Mata Sita at the Ashram of Maharishi Balmiki at Ram Tirath King Ishvaku Grandson of Surya Devta performed a number of Yagyas on this land.

    Baba Atal Rai Tower

    GURUDWARA SHRI ATAL JI SAHIB is situated in the Distt City Amritsar. It is situated on the back side of GURUDWARA SHRI HARIMANDIR SAHIB. Baba Atal Rai was born in Samvat 1676 at Amritsar to SHRI GURU HARGOBIND SAHIB JI, From early age he was intelligent, lively and a deeply religious boy. He was called 'Baba' because he carried a wise head over his young shoulders. He used to play with his age-mates and tell them many wise things. Whatever he said, even in jest, had some deep humane meaning. All his playmates loved and obeyed him. shri GURU HARGOBIND SAHIB JI was specially fond of him. He used to take him in his lap, cuddle him and say, “God has given you much power. Don’t make a show of it. If you have to use it, use it with caution and wisdom.

    Model Town Vaishno Mata Mandir (Mata Lal Devi Mandir)

    Lal Devi, a bespectacled 20th century female saint and was developed along the lines of the famous Vaishnodevi temple in Jammu. Women who wish to have children come here to pray. The temple has a series of vivid shrines and grottoes. A grand old pious lady developed this Hindu temple situated at Rani ka Bagh, on the lines of holy shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi at Katra (Jammu), the temple draws crowds of devotees from far and near. An evening visit to the temple gives an opportunity to the visitors to observe the life styles of Hindu families. These included Tirupati Balaji, Shri Laddu Gopal, Meenakshi Devi, Puri Jagannath, Kanyakumari, Shri Rangamji, Sri Amarnath Dham, Sri Badrinath, Mandir Mata Chintpurni, Kedarnath, Pashupati Nath, Shri Rameswaram Dham, Shri Dwarka, Shri Laxmi Narayan and Sri Satya Narayan.

    Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama

    Maharaja Ranjit Singh, more popularly known as ‘the Lion of Punjab’ was not only a great son of Punjab but was also among the few leading figures of the history of that period. The deeds of Maharaja Ranjit Singh will remain as permanent marks in the annals of sikh history. It is a permanent visual documentation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and it has been conceptualized and set up by National Council of Science Museums of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. An aesthetically designed tall cylindrical building surrounded with green garden near Summer Palace of Maharaja in the Rambagh Heritage Garden is now a landmark in the city of Amritsar. Maharaja Ranjit Singh Panorama is a permanent visual documentation of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and it has been conceptualized and set up by National Council of Science Museums, an autonomous organization of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

    Ram Bagh Garden

    Ram Bagh Garden situated in the new part of town, the pictures Ram Bagh garden was once the summer palace of the erstwhile Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839), the Lion of Punjab. Earlier known as company garden, its name was changed to Rambagh by the king to commemorate his faith and devotion to Guru Ram Das, the founder of the city of Amritsar. Build in the model of Shalimar Gardens at Lahore, Ram Bagh encompasses a collection of rare coniferous trees, herbal plants and water channels set with fountains and golden fish. At one end of the garden, there is a lively statue of the king saddled on a horse. The palace located in the middle of the garden has been converted to a museum. It contains weapons dating back to Mughal times and some portraits of the ruling houses of the Punjab and a replica of the diamond 'Kohinoor'. One can enter the Ram bagh through a huge fortified gate with a small entrance fee.