Amritsar Shopping, fairs and festivals

The main shopping areas in Amritsar are Hall Bazar, Katra Jaimal Singh and Lawrence Road. The bazaars offer traditional dresses along with contemporary branded wear.

However the main attentions are given to the Punjabi Juttis, carpets, woollens, embroidered stuff and the blankets. Shopping in Amritsar is fun. People enjoy shopping in Amritsar. The areas for shopping in Amritsar provides the visitors a vibrant range of the modern and the traditional wares from the kites, carpets, durries, shawls, bangles, woollen textiles and fireworks.

Near to the Golden temple at the guru bazaar every seller sells the different commodity. The bazaars of the Amritsar are considered as the colourful bazaars. There are many popular markets for shopping in Amritsar. All the tourists enjoy shopping in Amritsar.

The Hall Bazaar includes the shops like Handicrafts, Electronic Goods, Book shops, Ready made Garments and Ornaments. Another place for the shopping in Amritsar which also provides the wide range of the products is the Dharam Singh Market. The city is very rich in the traditional handloom products and the handicrafts.

The newer areas for the shopping are the Malls and the Queen’s road. As on the other hand the places of the shopping which are near to the Golden Temple mostly sell the pickles, papads and the religious symbols.

There are some of the areas for the shopping in the city which are well famous for their particular products. These are mentioned as below:

  • Punjabi Jhuttis: Near to the Golden Temple and outside the Hall Bazaar
  • Gold and Gold jewellery: Near Golden Temple the Katra Ahluwalia and the shops of the Queens Road
  • Punjabi Salwar Kamij: Singh Sari, Women at Queens Road, Beauty collection, Baghbhan Purjan di Hatti located at the Katra Jaimal Singh and Satguru.
  • Branded Readymade Clothes: Ebony shopping mall, cutes camp queen road, Wardrobe Malviya Road, The Kapsons located at the Mall road and no-exit at Malviya Road
  • Shawls: Near Golden Temple the Katra Ahluwalia and the Shops at Queens Road

Events & Festivals

Ram Tirth Fair

Ram Tirth Fair is celebrated at the Ram Tirth Temple, which is situated 11 km west of Amritsar on Amritsar Lopoke road. This four to five day long annual fair, held on the full moon day in the month of November, is an important religious event of the city. During the fair, pilgrims visit the temple in the early morning of the Puranmashi (full moon night) and take a bathe in the sacred tank which is believed to have been dug by Hanuman.

A main attraction of the fair is the ceremony performed by women known as tulla toarna (meaning floating of tullas) which is held at puranmashi night. For this, lamps are made out of kneaded flour and fed with pure ghee or mustard oil. Reciting devotional songs , women light these lamps and release them to float in the tank by placing on leaf plates or boat shaped carriers made of sarkanda reeds. It is believed that this ritual will wash off all the sins

Panchami at Chheharta Sahib

The Basant Panchami at Gurudwara Chheharta Sahib is the most famous festival of Amritsar which is held on the 5th day of the bright half of the month of Magh (January- February). The celebrations usually starts early morning, continue throughout the night and ends on the next day afternoon. Kirtan darbar (chanting of hymns and poems belonging to Sikh literature) will be conducted on the whole night.

Kite-flying is the major attraction of Basant Panchami and competitions are also conducted. On the eve of Basant Panchami, people start flying colourful kites and during the process each of them tries to cut off the other person’s kite. The winner has to pull through as much of the twine as he can without any loss of time.

The fair is organized by the local Gurudwara management along with the corporation of the various social service organizations. Medical and first aid services and free lunch are arranged during the occasion.

Diwali at Golden Temple

Diwali- the festival of lights that usually falls on the second half of October or in early November is celebrated in the Golden Temple with great enthusiasm. The festivities start a day earlier than the general Diwali and come to a close 3 day after Diwali.

A large number of poets and singers will participate in the religious congregations which are held at Manji Sahib, Akal Takhat and Baba Atal.On the festival day, pilgrims take a holy dip in the sacred tank in the early morning by reciting Japji Sahib, circumambulation the tank and thereafter, they go to the temple for paying their obeisance. They make offering in form of cash, flowers, candy-drops and parched-rice grains , but the main offerings are of karah parshad, which is prepared and sold to the pilgrims by the management.

During the festive days, the temple and its surroundings are illuminated with a chain of colourful lights. The border of the tank is lined up with candles and small earthen lamps lighted and fed with mustard oil are floated in the tank. All the surrounded buildings near the temple are adorned with colourful lights

Content updated in January 2023
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