From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Amritsar is a city in Punjab, India. The city has a population of over two million. Amritsar means literally "holy pool of nectar".
It is the home to the Harmandir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, and is the spiritual and cultural centre of the Sikh Religion. Founded by the fourth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Ram Das, it was completed by his successor Guru Arjun Dev. Work began in 1573 on digging the holy pool. In 1601, Harmandir Sahib was completed and 3 years later, the Sikh Holy Book was placed there is called the Guru Granth Sahib. In Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time, Amritsar City had superseded Lahore as the pre-eminent city of Punjab.
The Amritsar Massacre occured here on April 3 1919, killing 379 people and wounding another 1200.
The Golden Temple Massacre on May 31, 1984 also occured here.
In 1969 Guru Nanak University was established here.
