ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>AMRITSAR (31º-38'N, 74º-53'E)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="AMRITSAR"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279AMRITSAR (31º-38'N, 74º-53'E), principal holy city of the Sikhs, is the headquarters of a district (Amritsar) in the Punjab. The foundation of the town was laid in 1577 by Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s (1534 81) when he inaugurated the digging of the holy tank <i>Amrit-sar</i> (<i>amrit</i> = nectar, <i>sar</i> = pool) on a piece of land which, according to some sources, was purchased from the residents of the neighbouring village of Tu&#7749g during the time of Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s (1479-1574) and, according to other sources, was a gift from the Mu<u>gh</u>al Emperor Akbar (1542-1605) to Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s's daughter, B&#299b&#299 Bh&#257n&#299 married to (Gur&#363) R&#257m D&#257s. The habitation that grew around the sacred pool (<i>sarovar</i>) was initially called Ramd&#257spur, or Chakk R&#257md&#257s, or simply Chakk Gur&#363. Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s encouraged people from various trades and professions to take up residence here. The town expanded further under his son and successor, Gur&#363 Arjan (1563-1606), who completed and lined the tank and constructed in its middle the holy shrine, Harimandar, now famous as the Golden Temple and also had two more tanks, Santokhsar and R&#257msar, excavated near by. It was on the bank of R&#257msar that he carried out the compilation of the &#256d&#299 Granth (later Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib). With the installation on 16 August 1604 of the Granth S&#257hib in the Harimandar, the shrine and the <i>sarovar</i> Amritsar surrounding it together became the central attraction of the town and a site of pilgrimage for Sikhs from far and near. In time, the town itself came to be called Amritsar.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gur&#363 Hargobind (1595-1644) constructed near the pool and opposite the Harimandar, the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t, lit. Throne Eternal, where he sat in state dispensing the secular business of the community. He also gave two more tanks, Kaulsar and Bibeksar, to the town. Gur&#363 Hargobind constructed a fortress, Lohga&#7771h (lit. steel fort) on the western outskirts of the town. He soon came into conflict with the Mu<u>gh</u>al authority and was involved in a succession of skirmishes in and around the town. He decided to leave Amritsar early in 1635 and shift to K&#299ratpur, a town in the &#346iv&#257lik foothills founded at his bidding by his son, B&#257b&#257 Gurditt&#257, a few years earlier. None of the later Gur&#363s resided at Amritsar which was controlled during the rest of the seventeenth century by Gur&#363 Hargobind's cousin, Miharb&#257n, and the latter's son, Harj&#299, who headed the schismatic M&#299&#7751&#257 sect. It was only after the creation of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 in 1699 that Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh deputed Bh&#257&#299 Man&#299 Si&#7749gh with a few other Sikhs to go to Amritsar and resume control of the town and manage the holy shrines there on behalf of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 Panth.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;During the eighteenth century, Amritsar, like the Sikh community as a whole, witnessed many vicissitudes of history. It suffered repeatedly desecration and destruction until it was finally liberated upon the establishment of sovereign authority of the Sikh <i>misls</i>, principalities, over the Punjab in 1765. The town was thereafter under the control of several <i>misl </i>chiefs although its surrounding district was held by Sard&#257r Har&#299 Si&#7749gh of the Bh&#257&#7749g&#299 <i>misl</i>. Different <i>sard&#257rs</i> or chiefs constructed their own <i>bu&#7749g&#257s</i> or residential houses around the principal <i>sarovar</i>and also their respective <i>ka&#7789&#7771&#257s</i> or wards encouraging traders and craftsmen to reside in them and over which each exercised exclusive control. The sacred shrines were however administered by a joint council comprising representatives of the chiefs who had made endowments in land for their maintenance. Even prior to the time of Sikh ascendancy, joint councils, known as <i>sarbatt <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257</i>(lit. the entire Sikh Panth), to take crucial decisions on political matters had been held at Amritsar. Now again with