Amritsar is a city in the northwestern Indian state of Punjab, 28 kilometers from the border with Pakistan. At the center of its walled old town, the gilded Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) is the holiest gurdwara (religious complex) of the Sikh religion. It’s at the end of a causeway, surrounded by the sacred Amrit Sarovar tank (lake), where pilgrims bathe.Within the Golden Temple complex, the Sikh Museum contains paintings, manuscripts & weapons. A free langar (kitchen) feeds tens of thousands every day. Stalls in the adjoining lanes sell traditional embroidered clothing and shoes. Jallianwala Bagh is a memorial garden remembering the victims of a 1919 British army massacre. The Rambagh Gardens surround Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s summer palace, now a museum. The Durgiana Mandir Hindu temple resembles the Golden Temple and has intricately carved silver doors. The elaborate daily changing-of-the-guard ceremony at the Wagah border with Pakistan has become a popular spectacle.
