Amritsar Tourism

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'.

Other Attractions in Amritsar
Wagah Border is another important place to visit during your tour to Amritsar. This international border defines Indian and Pakistan territory. Tourists travel this crossing point between India and Pakistan to see the flag ceremony between Pakistan Rangers and Indian Border Security Force. Partition Museum is another place of historical importance. It treasures all newspapers, magazines, letters, government documents and photographs in its 15 galleries. Oral histories playing on video and soundscape as also found in each gallery.

Festivals of Amritsar
Baisakhi is the main festival which is celebrated all over all Amristar. It is a religious festival in which people bath in rivers and worship at temples. To the Sikh community, Baisakhi is of special significance as on this day, in 1689, the Khalsa was founded by Guru Gobind Singh, converting the Sikhs into a martial community. In Amritsar, the farmers celebrate the festival with great enthusiasm. It is an occasion for great celebration, with dances and rejoicing. The birth anniversaries of the ten gurus are observed as holy days and those of Guru Nanak in November and Guru Gobind Singh in December are celebrated as festivals. The celebrations include the recitation of the Guru’s verses and processions carrying the Granth Sahib. A four day festival and fair is held at Ram Tirath on the full moon night of November. It is here that the Maharishi Valmiki lived for a long time and wrote Ramayana. Love and Kush were born to Sita in this Ashram.

Shopping in Amritsar
Phulkari work on fabrics and articles of traditional embroidery, woodcraft, gold and silver threaded footwear, cut-glass, silver work, carved bracelets, ivory combs, jewellery, handloom, textiles, woolens, shawls, durries and carpets can be brought from Amritsar. Amritsar is a whole-sale market for textiles and shawls that serves the entire Punjab hunterland.

How to reach Amritsar is connected with rest of the country by extensive rail and road network. There are direct trains to New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore etc. A special train runs up to Wagha (Attari Border) which is the last station in India on the trains journey to Pakistan. There is a proposal to open a high speed rail line connecting Amritsar and Delhi via Chandigarh and Ambala, the train is run at 350 kms/hr and will cover 445 kms distance in 2.5 hrs. The city also provides air connectivity to major Indian cities as well as International cities such as Toronto, Singapore, Dubai, London and others.

Punjab Tourism

Punjab Tourism famously referred to as ‘The land of five rivers’, is situated in the north western part of India. This fertile land ranks amongst the most ancient civilizations in the world. Punjab is also famous for its religious diversity as it was here many religious movements were initiated. The scenic landscape, rich history and famous religious sites are the most important reasons for increasing number of visits by tourists. Here are the top 10 places to visit in Punjab.