It is also close to the northwest border of Pakistan.
Visitors often venture to the border to see the daily sunset retreat ceremony with the Border Security Force on the Indian Side and the Sutlej Rangers on the Pakistan side. The ceremony is a well-coordinated and spectacular display, with the sound of blowing bugles from both sides as they close the border for the night. Flags of the two nations are simultaneously retrieved to the sound of thunderous applause from the crowds. Today, this border is the only route open to anyone crossing into Pakistan and Central Asia.
Aside from the magnificent Golden Temple, it’s well worth attending a Sikh temple to witness a religious ceremony to appreciate the importance of Amritsar to the Sikh faith. The Jallianwala Bagh, a public garden and memorial commemorating the massacre of Indian citizens by British occupying forces on Punjabi New Year 1919, is a must-see too. Essentially a rural town, it is also a good base to explore the local countryside and the fertile farming, which has made the farmers from this region some of India’s richest.