all <i>misl</i> chiefs having their <i>bu&#7749g&#257s</i> there, it became the common capital of the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257. Devotees from far and near, free to visit the holy city after six decades of the severest persecution, flocked to <i>Gur&#363 k&#299 Nagar&#299</i> (the Gur&#363's town). So did businessmen and tradesmen to take advantage of the increasing pilgrim and resident population. Trade, commerce and crafts flourished in different <i>ka&#7789&#7771&#257s</i> each having its own markets and manufactories. By the end of the eighteenth century, Amritsar had already become Punjab's major trading centre. Yet the town with its multiple command setup remained a confederated rather than a composite habitation until Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh (1780-1839) rose to power and consolidated the whole of the Punjab into one sovereign State.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, chief of the Sukkarchakk&#299&#257 <i>misl, </i> who first occupied, in 1799, Lahore, the traditional capital of the Punjab, and declared himself Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 in 1801, extended his hegemony to Amritsar in 1805 when he took over from his traditional rivals, the <i>bh&#257&#7749g&#299</i> chiefs, their fort with its mint striking the N&#257naksh&#257h&#299 rupee, and the famous Zamzam&#257 gun. The fort of the R&#257mga&#7771h&#299&#257 <i>misl</i> was occupied in 1815 and with the possessions of R&#257&#7751&#299 Sad&#257 Kaur of Kanhaiy&#257 Misl and Fateh Si&#7749gh &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257 in Amritsar during the early 1820's, Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's occupation of Amritsar was complete. He then constructed a double wall and a moat around the city with twelve gates and their corresponding bridges over the moat. Already in 1809 he had constructed the Gobindga&#7771h Fort outside Lahaur&#299 Gate complete with a formidable moat, three lines of defence and several bastions and emplacements for heavy guns. Amritsar thus had already become his second capital. The royal tosh&#257<u>kh</u>&#257n&#257 or treasury was kept in Gobindga&#7771h Fort which was also used as the royal residence during the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257's frequent visits to the city before his palace in the city, R&#257m B&#257<u>gh</u>, was completed in 1831. Several members of the nobility also raised palatial houses and beautiful gardens in and around the city. Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh devoutly provided liberal funds to have the dome and exterior of the holy Harimandar gold plated and to have the interior ornamented with fine filigree and enamel work and with decorative murals and panels in marble inlaid with coloured stone. Sard&#257r Des&#257 Si&#7749gh Maj&#299&#7789h&#299&#257 (d. 1832), who had been appointed manager of the holy shrines in the city since its occupation by Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh, donated gold for gilding the top of B&#257b&#257 A&#7789al.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;During Sikh rule, Amritsar grew into a leading industrial and commercial city. The most important industry was textiles, particularly shawl and fine cotton cloth called <i>s&#363s&#299. </i>The shawl making industry received an impetus after a famine in Kashm&#299r in 1833, which led to the migration of a large number of skilled Kashm&#299r&#299 weavers to the city. The raw material, <i>pashm&#299n&#257</i> wool, came from the trans-Himalayan regions of Lad&#257<u>kh</u>, Tibet and Central Asia. Other important industries included silk weaving, carpet making, brass and copper ware and ivory goods.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amritsar continued to enjoy its precedence as the holiest city of the Sikhs as well as the most important commercial and industrial centre in the northwest India even after the annexation of the Punjab to the British empire in 1849. According to the first ever official census in the Punjab conducted in 1855, Amritsar had a population of 112, 186 against 94, 143 of Lahore. Its population increased by 30, 000 during the next thirty years. In 1890, with its population of 152, 000, it was the 13th largest city in India. It was connected by rail to Lahore in 1862 and to Delhi in 1870. Both circumstances provided further fillip to its industry, trade and commerce. For textiles and shawl making, there were in 1883-84 nearly 4, 000 looms in the city. As for commerce, here is a quotation from W. S. Caine, <i>Picturesque India</i> (1891) :</p> <blockquote