The city of Amritsar a dazzling showcase of composite culture and secular heritage. It has a proud past, a glorious present and a promising future. A rich repository of spiritual and national heritage, It has been hailed as the home of all virtues. While praying, every devout Sikh longs to be blessed with a pilgrimage to Amritsar and a holy bath at the Golden Temple.

Amritsar lies in the north western front in the state of Punjab, very near the border of Pakistan. Legend has it that the city was visited by the likes of Guru Nanak, Lord Rama and The Buddha during their journeys. Amritsar today is a pilgrimage center for the Sikh community, and is also famous for its outstanding landscapes and beauty. The city is an important trading centre of India, from where dry fruits, cut-glass crockery, sweet meats, woollen shawls, and other attires are exported to many countries of the world. The second successor of Guru Nanak was Guru Amar Das, who made the choice of building up a new township. The site of the location that was chosen had an abundant supply of water and a number of natural pools. Guru Amar Das’s son-in-law, Guru Ram Das moved to the site and started excavations for a tank. But his progress was very slow, so he went back to Guru Amar Das who advised him to dig at another location, which was called Amrit-Sarovar. The excavations started in the year 1573 A.D. Unfortunately, Guru Amar Das expired a yeas later, making Guru Ram Das his successor. By 1577 A.D the tank was completed, and Guru Ram Das and his son Guru Arjan Dev began construction of a temple. The two personally compiled the Adi-Granth scripture, which is considered the head of the Sikh religion, and laid it into the temple. The temple came to be known as Har Mandir. Slowly, the region around the tank began to be recognised as Amritsar. This beautiful city has many tragedies to its name. The massacre of thousands of innocent men, women, and children by the British General Dyer in Jallianwala Bagh was the worst of them. After thirty-four years of independence there was a huge militant upsurge for a new nation, and many lives were lost during that period. But, this beautiful city has survived it all and is now full of peace and serenity.

The climate of the district is characterized by general dryness except in the brief south –west monsoon season, a hot summer and bracing winter . The year may be divided in four seasons. The cold season is from November to February . The period from March to June is the hot season. The south-west monsoon season is from about the beginning of July to the first week of September. The succeeding period lasting till the beginning of November is the post-monsoon or transition period.

Air: Your query of transportation access to Amritsar by air is duly answered by the accessibility of various air services to and from the Raja Sansi Airport which is hardly 10 km from the main city. You can avail of connecting flights from Amritsar to Delhi - London and Delhi - New York. Lately, plane services to and from the Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) have gained popularity. Taxis are easily accessible to and from the airport.

Rail: Well connected by excellent rail routes, reaching Amritsar is very easy. Direct train services are provided to important cities like Delhi, Calcutta, Bombay, Puri and other places. The Samjhauta Express also connects Amritsar to Lahore in Pakistan.

Road: A good roadway set-up links the different corners of the city of Amritsar. Other cities of the state of Punjab are easily approachable by means of road transport. Grand Trunk Karnal Road links Delhi to Amritsar. Regular bus services are accessible from I.S.B.T. Delhi to Amritsar. In case you are wondering how to reach Amritsar by road, you will have at your disposal ample good options.

• Temperature: Summer: 26°C - 42°C, Winter: 25°C - 0°C
  
• Amritsar District Area: 114 sq km
• Altitude: 234 metres above sea level
• Rainfall: 541.9 mm. average yearly
• Language: Punjabi, Hindi and English
• Amritsar STD Code (Area Code): 0183