1919 Jallianwala Bagh Incident

On 13 April 1919, thousands of people were gathered at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab to mark the beginning of New Year. April 13 is celebrated as Baisakhi festival in Punjab.  To celebrate the Baisakhi festival with their family and loved ones, many people traveled for many days to reach Punjab on that auspicious day.
On the morning of the Baisakhi festival, Colonel Reginald Dyer announced the implementation of a curfew in Amritsar and banned all processions. At about 12:40 PM, Dyer received confidential information about the meeting of Jallianwala Bagh. Jallianwala Bagh was covered on all sides by walls up to 10 feet. It was equipped with a narrow entrance, mostly locked. The place was assembled by the devotees, traders, farmers, and merchants who visited Amritsar to enjoy the festival of Baisakhi. Sensing the number of peoples present there and the secret meeting that was going, at 4:30 P.M., General Dyer arrived there with the armed troops. On Dyer’s order, there was unstoppable firing done on the crowd. There were around 25,000 people present there at the time of firing. Some tried to escape while some choose to jump in the well built on the premises of Jallianwala Bagh. Apart from the many deaths directly from the shooting, a number of people died of crushing in the stampedes at the narrow gate. This atrocious act of violence resulted in extreme mass killing. The firing continued for around 10 minutes, and it only ceased when the ammunition supplies were exhausted. The dead bodies could not even be moved due to the curfew.  Colonel Dyer reportedly carried out this firing not just to disperse the meeting, but to punish the Indians for disobeying his orders.  

In a telegram sent by British Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, Colonel Dyer’s action was supposed to be correct and approved.

The city of Amritsar was founded in the 16th century by the fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ramdas Ji. The city was named after Amrit Sarovar, a sacred tank here. In 1601, Guru Ramdas Ji’s successor Guru Arjun Dev Ji developed Amritsar. Amritsar has been witness to many tragedies and traumatic events. The biggest massacre of the Indian freedom struggle took place in Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.

Amritsar has been in existence for almost four and a half hundred years. Guru Ramdas laid the foundation of the Gurudwara in 1577 in the middle of a lake. It has a copper dome which was later overlaid with gold plates and was named Harmandir Sahab or Golden Temple. In the kitchen of the Golden Temple, every day 40 thousand people are fed for free.

Touirst who visit Golden Temple must visit the living example of the freedom struggle, which is a witness to the martyrdom of nearly 2000 Sikhs and Hindus. It is the Jallianwala Bagh where thousands of unarmed innocents were killed by British Brigadier General Dyer on 13 April 1919, on the occasion of Baisakhi. This incidence not only shows the brutality of British colonial rule but also changed the course of India’s history. There are still bullets left on the walls of this garden. It is here that a memorial has been built in memory of the martyrs, where a flame always lighted.

Wagah Border, a must visit the place on Amritsar tour. The border of Punjab which separates India and Pakistan. The beating retreat ceremony takes place on the Wagah border daily before sunset. The soldiers of India and Pakistan are involved in this ceremony. People from all over the country come to see the parade on the Wagah border. It is a great experience to see the parade of army personnel here.

The home to the Golden Temple is also home to the best food in the world. Everything in this city revolves around food. Amritsari Kulchas, chicken, mutton, lassi, jalebi, and many more mouth-watering dishes that are famous in Amritsar. Don’t leave the Kara Prasad of Golden temple on your way out.

The climate of Amritsar is very hot in summer and very cold in winter. Therefore tourists are advised to visit this place in the months of October and February. The climate starts warming up from April onwards and by July it starts raining.