class="C1"><p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The <i>serai</i> at Amritsar is one of the most interesting sights in India. . . . It is a great open space, surrounded by small houses, in which are lodged the travelling merchants from Central Asia. . . . Here are white-skinned Kashmiris, stout Nepalese, sturdy little Baluchis, stately but filthy Afghans, Persians, Bokharans and Tartars, and even the ubiquitous Chinaman. . . . These people bring to Amritsar the raw material for the great staple manufacture of the city, the soft down, or under wools of goats of the Great Tibet plateau and Kashmir, from which Kashmir shawls are woven. . . . Besides the shawls of home manufacture, Amritsar is the chief emporium for those of a similar kind made in Kashmir. . . .</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</blockquote></p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Amritsar made great strides in the field of education after annexation. According to the Settlement Report of 1852 for Amritsar <i><u>Kh</u>&#257s</i> (i. e. the town proper), there were (besides the centres of Sikh religious learning in various <i>bu&#7749g&#257s</i> and <i>&#7693er&#257s</i>) 18 schools, 6 run by Muhammadan teachers and 12 by Br&#257hma&#7751s, imparting instruction to 1, 050 students. By 1882, there were in the city 132 <i>maktabs</i> and <i>madars&#257s</i>, 65 <i>p&#257&#7789hsh&#257l&#257s</i>, 63 Gurmukh&#299 schools and 24 Mah&#257jan&#299 schools with a total number of 4, 860 pupils on their rolls. The first English school, the Zil&#257 School Amritsar, was opened in 1851 under a European headmaster with an annual government grant of Rs 5, 000. Christian missionaries opened other schools, the first of them in 1853. In 1870, the Christian Vernacular Education Society opened a Normal School for the training of teachers. It was a declaration in 1873 by four Sikh students of the Amritsar Mission School of their intention to embrace Christianity which led to the rise of a Sikh movement to promote rediscovery of the essentials of the teachings of the faith and education among the Sikh masses. It was at Amritsar that the first Sr&#299 Gur&#363 Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 subscribing to these twin objectives was formed on 1 October 1873. The efforts of the Si&#7749gh Sabh&#257 leaders culminated in the establishment in 1892 of the Sikhs' premier educational institution, the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College at Amritsar. At present the city claims a dozen colleges, including a medical college, as also the Gur&#363 N&#257nak Dev University, established in 1969 in honour of quinquecentennial of Gur&#363 N&#257nak Dev's birth. Besides, the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee, a statutory body representing the entire Sikh community, is running the Shah&#299d Sikh Missionary College here imparting instruction in Sikh religion and history.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In addition to incidents during the K&#363k&#257 uprise of the 1870's, what made Amritsar politically alive was the Jalli&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 Ba<u>gh</u> massacre of 1919 (q. v.). The Indian National Congress held its annual session of 1919 in Amritsar. October 1920 saw the rise of the Ak&#257l&#299 or the Gurdw&#257r&#257 Reform movement when the Sikh <i>sa&#7749gat</i> led by Ak&#257l&#299 leaders, Kart&#257r Si&#7749gh Jhabbar and Tej&#257 Si&#7749gh Bhuchchar, occupied on behalf of the reformers the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t, the <i>puj&#257r&#299s</i> or officiants and the <i>sarbar&#257h</i>, i. e. manager, appointed by the government, fleeing the holy precincts. With the formation of the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee during the following month, Amritsar once again became the political headquarters of the Sikhs. Since then almost all <i>morch&#257s</i> or agitations connected with the political struggle of the Panth have been launched and conducted from the Darb&#257r S&#257hib complex where the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee and its political counterpart, the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Ak&#257l&#299 Dal, have their main offices.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The growth of the city, population-wise, was irregular up to 1921. In fact, it was negative during the decades 1881-91 (-9. 96%) and 1901-11 (-5. 96%), the reason being the frequent epidemics and a decline in shawl trade caused by a change in fashions in Paris and in Europe as a whole. But the decades 1921-31 and 1931-41 saw a rapid increase (+65. 