Amritsar
Amritsar
| |
|---|---|
| Nicknames: Nicknames
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| Coordinates: 31°38′N 74°52′E / 31.64°N 74.86°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Punjab |
| District | Amritsar |
| Founded by | Guru Ram Das |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Amritsar Municipal Corporation |
| • Mayor | Karamjit Singh Rintu (AAP) |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Sakshi Sawhney |
| Area | |
• Total | 139 km2 (54 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 2nd in Punjab |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,159,227 |
| • Density | 8,300/km2 (22,000/sq mi) |
| • Metro rank | 44th |
| Demonym(s) | Amritsariya, Ambarsariya, Amritsari |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 143-001 |
| Telephone code | 91 183 XXX XXXX |
| Vehicle registration | PB-01 (commercial vehicles), PB-02, PB-17, PB-89 |
| Website | amritsarcorp |
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Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre. 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.
According to the 2011 census, the city had a population of 1,132,383. 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 to the Golden Temple, the holiest site and most-visited gurudwara in Sikhism. The city is also known for its food, and for the manufacture of wooden chessboards and chess pieces.