Before Independence Lahore city was the administrative headquarters that covered Amritsar and nearby territories. Apart from being wheat market of Punjab-(the granary of India), there were many factories, markets and mills in Amritsar to Europe and Central Asia particularly in the trade of cotton and woolen textiles, raw silk, cattle, and horses. The flour mills at Amritsar were mostly owned by the Hindus of the Bania community or some trading castes. Kashmiri artisans, who had fled from Kashmir following a famine in 1833, had enriched Amritsar with their skills in manufacturing silk and pashmina shawls, switching later to employment in the growing carpet industry. The educational institutions were established in both the important cities of Amritsar and Lahore. The students from adjoining far-off areas came to seek education in both the cities, also called twin cities as they were only 50 km apart. The people belonging to both these cities never thought that one day a line of division will prevent their feet to cross the borders and they will have to lose their properties as well as lives. But the ugly massacre turned the belongingness and fellow feelings and love into hatred. Amritsar-(After Partition) Amritsar was hit badly by partition but the brave, courageous and adventurous attitude of Punjabi’s, Amritsar again flourished. Now it is the second-largest city and district of Punjab. It is also one of the fastest growing cities of Punjab. The city was famous for its textile industry. However in between 1980 and 1990 Amritsar faced a blow in Industrial growth yet there are many textile mills fuctional in the city. It is still famous for its Pashmina Shawls, Woolen Clothes, Blankets, etc. Among handicrafts, the craft of the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru in Amritsar district got enlisted on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014, and the effort to revive this craft under the umbrella of Project Virasat is among India's biggest government-sponsored craft revival programs. There is an International Airport on the virtuous name of its founder Guru Ram Dass Ji that connects travellers to many far away countries. It is a hub of many social and political activates along with an established image of much visited religious shrines. Amritsar Culture Amritsar has a chivalric history as many battles were fought on the holy land. At present majority population of the city is of Sikhs but people following other religion such as Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Jainism, etc. are living here. Amritsar has also played a huge role in the field of literature and Punjabi Language. It was the centre of spiritual learning as Guru Arjan Dev started spiritual centre here. Maha kavi Santokh Singh and Bhai Veer Singh two of the most prolific poets of Punjabi literature are from Amritsar. Amritsar is also famous for its food places. There are many internationally acclaimed food restaurants and dhabas which serve authentic north Indian food. Bharavan Da Dhaba and Kesar Dhaba is the best example of that. Predominantly a Sikh city Baisakhi, Lohri and Diwali are the most cherished festivals in Amritsar.
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