30 and +47. 64 per cent, respectively). The following decade again had a steep decline (-16. 69%), this time owing to the partition of the Punjab, resulting in the emigration from the city of almost the entire Muslim population to what became Pakistan after the independence of India. The loss of Muslim population was scarcely compensated by immigrating Hindus and Sikhs who preferred the security of the interior to settling down in a disturbed frontier city which Amritsar had then become. With the restoration of normal conditions, however, the population began to increase. The number recorded during 1991 Census was 7, 09, 456 including persons living in the cantonment area. Although Amritsar was founded by the Sikh Gur&#363s and continued to be the most important sacred city of the Sikhs, Sikhs formed only a minority of its population. Before partition Sikhs in Amritsar were, according to the Census of 1931, only 12. 09% against 49. 98% Muslims and 36. 94% Hindus. Even after the partition of 1947 with almost the entire Muslim population having emigrated, the Sikhs were 34. 18% against Hindus 64. 21% (last known figures of 1971 Census).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Population percentages notwithstanding, Amritsar still remains the holy city of the Sikhs dotted with Sikh shrines honouring the memory of Gur&#363s, martyrs and heroes. They are :</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;SR&#298 HARIMANDAR S&#256HIB. <i>See</i> SR&#298 DARB&#256R S&#256HIB</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;AK&#256L BU&#7748G&#256 housing Sr&#299 Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t S&#257hib. <i>See</i> AK&#256L TA<u>KH</u>T</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 L&#256CH&#298 BER, a small, domed structure raised upon a marble-paved platform near the gateway to the Harimandar, is named after the <i>ber&#299</i> (jujube) tree by its side which yields small (<i>l&#257ch&#299</i> or cardamom-size) berries. According to tradition, Gur&#363 Arjan used to sit under this tree and watch the digging of the <i>sarovar</i>, the sacred tank. Bh&#257&#299 S&#257lho, a prominent Sikh of that time, also used to relax here after the day's labour at the tank. It is said that when Mahit&#257b Si&#7749gh M&#299r&#257&#7749ko&#7789&#299&#257 and Sukkh&#257 Si&#7749gh arrived here to have the Harimandar liberated from the control of Masse <u>Kh</u>&#257n Ra&#7749gha&#7771, and chastised the desecrator of the holy shrine, they fastened their horses to this jujube tree before entering the building.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;BER B&#256B&#256 BU&#7692&#7692H&#256J&#298, is an old jujube tree standing in the <i>parikram&#257</i> or circumambulatory terrace along the northern bank of the sacred pool. It is here that the celebrated B&#257b&#257 Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257, entrusted with the supervision of the digging of the tank, used to sit with his piles of digging tools and implements and other materials used for brick lining the <i>sarovar</i> and later for the construction of the Harimandar. A marble platform now surrounds the tree trunk.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 DUKH BHAÑJA&#7750&#298 BER&#298 stands on the eastern flank of the <i>sarovar</i> by the side of yet another jujube tree known as Dukh Bhañja&#7751&#299 (lit. eradicator of suffering) Ber&#299. The place is associated with the legend of B&#299b&#299 Rajan&#299 whose leper husband is said to have been cured of his malady by having a dip in the old pond which had existed here since ancient times. Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s, hearing the report of this miracle, decided to develop the reservoir into a proper bathing tank. He is himself said to have given the tree the name Dukh Bhañja&#7751&#299. People have a strong faith that water in this portion of the tank will heal their ailments.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 THA&#7770H&#256 S&#256HIB, situated in a narrow street called B&#257z&#257r Tha&#7771h&#257 S&#257hib, a little way north of the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t, commemorates Gur&#363 Teg Bah&#257dur's visit to Amritsar in 1664. Soon after assuming office as Gur&#363, he had come from Bak&#257l&#257 to pay homage at the Harimandar, but the priests in charge who belonged to the rival M&#299&#7751&#257 sect shut the doors of the holy shrine in his face. Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur then sat praying for some time at the spot now marked by Gurdw&#257r&#257 Tha&#7771ha (lit. platform) S&#257hib and then went back towards the village of Vall&#257. The Gurdw&#257r&#257 is a two-storeyed domed structure. The Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib is seated on the first floor. The ground floor which gives the look of a basement cellar has a platform and the stump of an old tree believed to be the one under which Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur had sat.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 MAÑJ&#298 S&#256HIB, adjacent to the eastern boundary of the compound housing the Harimandar and the <i>sarovar</i>, is situated in what was formerly known as Gur&#363 k&#257 Ba<u>gh</u> (the Gur&#363's garden). This was the place where Gur&#363 Arjan used to hold the daily <i>d&#299v&#257n</i>. A marbled platform marks the spot where the Gur&#363 used to sit on a <i>mañj&#299</i> (cot) with the Sikhs squatting on the ground in front. The Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib is seated in an adjoining room. A vast <i>d&#299v&#257n</i> hall constructed in front of Mañj&#299 S&#257hib during recent decades now covers the whole of the former Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257gh.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 GUR&#362 KE MAHAL, as the name signifies, marks the residential house of the Gur&#363s. It is situated west of the Ak&#257l Ta<u>kh</u>t across Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257z&#257r street. Originally constructed as a modest hut by Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s in 1573, it was enlarged and beautified by Gur&#363 Arjan Dev and Gur&#363 Hargobind. The old house has since been converted into a <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> with the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib seated in a large rectangular hall. Besides the daily services, a special <i>d&#299v&#257n</i> and Gur&#363 k&#257 La&#7749gar are held on every Sunday following the first of a Bikram&#299 month. The most important event of the year is the celebration of the birth anniversary of Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur who was born here on Bais&#257kh <i>vad&#299</i> 5, 1678 Bk/1 April 1621.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 B&#256B&#256 A&#7788AL S&#256HIB, a 9 storey octagonal tower, over 45 metres high, standing close to the Kaulsar pool about 200 metres southeast of the Harimandar, marks the spot where B&#257b&#257 A&#7789al R&#257i, 9 year old son of Gur&#363 Hargobind, passed away on 9 Ass&#363 1685 Bk/ 13 September 1628. <i>See</i> A&#7788AL R&#256I, B&#256B&#256. A simple memorial in honour of B&#257b&#257 A&#7789al was raised on the site originally. The construction of the present edifice commenced after the Sikh <i>misls</i> had established their authority in the Punjab. The cornerstone was laid in 1770 and the first three storeys had been completed by 1784. The upper floors were raised by Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh during the 1820's. Sard&#257r Des&#257 Si&#7749gh Maj&#299&#7789h&#299&#257 contributed gold for gilding the dome at the top. The Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib is seated in a small inner room on the ground floor. The first six storeys are larger than the upper ones which rise above the central sanctum. The doors on the ground floor, four in number, are decorated with embossed designs, on brass and silver sheets. Interior walls and the ceiling are covered with murals depicting scenes from the lives of Gur&#363 N&#257nak, his two sons and nine successors, Gur&#363 Gobind Si&#7749gh's four sons and B&#257b&#257 Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In olden days, the surroundings of B&#257b&#257 A&#7789al S&#257hib (as the building is popularly called) were used as a cremation ground and the area was dotted with <i>sam&#257dhs</i>(memorial shrines) raised for eminent <i>sard&#257rs</i> (chiefs), saints (holy men), and warriors. The shrine was taken over by the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee in August 1921. During the process of widening the <i>parikram&#257</i>, most of the <i>sam&#257dhs</i> were demolished. Those surviving include the ones commemorating Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257 and Naw&#257b Kap&#363r Si&#7749gh.