Amritsar

Amritsar, often called Ambarsar, is Punjab’s second-largest city after Ludhiana. Situated in the Majha region, it serves as a key hub for culture, transport, and the economy, and functions as the administrative seat of Amritsar district. The city lies 217 km northwest of Chandigarh, 455 km northwest of New Delhi, 28 km from the India-Pakistan border, and 47 km northeast of Lahore, Pakistan.

As of the 2011 census, the city proper had 1,132,383 residents. It is one of ten municipal corporations in Punjab, with Karamjit Singh Rintu serving as mayor. According to the United Nations, by 2018 the metropolitan region had roughly 2 million people, making it the most populous in the state and the city itself the second-most populous in Punjab. Amritsar is the economic capital of Punjab and a major tourist destination, drawing nearly a hundred thousand visitors daily. It was selected as a heritage city under the Government of India’s HRIDAY scheme. The city is famed for the Golden Temple, Sikhism’s holiest gurdwara, as well as its cuisine and the production of wooden chessboards and chess pieces.

**Etymology** The name comes from *Amṛta Sarovara*, Sanskrit for “Pool of Nectar,” referring to the pool surrounding the Golden Temple at Gurdwara Shri Harmindir Sahib. Previously, the settlement was sometimes called Rāmdāspur after Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh guru credited with founding it. In rural dialects, “Amritsar” was often mispronounced as “Ambarsar,” which has since become a colloquial name.

**Mythology** Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal in Amritsar is believed to be the ashram of Maharishi Valmiki, author of the Ramayana. According to the epic, Sita gave birth to Rama’s sons Lava and Kusha at the Ramtirath ashram. Many visit the Ramtirath Temple, located 12 km west of Amritsar on Chogawan road and dating back to the Ramayana period, during an annual fair. Nearby Lahore and Kasur are thought to have been founded by Lava and Kusha, respectively. It is said that during Rama’s ashvamedha yajna, Lava and Kusha captured the ritual horse and tied Hanuman to a tree near today’s Durgiana Temple.

**History**

**Foundation** In Sikh tradition, Guru Ram Das founded the holy city in 1574. One account, from a Gazetteer record, says the land was bought for 700 rupees from the owners of the village of Tung using Sikh donations. Another version holds that Guru Amar Das chose the site, calling it Guru Da Chakk, and asked Ram Das to find land for a new town with a man-made pool at its center. After his coronation in 1574, facing opposition from Guru Amar Das’s sons, Guru Ram Das established the town, naming it Ramdaspur. He completed the pool and built his official residence and Guru center beside it, inviting merchants and artisans from across India to settle. The town expanded under Guru Arjan Dev, funded by donations and volunteer labor, eventually becoming Amritsar. After Guru Ram Das’s son built the Harmandir Sahib gurdwara, the pool area developed into a temple complex. In 1604, the son installed the Sikh scripture inside the new temple. The construction period from 1574 to 1604 is described in *Mahima Prakash Vartak*, a semi-historical Sikh hagiography likely composed in 1741, the earliest known document covering all ten Gurus.

**18th Century** In 1762 and again in 1766–1767, Ahmad Shah of the Durrani Empire invaded the Sikh Confederacy, besieging Amritsar, massacring its people, and destroying the city.

**Sikh Empire** Under the Sikh Empire, Maharaja Ranjit Singh fortified the city in 1822, starting with a wall at Katra Maha Singh. He built several Katras (fortified residential societies), including Katra Moti Ram, Katra Kanwar Kharak Singh (also called Katra Nikkai), Katra Fateh Singh Kallianwala, and Katra Ahluwalia. Later, Sher Singh continued the city wall, adding twelve gates and building a fort called Dhoor Kot, whose fortifications were yards wide and 7 yards high. The walled city’s circumference was about five miles. The twelve gates included Lahori Darwaza, Khazana Darwaja, Deori Hakiman (also known as Darwaza Hakeema Wala), Gilwali Darwaza (no longer extant), Darwaza Rangar Nanglian (Gate Bhagatawala, no longer extant), Darwaza Ramgarhian (Chattiwind Gate, later restored), Darwaza Ahluwalia (Darwaza Gheo Mandi, later restored), Doburji Darwaza (Sultanwind Gate or Delhi Darwaza), Deorhi Kalan, Darwaza Rambagh, Deorhi Shazada (Hathi Darwaza or Darwaza Sehzada), and Darwaza Lohgarh (no longer extant).

**British Rule** When the British annexed Punjab in 1849, Amritsar was a walled city. In 1866, they built a thirteenth gate, Hall Gate. The British later demolished or reconstructed some walls and gates, completing a new city wall in 1885. Many surviving gates have since been renamed and no longer bear their mid-19th-century names; others have been demolished. The British also supported the development of a textile manufacturing industry in the city.