Amritsar

Amritsar (əmːˈɾɪtsəɾ), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as Ambarsar, is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha region of Punjab. The city is the administrative headquarters of the Amritsar district. It is situated north-west of Chandigarh, and north-west of New Delhi. It is from the India-Pakistan border, and north-east of Lahore, Pakistan. According to the 2011 census, the city had a population of 1,989,961. It is one of the ten municipal corporations in the state; Karamjit Singh Rintu is serving as the mayor of the city. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Amritsar is the second-most populous city in Punjab and the most populous metropolitan region in the state, with a population of roughly 2 million. Amritsar is the centre of the Amritsar Metropolitan Region. Amritsar is the economic capital of Punjab. It is a major tourist centre with nearly a hundred thousand daily visitors. The city has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) program of the Government of India. It is home of the Golden Temple, one of Sikhism religion's most spiritually significant and most-visited gurudwaras. The city is also known for Amritsari food, and wooden chessboards and the chess pieces manufacturing industry. The Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal situated at Amritsar is believed to be the Ashram site of Maharishi Valmiki, the writer of Ramayana. As per the Ramayana, Sita gave birth to Lava and Kusha, sons of lord Rama at Ramtirath ashram. Numerous people visit Ramtirath Temple at the annual fair. The nearby cities Lahore and Kasur were believed to be founded by Lava and Kusha, respectively. It is believed that during Ashvamedha Yajna by Lord Rama, Lava and Kush caught the ritual horse and tied Lord Hanuman to a tree near to today's Durgiana Temple. In the Sikh tradition, Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh guru, is credited with founding the holy city of Amritsar.