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 M&#256&#298 KAUL&#256&#7748 D&#256 ASTH&#256N is on the bank of the Kaulsar tank, both the tank as well as the shrine sharing the name Kaul&#257&#7749. Kaul&#257&#7749 was, according to tradition, the daughter (slave-girl, according to some sources) of Rustam <u>Kh</u>&#257n, Q&#257z&#299 of Muza&#7749g, a suburb of Lahore. She was of a religious bent of mind from the very beginning and, as she grew up, she became acquainted with the teachings of the Gur&#363s and turned a devotee of Gur&#363 Hargobind. Her father did not quite approve of this and subjected her to the harshest treatment to dissuade her from the path she seemed to be carving for herself. But she remained adamant and fled home to seek refuge with Gur&#363 Hargobind at Amritsar. Gurdw&#257r&#257 M&#257&#299 Kaul&#257&#7749 d&#257 Asth&#257n, as the name signifies, marks the site of the house where she lived. After a few years she shifted to Kart&#257rpur, near Jalandhar, where she died in 1629. The tank Kaulsar was got excavated by Gur&#363 Hargobind for Kaula&#7749's convenience. It was rain-fed and remained neglected until desilted, cleaned and renovated in 1872 and connected to the <i>ha&#7749sli, </i> or water channel bringing waters of the River R&#257v&#299 to the Amritsar <i>sarovars, </i> in 1884.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 R&#256MSAR stands on the bank of the R&#257msar <i>sarovar, </i> near Ch&#257&#7789&#299vi&#7751&#7693 Gate, on the southeastern side of the walled city. After the completion of the Harimandar, Gur&#363 Arjan undertook the compilation of &#256di Granth, the Holy Book, now revered as Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib. For this task, he chose a secluded site. The spot selected was then a shady nook, one km away from the bustle of the town. To make the surroundings more agreeable, he had a tank dug which was named R&#257msar after Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s. Here, Gur&#363 Arjan composed his famous <i>Sukhman&#299, </i> the Psalm of Peace, and with Bh&#257&#299 Gurd&#257s as his scribe compiled the &#256di Granth during 1603-04. The present Gurdw&#257r&#257 R&#257msar, a small marble-lined hall topped by a gilded, fluted lotus dome built in 1855, marks the site of the Gur&#363's labours.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 BIBEKSAR stands on the eastern flank of the tank Bibeksar got dug by Gur&#363 Hargobind in 1628 for the convenience of such pilgrims as would prefer seclusion to the hustle and bustle of the immediate environs of the main shrine. The Gurdw&#257r&#257 lies northeast of R&#257msar between Ch&#257&#7789&#299vi&#7751&#7693 and Sult&#257nvi&#7751&#7693 gates of the walled city. The Gurdw&#257r&#257 was raised by Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh in 1833. The building for Gur&#363 k&#257 La&#7749gar and a well were added in 1905-06. The Gurdw&#257r&#257 was controlled by Niha&#7749gs until its management statutorily passed to the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee in 1925.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 &#7788&#256HL&#298 S&#256HIB is connected with yet another <i>sarovar</i>Santokhsar close to the Town Hall in the heart of the old city. Santokhsar, 148x110 metres and next only to Amrit <i>sarovar</i> in size, is said to be the first tank the digging of which was commenced by Bh&#257&#299 Je&#7789h&#257 (later Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s) in 1564 under the direction of Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s. But before long Bh&#257&#299 Je&#7789h&#257 was called back to Goindv&#257l, and Santokhsar remained half-dug until Gur&#363 Arjan Dev completed it in 1588. It fell into neglect during the turbulent eighteenth century and was resurrected only in 1903 after the municipal committee of Amritsar had declared it a health hazard and threatened to fill it up. Although in 1824 it had been connected to a canal-fed channel, or<i>ha&#7749sl&#299</i> to make it independent of the vagaries of rainfall, the channel had become choked with silt and the tank was turned into a receptacle for locality garbage. A complete desilting was carried out in 1919 through <i>k&#257r-sev&#257</i> (voluntary free service) under Sant Sh&#257m Si&#7749gh and Sant Gurmukh Si&#7749gh. The Gurdw&#257r&#257 derives its name from a <i>&#7789ahl&#299</i> tree, <i>Dalbergia sisoo, </i> of which only a stump now remains near the main gateway. It is believed that this was the tree under which Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s and after him Gur&#363 Arjan stood supervising the excavation of the tank. The Gurdw&#257r&#257 comprising a rectangular hall on the western side of Santokhsar <i>sarovar</i> is next to the &#7788&#257hl&#299 S&#257hib stump as one enters the walled compound enclosing the <i>sarovar</i> and the shrine.