Looking at the sea of devotees at the Golden Temple during the day — 1 lakh per day on average — Shiv Dular Singh Dhillon, the former Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar, decided that it would be easier to pay obeisance at the gurdwara in the dead of night instead. But standing outside the gurdwara at 1.30 am — the hour he refers to as choran wala time or the hour when thieves strike — Dhillon was surprised to see the Golden Temple, also known as Darbar Sahib or Harmandir Sahib, still brimming with devotees.
Amritsar has been witnessing a tourist boom since the past few years, becoming one of the most visited cities in the country. This is evident from air passengers doubling to over 20 lakh in 2022 from about 10 lakh in 2015 and the fact that hotels in the city are almost always booked solid. Many credit Punjab’s Rs 250-crore Galliara Project, which included the beautification of Heritage Street in 2016, for this spike in visitors seeking a blend of history, spirituality and the delectable Amritsari cuisine. However, most agree that the Golden Temple remains the single biggest attraction for both tourists and locals. The holiest of Sikh shrines sees a much higher footfall daily than even the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra, as per a 2019 Punjab government document, which stated that the gurdwara witnesses a footfall of at least 1 lakh devotees each day.
Explaining the reasons for the boom in tourists, Sameep Singh Gumtala, the global convener at FlyAmritsar, a “civil society advocacy campaign” working for better air connectivity to the city, said, “Apart from infrastructure development in 2016, increased connectivity between Amritsar airport, and major cities across India and abroad (in Europe, South-East Asia and Australia) with Punjabi diaspora led to a substantial rise in travellers to the city for both pilgrimage and tourism. This surge led to the establishment of leading international hotels and retail brands in the city.”
With hotels in Amritsar, which is also known as Sifti da Ghar (the Home of Praise), reporting full occupancy on most days, one-day tariff of rooms in five-star hotels are known to soar as high as Rs 50,000 on weekends. Renowned names in hospitality, including Taj, Hyatt, Radisson, Le Méridien, Marriott, ITC, Wyndham, Holiday Inn and Best Western, have already marked their presence in the city, with others following suit.
An office-bearer with the local hotel association said, “Tourists usually scramble to find a room in the city on weekends since most hotels are completely booked.”
Sikh devotees offer prayers at the Golden Temple on the occasion of birth anniversary of fourth Sikh Master Guru Ramdass, founder of Amritsar City, in October last year. (Express Photo: Rana Simranjit Singh)
Surinder Singh Gandhi, the president of the Amritsar Hotel Association, added, “There are about 1,000 hotels in the city. According to government officials, there were just 130 hotels within the Walled City (in central Amritsar) before 2016. The number of hotels in that area has now surged to 450 — a clear response to the rising demand.”
This increase is also evident from the number of international and domestic passengers at Amritsar’s Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport.
Gumtala of FlyAmritsar Initiative added, “According to data shared by the Airports Authority of India, the number nearly doubled from 11.66 lakh in 2015 to 22.4 lakh in 2022. The number will only increase once there are direct national and international flights from and to Amritsar.”
Crediting the Golden Temple for the massive surge in footfall, he added, “The Golden Temple’s global recognition and appeal are the primary driving force behind the surge in Amritsar’s tourism. Besides Sikhs, the gurdwara also attracts visitors from diverse backgrounds and faiths.”
An official with the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body that manages gurdwaras in the country, said, “Day or night, rain or shine, the number of devotees at the Golden Temple continues to rise.”
Stating that the number of visitors to the gurdwara had jumped from 50,000 on weekdays in 2016 to 1.5 lakh at present, Partap Singh, the secretary of SGPC at Darbar Sahib, said, “On weekends, this number touches nearly 2 lakh. We have employed guides to assist tourists at the gurdwara.”
In light of the sudden rise in devotees, the SGPC is working on additional lodging to house these visitors. He added, “Four inns are under construction at present. Once complete, we will be able to offer visitors 2,000 rooms to stay overnight.”
About 30 km away, at the high-security Wagah border, the international border between India and Pakistan, the stands are always packed to the gills for the Beating Retreat Ceremony, which sees soldiers from both nations march in synchronisation before lowering their respective national flags daily in the evening.
Still, the stands at Wagah border, a popular venue for Bollywood to promote its movies, remain full on most days.
After the Golden Temple, the second most popular place to visit in Amritsar is Wagah border. With its Beating Retreat Ceremony a huge attraction for tourists, the Border Security Force (BSF) recently upped the capacity of visitor galleries from 5,000 to 20,000. Still, the stands at Wagah border, a popular venue for Bollywood to promote its movies, remain full on most days.
“The number of tourists going to the international border has been increasing every year. At present, around 30,000 tourists visit Attari daily. The figure was nearly half of that before 2016,” said Mandeep Singh, an auto driver who ferries tourists from Heritage Street to Wagah border.
He added, “The higher the footfall on Heritage Street, the bigger the crowd at the international border. The footfall between the two is closely linked.”
In 2016, the then Akali-BJP government’s Rs 250-crore Galliara Project had resulted in development and beautification of tourist attractions in the city. The biggest of all under this project was the redevelopment of Heritage Street, an 800-metre cobblestone path that leads one from the historic Jallianwala Bagh and the thoughtfully curated Partition Museum to the Golden Temple. Besides these, Heritage Street also has statues of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and BR Ambedkar, an artificially-lit flame outside Jallianwala Bagh, a multimedia interpretation centre, and multiple shops and eating joints that showcase the culture and arts of Punjab.
Another attraction restored by the state government at a cost of Rs 50 crore during the same period was the Gobindgarh Fort, which was built during the Sikh Confederacy. Ram Tirath or Valmiki Tirath was also launched in 2016 at a cost of Rs 200 crore. The birthplace of Luv-Kush, Ram Tirath sees a steady stream of devotees all day. According to lore, Goddess Sita gave birth to her twin sons here after she was exiled by her husband. A Rs 130-crore war memorial on Amritsar-Attari Road and a Rs 8-crore golden entry gate on the Amritsar-Jalandhar Highway were also built in 2016.
Even as the hospitality industry rejoices over the rise in the number of tourists in Amritsar, for old-timers, however, it means that they can no longer make a quick stop at the Golden Temple on the way to work. “These days, it takes over three hours or more to pay obeisance,” rued Gunbir Singh, the founder chairperson of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Amritsar.
Another regular visitor lamented, “The waiting time remains the same even if you go to the gurdwara at 3 am.”
Devotees pay obeisance at Golden Temple in Amritsar on the first day of the new year 2023. (Express Photo: Rana Simranjit Singh) 
Sikh devotees offer prayers at the Golden Temple on the occasion of birth anniversary of fourth Sikh Master Guru Ramdass, founder of Amritsar City, in October last year. (Express Photo: Rana Simranjit Singh)
Still, the stands at Wagah border, a popular venue for Bollywood to promote its movies, remain full on most days.
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