This is the ultimate Sikh bastion. Little wonder, the city draws practically everything from the Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple, as it has popularly come to be known. It derives its name from the temple’s water pool - the Amrit Sarovar or 'Pool of Nectar'. And the city literally sprang to life around this pool. In 500 years since Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru, visited this place, the Sikh faith has revolved around the beat of this place. For the contemporary traveler, beyond the tranquility of Harmandir Sahib lies a throbbing city. Bustling traditional bazaars with a maze of narrow streets selling everything from delicious kulcha-chholas to beautifully handcrafted kirpans, give a glimpse of its bygone importance as a medieval trading post. Located as it was on two legendary trails - the Silk Route and the Grand Trunk Road!

The city, today, has its share of Café Coffee Days and Baristas with Indipop music, but make no mistake, at heart it is still the dera set up by Guru Ram Dass.

History

Amritsar is one of the major cities of the Punjab state in India. This city was founded by Guru Ram Das ji in 1574 on land bought by him for 700 rupees from the owners of the village of Tung. (Earlier Guru Ram Das ji had begun building Santokhsar Sarovar, near the village of Sultanwind in 1564 {according to one source in 1570}. It could not be completed before 1588. In 1574, Guru Ram Das ji built his residence and moved to this place. At that time, it was known as Guru Da Chakk. (Later, it came to be known as Chakk Ram Das).

Since then this city has been known as Amritsar (named after the sarovar). The first stone of the foundation of the Darbar Sahib is said to have been laid by Sain Mian Mir Sahib, a Muslim saint from Punjab, at Guru Arjan Dev Ji's request. Sant Mian Mir was very friendly with Guru Arjan Dev and tried to intercede with the Guru's subsequent torture and death at the hands of the Emperor Jahangir. He continued to be a friend of the next Guru, Guru Hargobind ji, and again worked on attaining his freedom when he was held for some time at Gwalior Fort. In 1590, Guru Arjan Dev ji moved to the village of Wadali where Guru Hargobind ji was born on June 19, 1590. By 1601, the Darbar Sahib was fully ready. In 1603-1604, the first volume of the Guru Granth Sahib ji, the Sikh scriptures, was prepared in this city and was installed at Darbar Sahib on August 16, 1604.

It is here that the Akal Takht (The throne of immortality, lit. the never ending throne) the seat of Sikh political power was built by Guru Hargobind ji in 1609. Two flags representing temporal and spiritual authority and Sikh sovereignty were set up in front of the Akal Takht. Here Guru Hargobind ji wore two swords of Miri and Piri (temporal and transcendental authority).

On April 13, 1634, the Mughal army attacked Guru Hargobind here. From 1635 to 1698, Amritsar remained in the control of the Mina family (descendants of Pirthi Chand). During this period, on November 23, 1664, Guru Tegh Bahadur visited the town. In April 1698, Bhai Mani Singh was appointed as the caretaker of the shrines of Amritsar.

The Mughal chief of Patti tried to occupy Amritsar several times. One such attempt was made in April 1709. The Sikhs, under the command of Bhai Mani Singh and Bhai Tara Singh of Dhillwan, repelled this attack. When Baba Banda Singh Bahadur occupied several areas in the Punjab, Bhai Mani Singh chose to leave Amritsar in order to avoid the Mughal attacks. On December 30, 1711, the Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah, granted Ajit Singh Palit the charge of Amritsar in order to use him against Baba Banda Singh Bahadur. After the death of Bahadur Shah, Ajit Singh Palit returned to Delhi. In 1721, Bhai Mani Singh returned to Amritsar and re-started regular worship. His first act was to solve a dispute between the Tat Khalsa and the Bandai Khalsa factions for the right to the management of the shrines in Amritsar.

On March 29, 1733, a major gathering of Sikhs was held here in front of Akal Takht. During the same time a Sarbat Khalsa gathering was also held. It discussed the Mughal offer of Nawab-hood. In April 1734, Bhai Mani Singh was arrested and was executed in Lahore on June 24, 1734.

In 1740, Massa Ranghar, an official, desecrated the Darbar Sahib. He was killed for this action by Bhai Sukha Singh and Bhai Mahtab Singh, on August 11, 1740. In 1757 an Afghan army of Ahmed Shah Abdali demolished both the Darbar Sahib and the Akal Takht. Baba Deep Singh led several thousand Sikhs against the Afghans. A major battle was fought on November 11, 1757. Baba Deep Singh and several thousand Sikhs were killed. Again, in 1762, the Darbar Sahib complex was again demolished by an Afghan army. On December 1, 1764, the Afghan army made another attack. 30 Sikhs, led by Jathedar Gurbakhsh Singh, fought against the mammoth Afghan army and were killed. In 1765, the Sikhs began re-construction of the shrines. The central part was ready by 1776.

During the eighteenth century, Amritsar, like the Sikh community as a whole, witnessed many vicissitudes of history. It suffered repeatedly desecration and destruction until it was finally liberated upon the establishment of sovereign authority of the Sikh misls, principalities, over the Punjab in 1765. The town was thereafter under the control of several misl chiefs although its surrounding district was held by Sardar Hari Singh of the Bhangi misl. Different sardars or chiefs constructed their own bungas or residential houses around the principal sarovar and also their respective katras or wards encouraging traders and craftsmen to reside in them and over which each exercised exclusive control. The sacred shrines were however administered by a joint council comprising representatives of the chiefs who had made endowments in land for their maintenance. Even prior to the time of Sikh ascendancy, joint councils, known as Sarbat Khalsa (lit. the entire Sikh Panth), to take crucial decisions on political matters had been held at Amritsar. Now again with all misl chiefs having their bungas there, it became the common capital of the Khalsa. Devotees from far and near, free to visit the holy city after six decades of the severest persecution, flocked to Guru ki Nagari (the Guru's town). So did businessmen and tradesmen to take advantage of the increasing pilgrim and resident population. Trade, commerce and crafts flourished in different katras each having its own markets. By the end of the eighteenth century, Amritsar had already become Punjab's major trading center. Yet the town with its multiple command set up remained a confederated rather than a composite habitation until Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1780-1839) rose to power and consolidated the whole of the Punjab into one sovereign State.

Ranjit Singh, chief of the Sukarchakia misl, who first occupied, in 1799, Lahore, the traditional capital of the Punjab, and declared himself Maharaja in 1801, extended his hegemony to Amritsar in 1805 when he took over from his traditional rivals, the Bhangi chiefs, their fort with its mint striking the Nanakshahi rupee, and the famous Zamzama gun. The fort of the Ramgarhia misl was occupied in 1815 and with the possessions of Rani Sada Kaur of Kanhaiya misl and Fateh Singh Ahluwalia in Amritsar during the early 1820s, Ranjit Singh's occupation of Amritsar was complete. He then constructed a double wall and a moat around the city with twelve gates and their corresponding bridges over the moat. Already in 1809 he had constructed the Gobindgarh Fort outside Lahauri Gate complete with a formidable moat, three lines of defense and several bastions and emplacements for heavy guns. Amritsar thus had already become his second capital. The royal Toshakhana or treasury was kept in Gobindgarh Fort which was also used as the royal residence during the Maharaja's frequent visits to the city before his palace in the city, Ram Bagh, was completed in 1831. Several members of the nobility also raised palatial houses and beautiful gardens in and around the city. Ranjit Singh devoutly provided liberal funds to have the dome and exterior of the Darbar Sahib gold plated and to have the interior ornamented with fine filigree and enamel work and with decorative murals and panels in marble inlaid with colored stone. Sardar Desa Singh Majithia (died 1832), who had been appointed manager of the holy shrines in the city since its occupation by Ranjit Singh, donated gold for gilding the top of Baba Attal. Around 1830, Ranjit Singh had Muslim goldsmiths to gold-plate some parts of the inner section of the Darbar Sahib. The Gold plating led to it being called the Golden Temple.

In 1846, the British established themselves in the Lahore Darbar, with a resident in the Court; and, Amritsar became a place of frequent visits by the British. In order to keep the sanctity of the city, H. M. Lawrence, the British resident, issued an order, dated March 24, 1847, asking the English people to follow Sikh protocol while visiting Sikh places of worship. In 1858, a municipal committee was set up here. In 1862, train services between Lahore and Amritsar were started. Khalsa College, the first Sikh college was established here in 1892. [In 1969 Guru Nanak Dev University was established here]. In 1913, the city was electrified. In September 1915, the British declared Amritsar a holy City. (This order was later annulled after Indian independence in August 15, 1947 by the Indian government). On April 13, 1919, General Reginald Dyer opened fire on the gathering, at Jallianwala Bagh, near Darbar Sahib, killed 379 people and wounded another 1200. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (S.G.P.C.) and the Shiromani Akali Dal were established here in 1920.

