Heritage Street, Amritsar | |
---|---|
Heritage Walk | |
Route information | |
Maintained by Government of Punjab | |
Length | 1.1 km (0.68 mi) |
Existed | 26 October 2016–present |
Major junctions | |
Tourist loop around Amritsar | |
From | Town Hall |
To | Golden Temple |
Location | |
Country | India |
Highway system | |
State Highways in |
Heritage Street, Amritsar is one of the oldest streets of Amritsar in Punjab, India, located between the Golden Temple and the Town Hall. The street was reconstructed and opened by Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal in on 26 October 2016 as a tourist attraction and open walk street on the lines of open monuments in European cities like Rome, Venice and Florence. [1]
The Golden Temple is the most visited place in Punjab, India, with over 100,000 visitors daily. The stretch from Town Hall to Golden Temple was messed with vehicles, overhead cables, encroachments and street hawkers. The idea of Heritage Street was created to develop a revampled, no-vehicle zone with a new 'heritage façade' to each of 170 shops in it. The construction took over 330 days and 1200 people to complete. [2]
The construction was carried out by Jaipur-based architect Anup Bartaria and his firm called 'Sincere Architects' [3] The facade along with the street that leads to the shrine was redeveloped on lines of European Cities. The idea was to give the place a vintage look, reminiscent of Amritsar that existed 400 years ago. More than 20 buildings and facades were refurbished in the project. Each facade was unique in construction and its requirements. Biggest hurdle was to mount fixtures in public places where there was no space available for mounting. The architects did not want to see the fixtures at all. Town Hall was an existing facade and it was a part of the heritage site. No drilling, external mounting was allowed on the facade. [4]
Heritage Street in Amritsar was first of its kind concept in India. Upon its success, many more streets are planned and developed on the lines of Heritage Street, Amritsar as follows:
Patiala is a city in southeastern Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the Qila Mubarak constructed by the Sidhu Jat Sikh chieftain Ala Singh, who founded the royal dynasty of Patiala State in 1763, and after whom the city is named.
Amritsar, 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 217 km (135 mi) north-west of Chandigarh, and 455 km (283 mi) north-west of New Delhi. It is 28 km (17.4 mi) from the India-Pakistan border, and 47 km (29 mi) north-east of Lahore, Pakistan.
Panth Rattan Shiri Gurcharan Singh Tohra was a president of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), a Sikh body in charge of controlling Gurdwara. He died of a heart attack in New Delhi on 1 April 2004 at the age of 79. He remained the head of the SGPC for a record 27 years, and was one of the most influential and controversial Sikh leaders of the 20th century.
The Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. It is located close to the Old Delhi Railway Station. The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. It was built in the 17th century by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, and designed by his daughter, Jahanara. The market was once divided by canals to reflect moonlight. It remains one of India's largest wholesale markets.
Navjot Singh Sidhu is an Indian politician from the Indian National Congress, television personality and retired international cricketer. He is the former President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Formerly, he was the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs in the state government of State of Punjab. Sidhu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2004 and contested the general election from Amritsar that year. He won the election and held the seat till 2014 winning also the next election. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2016 from Punjab before he resigned from the position the same year and quit the party. In 2017, he joined the Indian National Congress and was elected to the Punjab Legislative Assembly from Amritsar East. He lost in 2022 Punjab Legislative Assembly election from Amritsar East Assembly constituency.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is an organization in India responsible for the management of Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship in states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and the union territory of Chandigarh. SGPC also administers Darbar Sahib in Amritsar.
Amarinder Singh, is an Indian politician, military historian, former royal and Indian Army veteran who served as the 15th Chief Minister of Punjab. His father was the last Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala. Before starting his political career, Singh was an officer in the Indian Army, served in the Indian Army from 1963 to 1966.
Simranjit Singh Mann is a former Indian Police Service officer and a former Member of the Parliament in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India, representing the constituency of Sangrur since 2022. He lost elections in 2024 and Gurmeet Singh meet Hayer became new member of parliament. He is the president of the political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). Mann has served three-times as an MP; once from Taran Tarn between 1989 and 1991, and twice from Sangrur between 1999-2004 and since 2022. He is known as a Khalistani supporter and his party is known for their pro-Khalistan stances.
Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is one of the nine historical Gurdwaras in Delhi. It was first constructed in 1783 as a small shrine by Baghel Singh to commemorate the martyrdom site of the ninth Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur and was probably expanded after Indian Rebellion of 1857 or after Partition of India. Before its construction the Mughal Kotwali was situated here. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857 the Mughal Kotwali was demolished by the British and the land was given to the Sikhs as the Maharaja of Patiala and other Sikh soldiers helped the British to defeat the Mughal soldiers by providing large numbers of ammunition and soldiers. Its current building was made by Rai Bahadur Narain Singh a contractor who build most of roads in Lutyens New Delhi construction under British Rule. Situated in Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, it marks the site where the ninth Sikh Guru was beheaded on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on 11 November 1675. The Sikh regiment of the Indian army salute the Sis Ganj Gurudwara before saluting the president of India since 1979, the only instance of saluting twice in the Republic Day parade by a regiment of Indian army.
Bhai Mati Das, along with his younger brother Bhai Sati Das were martyrs of early Sikh history. Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Dayala, and Bhai Sati Das were executed at a kotwali (police-station) in the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi, under the express orders of Emperor Aurangzeb just before the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Bhai Mati Das was executed by being bound between two pillars and cut in two.
Giani Gurdit Singh was born in Mithewal village in the state of Punjab, India. He was considered one of the greatest contemporary writers in Punjabi, and his book Mera Pind is regarded as a classic. It is now in its 14th edition and has been in print continuously since 1961. He was also a pioneering journalist, the Owner-Editor of Parkash from 1947–1978. He was also the editor of Singh Sabha Patrika, a monthly magazine of Sikh history and divinity. Giani Gurdit Singh graduated as "Giani" from Punjab University, Lahore in 1945, and he specialised in literature, divinity, history and folklore. He was a member of the Punjab Legislative Council from 1956 to 1962. He contributed to the debates at that time and in the creation of Punjabi University, Patiala and the recognition of Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sabo, as the 5th Takht of the Sikhs. He was General Secretary of the Singh Sabha Shatabadi Committee, Amritsar, renamed Kendriya Sri Guru Singh Sabha. As the editor of the magazine Singh Sabha Patrika, he focused on issues of importance to the Sikhs. He also established two Guru Granth Vidya Kendras, one in Chandigarh and another in Mehrauli, Delhi.
Bhai Sati Das along with his elder brother Bhai Mati Das were martyrs of early Sikh history. Bhai Sati Das, Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Dyal Das were all executed at kotwali (police-station) in the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi, under the express orders of emperor Aurangzeb just prior to the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Bhai Sati Das was executed by the means of being wrapped in cotton wool soaked in oil and set on fire.
Harchand Singh Longowal was the President of the Akali Dal during the Punjab insurgency of the 1980. He had signed the Punjab accord, also known as the Rajiv-Longowal Accord along with Rajiv Gandhi on 24 July 1985. The government accepted most of the demands of Akali Dal who in turn agreed to withdraw their agitation. Less than a month after signing the Punjab accord, Sant Longowal was assassinated by Gyan Singh Leel and Jarnail Singh Halvara.
The Shri Durgiana Mandir is a Hindu temple situated in the city of Amritsar in Punjab, India. Though a Hindu temple, its architecture is similar to the Sikh Harmandir Sahib. The temple derives its name from the Goddess Durga, the chief Goddess who is worshipped here. Murtis of Lakshmi and Vishnu are also located and worshipped in the temple.
Martyrdom is a fundamental institution of Sikhism. Sikh festivals are largely focused on the lives of the Sikh gurus and Sikh martyrs. Their martyrdoms are regarded as instructional ideals for Sikhs, and have greatly influenced Sikh culture and practices.
The Golden Temple (also known as the Harmandir Sahib, or the Darbār Sahib, is a gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. It is the pre-eminent spiritual site of Sikhism. It is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Kartarpur, and Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib.
Navjot Kaur Sidhu is an Indian politician and former member of Punjab Legislative Assembly. She was elected to assembly in 2012 from Amritsar East as a candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party.
Amritsar MetroBus is the bus rapid transit system (BRTS) in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. Amritsar MetroBus allows easy travel to different places in city like the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, Guru Nanak Dev University and Khalsa College for nominal fares. The time gap or frequency between two buses on the same route is five minutes.
Namdhari Guru Ram Singh is the second guru of the Namdhari sect of Sikhism. He is credited as being the first Indian to use non-cooperation and boycott of British goods and services as a political tool. He was exiled to Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar) by the British colonial government of India on 18 January 1872. In 2016, the Government of India officially decided to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Ram Singh.
Amritsar is a city situated in the state of northern Punjab, the northwestern region of India. It is 25 kilometres away from the Pakistan border. This important Punjab city is the main centre of commerce, culture, and transportation. It is the centre of Sikhism and the principal place of worship for Sikhs. Amritsar is attractive destination for tourists, especially those part of Golden Triangle. Major destinations are: