This Indian city is a shrine of a religious direction called Sikhism and spread in this region of the state at the beginning of the 16th century. Now it has the status of the spiritual center of religion and annually receives hundreds of thousands of Sikhs who come from all over the world to visit the sacred Golden Temple of India.
Amritsar, located in the northwestern part of the state, belongs to the state of Punjab.
City location and features
The city was founded by the sacred lake of Immortality.
Amritsar is the capital of the state of Punjab, located in the northern territory of India. From Delhi to the city, the distance is about 450 km. The western and northern parts of Amritsar are adjacent to the border with Pakistan, the northeastern is adjacent to Himachal Pradesh (state of India), and the southeastern and southern are adjacent to Haryana.
The city of India, Amritsar, has a not very large territory, but its population is impressive and amounts to more than 1,200,000 people. Local time is 2.5 hours ahead of Moscow time.
Features
Amritsar is not particularly popular among tourists, and foreign visitors are only passing by. Mainly in the city, among the inhabitants, Indians predominate, who consider themselves Sikhs. They believe in the One God, in whom, in their opinion, the real name is unknown to anyone. The only form of worship is meditation. In this way they express loyalty and devotion to their ideological views.
It should be noted that, like most of the Indian cities, the city of Amritsar is also subject to a fairly strong social stratification. This is expressed in a rather sharp division into rich and poor. There are many dirty neighborhoods with dilapidated houses, the streets of which run poor barefoot children, and here are beautifully landscaped buildings surrounded by tall palm trees and beautiful lawns.
City traffic is very chaotic and unsafe for pedestrians. Often on the streets you can find cows, leaving bright traces with an unpleasant odor. And hotels in the city of India, Amritsar, correspond to the quality of infrastructure and, in general, the image of the Indian province.
Briefly about Sikhism
Sikhism is a relatively young religion. It arose as an alternative to Islam and Hinduism in the 16th century in northern India. Today it is the ninth religion in the world in terms of the number of believers.
A total of 22 million adherents, 83% of whom live in India. Moreover, the largest number of Sikhs live in the state of Punjab (about 17 million people).
A bit of the history of the city
The city of India, Amritsar, was founded in 1574, when Ram Das (a wealthy guru-sikh) bought the land for construction from the owners of the village located on this site, having paid 700 rupees for it. In subsequent years, the city, which received its name in honor of the sacred pond, grew rapidly and developed. Centuries later, it was transformed and turned into the main cultural and religious center of the Sikhs.
After fierce fighting in 1849, the city was captured by the British. Only a hundred years later he gained independence. But the 20th century was marked for the city by armed conflicts with heavy human losses: the execution of pilgrims in 1919 by Reginald Dwyer (British general), the capture of the Golden Temple by terrorists in 1981, Indo-Pakistani events, etc.
Today, this locality has important economic, religious and political significance for India. Amritsar is a developing city.
Golden Palace
The main significant object of Amritsar is the beautiful Golden Temple, which houses the “Guru Grant Sahib” (holy book), with the teachings of ten Gurus, who are the guides of the Sikh religion. The temple is located in the center of Lake. Amrita-Saras ("Lake of Immortality"). It is believed that bathing in its waters gives enlightenment and heals the people who performed it.
To visit the temple, you must follow some rules, for example, remove shoes. The complex, consisting of several buildings, in appearance many compare with the famous Taj Mahal. It is delightful thanks to the abundance of marble, gold leaf and bronze used in its construction and decoration.
An important feature of the temple complex is that within its walls about 30,000 people can feed for free daily. This happens right on the concrete floor in the dining rooms. Volunteers serve vegetarian food (wheat bread, bean soup, vegetables and rice). In addition, anyone can stay in the temple for the night, sitting also on the concrete floor.
This temple is perhaps the only bright landmark of the city of India, Amritsar (photo is presented in the article). There are almost no other significant objects in the city. However, a normal walk along the city streets can also give a rather vivid and unforgettable experience.
Shopping and cuisine
For shopping enthusiasts, there is an opportunity to go to local retail stores and markets where you can buy souvenirs, jewelry, clothes and other goods at competitive prices.
The most varied and for every taste dishes can be tasted in the culinary establishments of the city. They are prepared from seafood, exotic fruits and vegetables. But eating better in more respectable restaurants, as the quality of food in street cafes and stalls is often questionable.
How to get to the city?
It is easy to get by plane to the city of Amritsar (India). Sri Guru Ram Dass Ji Airport is 11 kilometers from the city. It receives planes from many countries (including Europe, the post-Soviet space and the Middle East). With neighboring settlements, suburban bus service is established here.
In the city itself, the most common modes of transport are buses and auto rickshaws. Due to the specificity of traffic rules, renting a car to foreign tourists is not advisable.