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 CHAURAST&#298 A&#7788&#256R&#298, lit. a tall house at a road crossing (<i>chaurast&#257</i>, in Punjabi) is located by the side of a plaza at the end of Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257z&#257r in the heart of the old city. It is dedicated to Gur&#363 Hargobind who occasionally came here to rest. The plaza was the site of the initial encounter with an imperial force that attacked the Gur&#363 in 1629. The original house was demolished under the orders of the British officials soon after the annexation of the Punjab, in order to widen the plaza. The present building, smaller in size, has the Gur&#363 Granth S&#257hib seated on the ground floor. Besides daily prayers, special congregations take place on the first and the fifth day of the light half of every lunar month.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 LOHGA&#7770H S&#256HIB, about one km to the northwest of Harimandar, marks the site of a fort of the same name (lit. fort of steel) constructed by Gur&#363 Hargobind for the defence of the town. The main battle of Amritsar between the Gur&#363 and an imperial force under Mu<u>kh</u>lis <u>Kh</u>&#257n in May 1629 was fought here. The present Gurdw&#257r&#257 stands on the ruined mound of the fort, which was razed by Ahmad Sh&#257h Durr&#257n&#299 during one of his invasions in the mid-eighteenth century. The nearby gate in the city wall constructed by Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh is also known as Lohgarh Gate.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 PIPL&#298 S&#256HIB, about 1. 5 km west of Amritsar Railway station towards the <u>Kh</u>&#257ls&#257 College, marks the spot where a large <i>sa&#7749gat, </i>column of devotees, coming from Afghanistan and northwestern districts of the Punjab to take part in the excavation of the main Amritsar tank was welcomed by Gur&#363 Arjan, who came forward personally to receive them and who subsequently made it into a resting place for <i>sa&#7749gats</i>coming to Amritsar from that direction. The Gurdw&#257r&#257 is connected by a 150 metre link road to the main Sher Sh&#257h S&#363r&#299 M&#257rg near Putl&#299ghar. It came into prominence again in 1923 when crowds of volunteers for the <i>k&#257r-sev&#257</i> or desilting operation of the Darb&#257r S&#257hib tank first assembled here and then proceeded to the work site in a procession on 17 June 1923. The Gurdw&#257r&#257 was reconstructed during the 1930's. Besides the daily services, a fair is held here on the occasion of Basant Pañchm&#299 (January-February).</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 SHAH&#298DGAÑJ B&#256B&#256 D&#298P SI&#7748GH near the Ch&#257t&#299vi&#7751&#7693 Gate of the walled city commemorates the martyrdom of B&#257b&#257 D&#299p Si&#7749gh (q. v.) of the Sh&#257h&#299d<i>misl, </i> who, coming from Damdam&#257 S&#257hib (Talva&#7751&#7693&#299 S&#257bo) in Ba&#7789hi&#7751&#7693&#257 district to liberate the Darb&#257r S&#257hib, which had been attacked and desecrated by the Af<i>gh</i>&#257n invaders, was mortally wounded here on 11 November 1757. Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh (d. 1803) of R&#257mga&#7771h&#299&#257 <i>misl</i> raised a memorial platform on the site which was developed into a <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i> by Ak&#257l&#299 Ph&#363l&#257 Si&#7749gh (d. 1823). It was managed for long by the descendants of Sard&#257r Karam Si&#7749gh of Shah&#299d <i>misl</i>, and was handed over to the Shiroma&#7751&#299 Gurdw&#257r&#257 Parbandhak Committee in 1924. The surrounding estate owned by the descendants of Jass&#257 Si&#7749gh R&#257mga&#7771h&#299&#257 was also donated later to the Gurdw&#257r&#257 Shah&#299dgañj.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 SHAH&#298DGA&#327J B&#256B&#256 GURBA<u>KH</u>SH SI&#7748GH, a small shrine standing in a narrow <i>b&#257z&#257r</i> behind the Ak&#257l Bu&#7749g&#257, commemorates the saga of heroism of B&#257b&#257 Gurba<u>kh</u>sh Si&#7749gh Niha&#7749g and his twenty-nine comrades who faced a Durr&#257n&#299 horde in December 1764 and fell to the last man fighting in defence of the Harimandar.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DHARAMS&#256L&#256 BH&#256&#298 S&#256LHO J&#298, near Gurdw&#257r&#257 Gur&#363 ke Mahal, commemorates the name of Bh&#257&#299 S&#257lho (d. 1628), a devout Sikh who served Gur&#363 R&#257m D&#257s, Gur&#363 Arjan, and Gur&#363 Hargobind. Entrusted with the general administration of the nascent town, he was popularly called <i>kotw&#257l, </i> the police chief, of Amritsar. The Dharams&#257l&#257 was his residence as well as his place of work. A nearby pond, called Bh&#257&#299 S&#257lho's &#7788obh&#257 (lit. pond), was filled up by the British in 1863. The Dharams&#257l&#257 has since been converted into a <i>gurdw&#257r&#257, </i>- a two-storeyed building topped by a gilded dome with ancillary buildings such as Gur&#363 k&#257 La&#7749gar and residential rooms for officiants.