In addition to the damage done by the Afghan armies the Akal Takht was damaged by the Indian government forces in June 1984 during Operation Blue Star launched to deal with a Sikh secessionist movement which had fortified the Holy site with automatic weapons and rocket launchers. The Group was headed by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale head of the Damdami Taksal, a mobile college begun by Guru Gobind Singh. The Indian government repaired it in September 1984. The Sikhs promptly removed the work done by the Indian Government and re-did the repairs themselves. They began demolishing the repairs on January 26, 1986. The present structure was repaired by five service-groups headed by Baba Thakar Singh of Bhindranmehta Jatha.

The city is dominated by the history of Hindus and Sikhs and many of their sacred shrines are found in and around the city. It was established by Guru Ramdas. The city has highest temporal seat of Sikhs "The Harimandir Sahib" popularly known as Golden Temple. The city has central old city called walled city. It has narrow zig zag streets mostly developed in the 17th and 18th century. The city has a peculiar example of introvert planning system and has unique areas called Katras. The Katras are self styled residential units that provided unique defense system during attacks on the city.

The city lies on the main Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) from Delhi to Amritsar connecting to Lahore in Pakistan. The G. T. Road, built by Sher Shah Suri, runs through the whole of the northern half of the Indian subcontinent, connecting Peshawar, Pakistan to Sonargaon, Bangladesh. The city is also connected to most other major cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta by an extensive network of rail system. The city also provides air connectivity to major Indian cities, as well as international cities such as Birmingham, Toronto, Dubai, Singapore, Tashkent, Ashgabat, London etc from the Raja Sansi International Airport, recently renamed as Guru Ramdas International Airport. The airport is being developed for increasing demand in future; a new International inbound & outbound terminal is operational and cargo terminal is also under construction.

The city is the administrative center for the Amritsar District. Amritsar developed from a small village pool to a business center. However, it did not become the industrial center of Punjab due to its proximity to the volatile Indo-Pak border.

Courtesy: Wikipedia

Getting Around

Auto-rickshaws are ideal to cover long distances within town. Otherwise, the good old cycle-rickshaws are the best way to get around the narrow, action-packed streets of the old town near Harmandir Sahib.

Parts of the town also have shared auto-rickshaws.

Tourist Traps in the City

Explore every monument and lane of Amritsar, while not being careless about your belongings such as camera, cash, mobile phone or any other valuable. Be cautious while striking a conversation with beggars or touts. And most importantly, steer clear of desolate areas after dark, unless you are moving in a large group. When shopping from a traditional market for souvenirs or hiring an auto-rickshaw service, it is advisable to negotiate the amount beforehand to avoid any unpleasantness.

Local Custom

Always cover your head at a gurudwara. Also bear in mind that Sikh religion forbids smoking, so do not light up a cigarette near a gurudwara.

Shopping

Amritsar is famous for its bustling bazaars. Tailor made for foodies and those who revel in shopping; visitors ought to head out first for Hall Bazaar. The main local attractions include woolen garments, carpets, blankets, juttis (shoes), bangles and embroidered stuff. Next head to Guru Bazaar for intricately designed gold ornaments and beautiful chess pieces, carved from ivory, sandalwood and rosewood. Amritsar happens to be a major center for manufacturing chess boards. And lastly, the bazaar in front of the Golden Temple offers interesting bric-a-brac such as Sikh daggers, swords and kadas (steel bangles) and copies of the Guru Granth Sahib.

Communications

Phones :Cell phone rates are one of the cheapest in the world.
There are four GSM service providers:
* BSNL [20] GSM Triband
* Airtel [21] GSM Triband
* Vodafone [22] GSM Triband
* Idea [23]GSM Triband
CDMA service providers are
* Reliance Communications[24]
* Tata Indicom[25]
Internet: There are several internet cafes / Cyber Cafes from where you can access the Internet for sending email or uploading your digital photos.
* Reliance world offers you broadband connectivity at many locations across the city.
* Sify iway also offers broadband connectivity at different locations spread all over the city. "