| Armritsar |
| Population 1,500,000 (in 2007) Altitude 218 m Area 14 square km Languages Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and English |
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| Amritsar, meaning "The Lake of the Holy Nectar" is the administrative headquarters of the Amritsar district in the state of Punjab. The town is located in the northwestern part the state, 32 kilometres east of Lahore, Pakistan. Some have taken the name Amritsar to derive from Am?it-saagar, meaning "The Ocean of the Nectar of Immortality". It is home to the Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, and is the spiritual and cultural center of the Sikh religion. This important Sikh shrine attracts more visitors than the Taj Mahal in Agra and is the number one destination for non-resident Indians in the whole of India. Amritsar is also a very important and holy city for hindus as according to greatest epic of hinduism, this was a place where Mata Sita wife of lord Rama gave birth to twins Luv and Kush. The birth took place in ashram of Valmiki rishi and this is a famous piligrimage known as Ramtirth, a few kilometers away from the city center. The city is known for the incident of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in 1919 under British Rule. The main commercial activities include tourism, carpets and fabrics, farm produce, handicrafts, service trades and light engineering. The city is popular for its food and culture. Banks and Internet Numerous banks in Amritsar change money and travellers checks and several also have ATMs accepting foreign cards. There are plenty of internet cafes in the town, all charging between Rs 30 and 40 an hour. |