Amritsar pronunciation (helpinfo) (Punjabi: IPA:[mts], historically also known as Rmdspur and colloquially as , Ambarsar) is a city in the north-western part of India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. This city is well known as the spiritual center for the Sikh religion. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering 3,695,077. Amritsar is situated 217 kilometres (135mi) northwest of state capital Chandigarh and is 32 kilometres (20mi) east of Lahore, Pakistan and therefore, very close to India's western border with Pakistan. It is home to the Harmandir Sahib (referred to as the Golden Temple in the western media), the spiritual and cultural center for the Sikh religion. This important Sikh shrine attracts more visitors than the Taj Mahal with more than 100,000 visitors on week days alone and is the most...
