Amritsar City Map Poster

About Amritsar

The city was founded in 1577 by the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das. The original name of the city was "Rāmdās", after a nearby Hindu temple called "Ramdaspīr". Amritsar is also colloquially known as '"Ambarsar"', which means 'Immortal City' or 'City of Immortality'. It is also popularly and historically known as Paradesi (or Foreign) Amritsar. Amritsar's history stretches back to antiquity. Religious texts and archaeological excavations show that the area surrounding Amritsar has been inhabited since at least BCE 1000, when it was a major centre for trade between India and Central Asia along what became known many centuries later as the Silk Road; it developed into an important Hindu pilgrimage center during this period, with temples dedicated to various deities such as Shiva (Linga Purana), Vishnu (Bhavishya Purana), Brahma(Mahabharata) etc.