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About Amritsar |
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The sacred most shrine of the Sikh community, popularly known as the Golden Temple, is located in Amritsar, which gives it the status of a holy city among the followers of Sikhism. It was Guru Ram Das ji who founded the city of Amritsar in 1574 after buying land from the villagers of Tung. The city derives its name from the Santokhsar Sarovar, the construction of which was initiated by Guru Ram Das ji himself. The work on laying the foundation of the Darbar Sahib was started by Guru Arjan Devji, which finished by the start of the seventeenth century.
Guru Arjan Dev ji was followed by Guru Hargobind ji who strengthened the political power of Sikhs by building the Akal Takht in 1609. it was necessary to unite the Sikh community politically in order to defend Amritsar from falling into the hands of the Mughal rulers who continued their attacks during the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Katras were developed to protect the city from the attackers. These Katras, which characterize the housing pattern even now, were special kinds of residential units that are fitted with a unique defense system.
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In the latter part of the eighteenth century, the city had to go through a series of attacks from the Afghan army led by Ahmed Shah Abdali, which left much of the Darbar Sahib and the Akal Takht in a demolished state. The holy shrines were reconstructed by 1776. The eighteenth century also saw the emergence of commercial activities in Amritsar, and by the end of the century, it became famous as a chief trading center of Punjab.
When Maharaja Ranjit Singh rose into power by the turn of the eighteenth century, Amritsar was at the peak of its glory. It was made the second capital of the region held by Ranjit Singh. It was during this period that a portion of the Darbar Sahib was plated with gold, which led it to be known as the Golden Temple all across the world. After the downfall of the empire built by Ranjit Singh, Amritsar slipped into the hands of the British rulers. The British established a municipal committee in 1858 and provided train services between Lahore and Amritsar in 1862.
The massacre at the Jallianwala Bagh, which occurred in 1919, was a sad part of the Amritsar history, however, it gave instant momentum to the independence movement being carried out at different places in the country. In recent years, the city has grown to become a leading trading center of the country. A rapid development of urban areas can be seen here which is consistently increasing the size of the city. The real estate industry has gained momentum with rising demand for modern housing solutions and residential units.
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