Founded in 1577 by Ram das, the fourth guru of the Sikhs, Amritsar is both the center of the Sikh religion and the major city of the Punjab State. The name means Pool of Nectar, referring to the sacred tank around which the Sikh's Golden Temple is built. Although Amritsar is just another dusty Indian City, the Golden Temple is an exceptionally beautiful and peaceful place.

The Mughal emperor, Akbar granted the original site for the city, but in 1761 Ahmad Shah Durani sacked the town and destroyed the temple. The temple was rebuilt in 1764, and in 1802 was roofed over with copper-gilded plates by Ranjit Singh and became known as the Golden Temple. During the turmoil of the partition of India in 1948, Amritsar was a flash point for the terrible events that shook the Punjab.

During unrest in the Punjab in the early 1980's Sikh extremists who were intent on expelling non-Sikhs from the state and creating a Sikh homeland occupied the Golden Temple. They were finally evicted, under the orders of Indira Gandhi, by the Indian army in 1984 in a military action that resulted in hundreds of Sikh deaths. Later that year her Sikh bodyguards assassinated Indira Gandhi. Extremists again occupied the temple in 1986. The damage wrought on the Golden Temple by the tanks of the Indian army has now been repaired, and things are quiet again.

Sikhs are justifiably proud of their capital city and Golden Temple and they are known for their friendliness and helpfulness.

Hari Mandir
The Golden Temple is a two storey marble structure standing amid a sacred pool and is reachable by a walkway known as the Guru's bridge. Engraved flowers and animal images adorn the lower parts of the marble walls. As the pilgrims enter the temple, they give sweet prasaad to the attendants who distribute half of it to the ones departing from the temple.

The architecture of Golden Temple is a blend of Hindu and Muslim styles. The golden dome (said to be covered with 100 kg pure gold) is believed to represent an upturned lotus flower. It is inverted turning back to the earth, which stands for the concern of the Sikhs with the problems of the world.

The Old City
Durgiana Temple is situated at a 15-minute walk from the Golden Temple by way of the narrow lanes of the old city. This small temple, dedicated to the goddess Durga, dates back to the sixteenth century. Another temple, that has been built like the Golden Temple is built in the center of a lake and is dedicated to the Hindu deities, Lakshmi and Narayan (Vishnu, the preserver).

There are a number of mosques in the old city. Of these, the mosque of Mohammed Jan has three white slender minarets.

Jallianwala Bagh
A five-minute walk from the Golden Temple takes you to the Jallianwala Bagh that commemorates the 2000 Indians, who were killed or wounded here during the indiscriminate shooting by the British in 1919. This appalling massacre was one of the major events in India's struggle for independence.

A section of the wall with visible bullet marks and the well that some people jumped in to escape is preserved. 120 bodies were recovered from the well. Portraits and potted histories of some of those involved appear in the Martyr's Gallery.

Chandigarh
The European modernist architect Le Corbuiser visualized and developed Chandigarh in 1950s. This is a plan city with Sectors separated by broad avenues and each sector is quartered into 4 zones, A-D.

Places of Interest

Rock Garden
This outlandish fantasy is Chandigarh's tourist attraction. It is a series of interconnected rocky grottoes, walkways and landscaped waterfalls. The animals and humanoid figures made out of discarded materials grab attention of the visitors.

Rose Garden
The Rose Garden in Sector 16 is claimed to be the biggest in Asia and contains more than a thousand varieties of roses.