Spending some moments in an elevator of a hotel during the Jaipur Literature Festival, I say by way of conversation: “I am from your Punjab.” “Which place?” he asks. “Chandigarh!” is the reply. At this he smiles and says: “Chandigarh is hardly Punjab. Punjab is Amritsar!!” Well, he is right and he would be for he knows this city well even though he wrote a book on it, in the context of the days of militancy in the state, calling it Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi’s Last Battle.
United Punjab of the pre-Partition days boasted of two big cities: Lahore, the cultural centre of Punjab, and Amritsar, the commercial centre of Punjab. However, there is much more to Amritsar than mere commerce. It is Vatican of the Sikhs with Sri Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, housed here. True one has not been to East Punjab if one has not visited Amritsar, which literally means ‘the pool of divine nectar’. Interestingly, this Sikh shrine attracts more visitors than does the Taj Mahal at Agra. The temple also has unique and secular tradition architecture. It drew on both Hindu and Muslim architectural styles to represent a unique co-evolution of the two. The foundation stone of the temple was laid by the great Muslim Sufi saint of Lahore, Hazrat Mian Mir, in December 1588 as he was a close friend of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Dev. The temple, its surrounding precincts made of marble and the water in the tank, all appear pure, different and extraordinary. In colonial times a Major Cole called it "an adaptation of Mohammedan styles, flavoured with a good deal of Hindu tradition". Experts say it was inspired by the tank pavilion tomb of Nadira Begum, wife of Dara Shikoh, in Lahore. The city has some interesting buildings in the Mughal-Gothic style like the Khalsa College as well as many structures of the Hall Basaar area.
Myth has it that this was the area of Balmiki’s Ashram where Sita gave birth to Luv and Kush. However, the city was built by Guru Ram Das in 1574. It was to be a city of destiny in many ways for the state of Punjab as well as the country. History, both sad and joyous, is a part of the streets and monuments of Amritsar. The Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar is an important place of the national movement for the struggle for Independence. On the Baisakhi festival on April 13, 1919, General Dyer and his men blocked the only exit and opened fire on a collection of innocent men, women and children at a peaceful rally here. This incident sent shock waves through the country. Renouncing his knighthood, Rabindranath Tagore stated in a letter of protest to the Viceroy on May 31, 1919: “The time has come when the badges of honour make our shame glaring in their incongruous context of humiliation, and I for my part wish to stand shorn of all special distinctions, by the side of those my countrymen who, for their so-called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for human beings...” The memorial of the Jallianwala Bagh is one of the most visited places.
Modern Amritsar is a mix of the old and new and it draws many people every day to the Wagah-Atari border of Pakistan to see the beating of the retreat in the evening. Hundreds of people assemble on both sides as gates are opened for a while and the Partitioned Punjabis stare at one another and there are many number of people who start sobbing at the historical tragedy of the Partition. This very border sees peace activists on both sides singing, performing and lighting candles on the Ides of August.
United Punjab of the pre-Partition days boasted of two big cities: Lahore, the cultural centre of Punjab, and Amritsar, the commercial centre of Punjab. However, there is much more to Amritsar than mere commerce. It is Vatican of the Sikhs with Sri Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, housed here. True one has not been to East Punjab if one has not visited Amritsar, which literally means ‘the pool of divine nectar’. Interestingly, this Sikh shrine attracts more visitors than does the Taj Mahal at Agra. The temple also has unique and secular tradition architecture. It drew on both Hindu and Muslim architectural styles to represent a unique co-evolution of the two. The foundation stone of the temple was laid by the great Muslim Sufi saint of Lahore, Hazrat Mian Mir, in December 1588 as he was a close friend of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Dev. The temple, its surrounding precincts made of marble and the water in the tank, all appear pure, different and extraordinary. In colonial times a Major Cole called it "an adaptation of Mohammedan styles, flavoured with a good deal of Hindu tradition". Experts say it was inspired by the tank pavilion tomb of Nadira Begum, wife of Dara Shikoh, in Lahore. The city has some interesting buildings in the Mughal-Gothic style like the Khalsa College as well as many structures of the Hall Basaar area.
Myth has it that this was the area of Balmiki’s Ashram where Sita gave birth to Luv and Kush. However, the city was built by Guru Ram Das in 1574. It was to be a city of destiny in many ways for the state of Punjab as well as the country. History, both sad and joyous, is a part of the streets and monuments of Amritsar. The Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar is an important place of the national movement for the struggle for Independence. On the Baisakhi festival on April 13, 1919, General Dyer and his men blocked the only exit and opened fire on a collection of innocent men, women and children at a peaceful rally here. This incident sent shock waves through the country. Renouncing his knighthood, Rabindranath Tagore stated in a letter of protest to the Viceroy on May 31, 1919: “The time has come when the badges of honour make our shame glaring in their incongruous context of humiliation, and I for my part wish to stand shorn of all special distinctions, by the side of those my countrymen who, for their so-called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for human beings...” The memorial of the Jallianwala Bagh is one of the most visited places.
Modern Amritsar is a mix of the old and new and it draws many people every day to the Wagah-Atari border of Pakistan to see the beating of the retreat in the evening. Hundreds of people assemble on both sides as gates are opened for a while and the Partitioned Punjabis stare at one another and there are many number of people who start sobbing at the historical tragedy of the Partition. This very border sees peace activists on both sides singing, performing and lighting candles on the Ides of August.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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