Amritsar (Meaning: Pool of the Nectar of Immortality) is a city in Punjab, India. It has a population of over 1,000,000 in Amritsar city and over just over 3,000,000 in Amritsar district from the 2001 Indian census. It is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar District. It is located in the northwest part of India in the State of Punjab, 32 miles east of Lahore. Its name came from Sanskrit, Amrta-saras = "Nectar Lake"; in Hindu belief Amrta (nectar) is a liquid that Hindu gods drank to keep them immortal.

It is home to the breathtaking and serene Harmindir Sahib, also known as the Golden Temple, and is the spiritual and cultural centre of the Sikh Religion. Founded by the fourth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Ram Das, it was completed by his successor Guru Arjun Dev. The land on which, it was built, was gifted to Guru Ram Das by Mughal emperor Akbar. Work began in 1573 on digging the holy pool. In 1601, the Harmandir Sahib was completed and 3 years later, the Sikh Holy Book was placed there. In Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time, Amritsar had superseded Lahore as the pre-eminent city of Punjab.