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 DARSHAN&#298 DIO&#7770H&#298 represents the gateway to Amritsar during its infancy built by Gur&#363 Arjan. As one entered the new habitation through it, paths led to Gur&#363 ke Mahal on the right and the Harimandar on the left with no houses in between to obstruct a glimpse (<i>darshan</i>, in Punjabi) of the two holy places. Hence the name Darshan&#299 Dio&#7771h&#299 (<i>dio&#7771h&#299</i>= portal or gateway). Converted into a small <i>gurdw&#257r&#257</i>, it now stands amidst the crowded B&#257z&#257r M&#257&#299 Sev&#257&#7749, near its junction with Gur&#363 k&#257 B&#257z&#257r.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;GURDW&#256R&#256 DAMDAM&#256 S&#256HIB, located between the railway line and the Sher Sh&#257h S&#363r&#299 M&#257rg about 3 km east of Amritsar railway station, is dedicated to Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur who halted here for some time on his way from Amritsar to Vall&#257 in 1664 (See Gurdw&#257r&#257 Tha&#7771h&#257 S&#257hib). <i>Damdam&#257</i> means a place for a brief halt. As the news that the Gur&#363 had been denied entry into the Harimandar by the M&#299&#7751&#257 priests spread, the Amritsar <i>sa&#7749gat, </i> mostly women, came out to see him. They went first to the Darb&#257r S&#257hib and, learning that the Gur&#363 had already left, they with a view to atoning for the impudence and folly of the priests, followed him. They caught up with him at this spot and begged his forgiveness for what had happened and entreated him to return and visit the holy shrine with them. Gur&#363 Te<u>gh</u> Bah&#257dur declined their request to go back, adding that he had no complaint or rancour against anyone. He pronounced this blessing for the women : <i>M&#257&#299&#257&#7749 rabb raz&#257i&#257&#7749</i> (Ever blessed by the Lord be the ladies). Construction of the present building of the Gurdw&#257r&#257 was started in the beginning of the twentieth century by Sant Si&#7749gh Kal&#299v&#257le, a trader in limestone.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Some other sacred spots in Amritsar are Har K&#299 Pau&#7771&#299, a flight of steps going down to the water level behind the Harimandar; A&#7789hsa&#7789h T&#299rath, a gilded kiosk constructed by Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh along the southern bank of the <i>sarovar, </i> and Tha&#7771h&#257 S&#257hib, a small shrine between A&#7789hsa&#7789h T&#299rath and Ber B&#257b&#257 Bu&#7693&#7693h&#257 J&#299 commemorating Gur&#363 Amar D&#257s and Gur&#363 Arjan.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Besides spots and shrines sacred to the Sikhs, Amritsar has many other places of interest, the better known among them being the Durgi&#257&#7751&#257 Mandir, a Hindu temple built during the 1930's on the model of the Golden Temple; Jalli&#257&#7749v&#257l&#257 B&#257<u>gh</u>, the site of the tragedy of 13 April 1919; Gobindga&#7771h Fort constructed by Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh; and R&#257m B&#257<u>gh</u> gardens and palace where Mah&#257r&#257j&#257 Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh used to put up during his frequent visits to the city.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Gi&#257n Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Tw&#257r&#299<u>kh</u> Sr&#299 Amritsar</i> [Reprint]. Amritsar, 1977<BR> <li class="C1"> &#7788h&#257kar Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Sr&#299 Gurdu&#257re Darshan</i>. Amritsar, 1923<BR> <li class="C1"> T&#257r&#257 Si&#7749gh, <i>Sr&#299 Gur T&#299rath Sa&#7749grahi</i>. Amritsar, n. d.<BR> <li class="C1"> Kirp&#257l Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, "Sr&#299 Amritsar Shahir, " in the <i>Gurdw&#257r&#257 Gazette</i>. November 1988<BR> <li class="C1"> Prat&#257p Si&#7749gh, Gi&#257n&#299, <i>Amritsaru Sifat&#299 d&#257 Gharu</i>. Amritsar, 1977<BR> <li class="C1"> Datta, V. N. , <i>Amritsar Past and Present. </i> Amritsar, 1967<BR> <li class="C1"> Madanjit Kaur, <i>The Golden Temple : Past and Present</i>. Amritsar, 1983<BR> <li class="C1"> Patwant Singh, <i>The Golden Temple</i>. Delhi, 1988<BR> <li class="C1"> Arshi, P. S. , <i>Sikh Architecture in the Punjab</i>. Delhi, 1986<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Major Gurmukh Si&#7749gh (Retd.)<br></p><BR> </font> <img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""> </HTML></BODY>