History of Amritsar

Amritsar, city, northern Punjab state, northwestern India. It lies about 15 miles (25 km) east of the border with Pakistan. Amritsar is the largest and most important city in Punjab and is a major commercial, cultural, and transportation centre. It is also the centre of Sikhism and the site of the Sikhs’ principal place of worship—the Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple.

Foundation of Amritsar

Amritsar was founded in 1577 by Ram Das, fourth Guru of the Sikhs, on a site granted by the Mughal emperor Akbar. Ram Das ordered the excavation of the sacred tank, or pool, called the Amrita Saras (“Pool of Nectar”), from which the city’s name is derived. A temple was erected on an island in the tank’s centre by Guru Arjan Dev, the fifth Guru of the Sikhs, which was then reached by a marble causeway. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1801–39), the upper part of the temple was decorated with a gold-foil-covered copper dome, and since then the building has been popularly known as the Golden Temple. Amritsar became the centre of the Sikh faith, and, as the focus of growing Sikh power, the city experienced a corresponding increase in trade.

Amritsar Climate

Amritsar has a semi-arid climate typical of northwestern India and northeastern Pakistan. It has 5 seasons, winter, a period from mid-February to the end of March called "spring", a very hot summer (April-June), the monsoon season (July-September) and a so called "autumn" from mid-October to mid-Novemeber. Amritsar is 3rd coldest city in India during wintertime. Temperatures in the night are around 4°C (40°F), which is very cold by indian standards, and it is actually 3°C (6°F) lower than the city of Jammu more than 200km to the north. This happens partly due to the northeasterly winds blowing from the Himalayas, which also affects the rest of northern India, and partly due to its semi-arid nature. Temperatures reach the freezing point almost every year and the record low is -3.5°C (25.7°F). Snow is impossible as cold weather is accompanied by dry conditions. In spite of its cold nights though days can be quite pleasant with afternoon highs reaching 21°C (70°F) consistently. In mid-March is usually when the first 30°C (86°F), although sometimes it can occur much earlier. The heat is blistering during this time of the year and reaches its peak in June, when the average high is 40°C (104°F). Therefore visitors should be wary of heat strokes and stay hydrated.

When the monsoon arrives in July, the heat changes from blistering to sweltering. This is reagarded as the worst time of the year to visit northwestern India as temperatures around 32°C (90°F) and very high humidity (77%) makes the atmosphere unbearable for most tourists and locals alike. When autumn arrives, it is reagrded as a cool welcome by the citizens of the city before winter begins again. Therefore, the best time of the year to visit the city is either February or November. If you intend to visit from March to October consider visiting early when humidity isn't very high.

Get in

Reaching Amritsar By Air

Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport (IATA: ATQ) is about 11km and a 15-20 minutes drive from the city centre. It's one of the modern airports in India and quite adequate if not exactly exciting. Most flights are to Delhi, an hour away, but there are an increasing number of international connections: Air India flies to London, Birmingham, Melbourne and Sydney via Delhi. Air Slovakia used to fly to Bergamo, Barcelona and Birmingham via Bratislava but the flights have been discontinued since the airline ceased operations in 2010. There are also surprising numbers of flights to Central Asia (eg. Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan). Qatar Airways now flies to Doha. There are daily connections to Mumbai and Srinagar.Updated April 2017

According to the airport website, both city buses and car rentals are available.

Even the prepaid taxi can be bargained down with the drivers to ₹300 from an initially ridiculous price of ₹500 a person (Sep 2016) before you pay, but there is a significant dearth of official taxis or even auto-rickshaws, so prepare for a hard time.

If you would prefer an auto-rickshaw instead of expensive taxi, go left after leaving the airport building. There is a roundabout behind the parking lot where they are standing.

Also, be aware that if you are staying near the Golden Temple, there is a zone around it which prohibits motorised vehicles. Though not stringently applied, the streets do get very narrow, and you may have to make the last ten minutes of the trip on foot.

Reaching Amritsar By Train

It's advisable to book your return train ticket as soon as you arrive in Amritsar, or before if you know the exact date, as trains are often heavily booked.

When you are back to railway station make sure you're dropped on the right side of the station. Suppose you have a train from Platform No 1, then the rickshaw driver has to cross the bridge and come across the other part of station, otherwise they will drop you at their convenient place and you have to cross the footbridge with all your baggage.