Amritsar

Amritsar is known mainly for its Golden Temple which was initiated by Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru and the founder of the city, and completed in 1601 by his successor Guru Arjan Dev Ji. The Jallianwala Bagh massacre or Amritsar massacre occurred in 1919. The area where this occurred was a large, open square but walled in on all sides. British troops opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators, and a large number were killed — the British said 370 dead and 1,200 wounded but Indian sources say the total was well over 1,000 dead. Some of the victims were, in fact, demonstrating, protesting against the arrest of two political activists, while others were gathered to celebrate the traditional festival of Baisakhi. Not all died directly due to British fire; many were trampled in the stampede to escape and others died diving down a well to avoid the bullets. Today the well is a rather grisly tourist attraction and bullet holes are still visible on walls around the area. The massacre news spread quickly all over the country caused widespread outrage and additional demonstrations as it stunned the entire sub-continent. Eventually, the public lost faith in the British colonial government and subsequently, this massacre initiated the "Non-cooperation movement" led by the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. It is considered a significant phase of the Indian independence movement from British rule....