Amritsar

The colourful city of the Golden Temple, the Jallianwalla Bagh and NRIs. The city that accommodates everything and everyone, from the sublime Shabad Kirtan to Bhangda Balle Balle. The city of kulchas and lassi. The city that exemplifies every Punjabi cliche and makes you fall in love with each one of them.

Amritsar is synonymous with the Golden Temple that lies in the heart of the Old City. One of the most secular sites in India, it is open to all. The largest city of Punjab, Amritsar is crowded and congested, the Old quarter a maze of labyrinthine alleys and gullies. Above them all tower the walls and domes of the Golden Temple in pristine marble and gleaming gold, permeating the city with a sacred air.

Founded in 1577, Amritsar has had a rich and varied history and played an important part during the freedom struggle. But it bears many wounds, having been home to many tragedies. The Jallianwalla Bagh remains one of the most poignant symbols of India's hard-won independence. Tragedy struck Amritsar again during the Partition and it saw some of the greatest blood shed in the riots that followed. Peace resumed, but in 1980 Amritsar was under attack again by Bhindranwale who occupied the Akal Takht and the following Operation Blue Star which damaged the temple complex.

But Amritsar rises above the tragedies again and again, as if from its Pool of Nectar that endows immortality and its people remain warm, its alleys jostling. Everywhere you look there are colours, chhola-kulcha dhabas and jalebi kiosks. The sidewalks are lined with pavement shops selling all things glittery and the guttural sounds of Punjabis are everywhere.

's real charm lies in the Punjabi heartiness that pervades its food, dress, pagdi colours and people's attitudes. A cheerful, carnival-like atmosphere greets you here every day of the year and you cannot but be brushed with the mirth.