31°35N 74°57E, pop (2000e) 833 000. City in Punjab, NW India; centre of the Sikh religion; founded in 1577 by Ram Das around a sacred tank, known as the pool of immortality; the Golden Temple, found at the centre of the tank, is particularly sacred to Sikhs; under the gold and copper dome is kept the sacred book of the Sikhs, Adi Granth; centre of the Sikh empire in the 19th-c, and of modern Sikh nationalism; massacre of Indian nationalists, 1919; battle between the Indian Army and Sikh militants inside the Golden Temple led to 1000 deaths, including a Sikh leader, 1984; militants re-established in temple, 1986; airport; university (1969); commerce, textiles, silk.
| Amritsar | |
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Amritsar |
|
|
State - District(s) |
Punjab (India) - Amritsar |
| Coordinates | 31.64° N 74.86° E |
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Area - Elevation |
50 km² - 218 m |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
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Population (2001) - Density |
1,011,327 - ?/km² |
| Mayor | Mr Sunil Datti |
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Codes - Postal - Telephone - Vehicle |
- 143-0xx - +0183 - PB02 |
Amritsar (Punjabi: ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ), meaning "Pool of the Nectar of Immortality", is the administrative headquarter of the Amritsar District in Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city of Amritsar to be over 1,000,000 and that of the entire district to number just over 3,096,077. In Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time, Amritsar had superseded Lahore as the pre-eminent city of Punjab. Amritsar is also a seat of major educational institutions like Guru Nanak Dev University (Established 1969), Khalsa College, Amritsar (Established 1892), DAV College(Established 1955), Government Medical College, Amritsar (Established 1926).
Background
The city is dominated by the history of the Sikhs and many of their sacred shrines are found in and around the city. The city lies on the main Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) from Delhi to Jalandhar to Amritsar connecting to Lahore in Pakistan.
The city is the administrative centre for the Amritsar District.
Language
The main spoken language in Amritsar and in the villages around the city, is the Punjabi dialect of Maajhi, considered to be Standard Punjabi.
Religious Shrines
Sikh
The following is a list of the prominent Sikh sacred places in the city and its vicinity:
Harimandir Sahib (Golden Temple) Gurdwara Manji Sahib Devan Asthan Akal Takht Gurdwara Ramsar Sahib Gurdwara Baba Deep Singh, built at the site of the martyrdom of Baba Deep Singh Gurdwara Bebaksar Sahib Birth Place of Guru Hargobind Sahib Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Tarn Taran (twenty five km south of Amritsar) Gurdwara Baba Budha Guru da Bagh, Kokawali Gurdwara Bohli Sahib, Goindwal Gurdwara Bir Baba Budha, Thattah-Chabhal Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, Khadur ChhehartaSahib, Guru Hargobind Ji Baba Bakala, where Bhai Makhan Shah proclaimed that he had found the ninth Sikh Guru in Guru Teg Bahadur Birth Place of Baba Budha Ji, KathunangalHindu
Durgiana Mandir Sage Valmiki's AshramOther
Ferozpur city is a centre for numerous holy shrines and historical places.Education
The Khalsa College, Amritsar is one of the oldest educational institutions of the region. He is assisted by the officers of the Punjab Forest Service and other Punjab Forest officials and Punjab Wild-Life officials.
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