Amritsar
A Brief Introduction
The fourth Sikh Guru, Ram Das found the Amritsar city in 1577. It is built on a site donated by the Mughal emperor Akbar. The Golden Temple is the heart of the city. The city makes it worthwhile for a memorable Amritsar trip. It is the Sikh community’s holiest shrine. A maze of lanes and 18 fortified gateways surrounds it. In 1984, parts of the Golden Temple were badly damaged. In an army operation to flush out extremists inside. They were demanding a separate Sikh Homeland. It is now in its original glory.
Jallianwala Bagh, also a short distance from the Golden Temple. It is the site of an infamous massacre that took place in 1919. According to the 2011 census, the population of Amritsar was 1,132,761 and it is the second most populous city in Punjab. It is a Municipal Corporations in the state out of ten. The city is 217 km (135 mi) northwest of state capital Chandigarh and 455 km (283 miles) northwest of New Delhi, the national capital. The city is near Pakistan, the Wagah Border is only 28 km (17.4 mi) away. The closest major city is Lahore, the second largest city in Pakistan, located 50 km (31.1 mi) to the west.
The Ram Teerath in Amritsar is 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.
Geography And Climate
Amritsar has a semiarid climate. So plan your Amritsar trip wisely. Typical of Northwestern India, and experiences four seasons. Winter season (December to March) with temperature ranges from 0 °C (32 °F) to about 15 °C (59 °F), summer season (April to June) where temperatures can reach 42 °C (108 °F), monsoon season (July to September) and post-monsoon season (October to November). Annual rainfall is about 681 millimetres (26.8 in). The lowest recorded temperature is −3.6 °C (25.5 °F). The highest temperature, 48.1 °C (118.6 °F). Photos by Mark Itkonen.
Country | INDIA |
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Visa requirements | |
Languages spoken | Hindi, English and Punjabi |
Currency used | Indian Rupee(INR) |
Area (km2) | 2,683 km² |