The city is named after the sacred pool of nectar in the Golden Temple complex. The Golden temple, the holiest of Sikhs shrines, is the main attraction of this chaotic and congested city. The shrine is so called Golden Temple because the dome is covered with gold leaf.

The Golden Temple is the nerve centre of the Sikh faith. Every Sikh tries to make a visit and bathe in the holy water of the temple, as it is immensely spiritual experience. It is worth visiting the Golden Temple once in the day light and once at night when the temple is beautifully lit up.

Early morning, the Guru Granth Sahib (the Holy book) is brought from the Akal Takht (Supreme council of Sikhs) at east end of temple complex to the Harmandir Sahib (the center of the main temple complex) in a vivid procession, to be returned at night, called Palki Sahib ceremony.

Singing is natural to Sikh worship and Granthi's (Sikh priests) & professional singers sing verses throughout the day from the holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib in the Harmandir Sahib.

Other attraction of the town is Jallianwala Bagh (Park), which is the site of the 1919 Amritsar massacre. The memorial was built on the site, where British Indian Army soldiers opened fired on an unarmed gathering of men, women and children, killing 1579 people. Inside the park, you can still see the bullet holes on the walls and adjoining buildings and the well into which many people jumped and drowned attempting to save themselves from the hail of bullets.

Wagah Border ceremony - You can also visit the India-Pakistan border at Wagah to see the popular fun event, where Indian and Pakistani soldiers do a march-off every evening, called the border closing ceremony.