Jallianwala Bagh is a public garden located in Amritsar, Punjab in India. In the pre-Independence era, public rallies were organized on the grounds of Jalianwala Bagh. Inside the garden, a memorial was built in 1951. This was in remembrance of the innocent people who died in the 1919 massacre. Later on, a flame in honor of the martyrs was added. Since then, it has become the center of political and humanitarian significance. Dignitaries around the world, whether of political or social significance, have visited the place and offered their regrets and respect including Queen Elizabeth II in 1997. It remains to date a heartfelt and extremely sad memory in the hearts of Indians throughout the world.
Punjab has a number of politically significant tourist sites which hold grave history behind, making them all the more a fascinating sight to visit as a tourist. Topping these charts, Jallianwala Bagh is a tourist site reminiscent of a severe unfortunate event in the history of Indian freedom struggle against British.
Back in 1919, on April 13th, this garden marked the merciless killing of hundreds of silently protesting Sikhs (including women, children and old) by General Dyer. The crowd had assembled to silently protest against the newly launched law, the Rowlatt Act which gave the British soldiers right to arrest any Indian without a trial.
The gate has only one gate which act as the entry as well as exit point, which was blocked by Dyer's 150 armed soldiers so there was no escape. The ruthless firing continued for about 15 minutes which resulted in around 400 people dead and about 1500 injured. A lot of people jumped into the well in a bid to save their lives.
Golden Temple Punjab
Today, the garden holds a memorial in the form of a 45-foot red sandstone pillar set in a pool constructed back in 1961. A lamp called the Eternal Flame of Liberty is also placed right at the entrance to pay homage to those who were martyred in the event.
The garden is popular among locals as a picnic spot and tourists coming from other countries alike. However, it still bores imprints from the past in the form of bullet marks still easily seen on the wall.
It also has a gallery next to it which holds documentaries, pictures and other interesting historical artifacts.
