Amritsar district facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Amritsar district
District of Punjab
Clockwise from top-left: Harmandir Sahib, Attari-Wagah Border Crossing, Ajnala Fort, 1971 War memorial at Pul Kanjri
Location in Punjab
Country	India
State	Punjab
Named for	Suffice of Amrit
Headquarters	Amritsar
Area
• Total	2,683 km2 (1,036 sq mi)
Population
• Total	2,490,656
• Density	928.31/km2 (2,404.3/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Punjabi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	PB-01(commercial) PB-02, PB-14, PB-17, PB-18, PB-81, PB-89
Literacy (7+)	76.27%

Amritsar district is a district in the Punjab state of India. It is located in the Majha region of Punjab. The main city and headquarters of this district is Amritsar.

In 2011, Amritsar district was the second most populated district in Punjab. Only Ludhiana had more people.

History of Amritsar District

Early Control in the 1800s

By 1802, Maharaja Ranjit Singh took full control of Amritsar. He brought all the different groups, called Misls, under his rule. He also made the Gobindgarh fort stronger and more modern.

Amritsar During British Rule

During the time of British Rule, Amritsar District was part of the Lahore Division. It was divided into three smaller areas called tehsils: Amritsar, Ajnala, and Tarn Taran.

However, in 1947, when India was divided, Amritsar district became part of India. Some areas like Patti and Khem Karan were originally in Lahore District. But after the division, they joined Amritsar District. During this time, many people moved. A large number of Muslims living in the district moved to Pakistan. At the same time, Hindus and Sikhs from what became Pakistan moved to India. Before 1947, Sikhs and Hindus together made up about 52% of the population in Amritsar district.

Climate and Weather in Amritsar

Amritsar has a climate that is quite dry, like many parts of Northwestern India. It experiences four main seasons each year.

• Winter (December to March): Temperatures can drop to about -1°C (30°F).
• Summer (April to June): It gets very hot, with temperatures reaching up to 45°C (113°F).
• Monsoon (July to September): This is the rainy season.
• Post-Monsoon (October to November): The weather starts to cool down.

The district gets about 703.4 mm (27.7 inches) of rain each year. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -3.6°C (25.5°F) on December 9, 1996. The hottest was 47.8°C (118.0°F) on June 9, 1995. The official weather station is at the civil aerodrome in Rajasansi. Weather records there go back to November 15, 1947.

People and Languages of Amritsar District

According to the 2011 population count, Amritsar district has 2,490,656 people. This number is similar to the population of the country of Kuwait. It is also about the same as the US state of Nevada.

About 1,684,770 people in Amritsar district can read and write. This means 76.27% of people aged 7 and older are literate. There are 889 females for every 1,000 males. About 30.95% of the population belongs to Scheduled Castes. In 2011, there were 488,898 homes in the district.

Religions in Amritsar District

In 2011, most people in Amritsar district were Sikhs, making up about 69% of the population. Hindus were the next largest group, at 28%. There were also smaller groups of Christians (2%) and Muslims.

Sikhs are the main religion in the countryside, with over 90% of the population. In cities, Hindus and Sikhs are found in almost equal numbers. Christianity is growing, especially among the Dalit community. Islam, which used to be a major religion here, is now a very small part of the population.

Religion in Amritsar District

Religion	Population (1941)	Percentage (1941)	Population (2011)	Percentage (2011)
Islam	657,695	46.52%	12,502	0.5%
Sikhism	510,845	36.13%	1,716,935	68.94%
Hinduism	217,431	15.38%	690,939	27.74%
Christianity	25,330	1.79%	54,344	2.18%
Others	2,575	0.18%	15,936	0.64%
Total Population	1,413,876	100%	2,490,656	100%

Languages Spoken in Amritsar District

Languages of Amritsar district (First Language) (2011)      Punjabi (99.1%)     Hindi (0.8%)     Others (0.1%)

In 2011, almost everyone in Amritsar district spoke Punjabi as their first language (99.1%). A small number of people (0.8%) spoke Hindi. Most Hindi speakers live in the cities.

How Amritsar District is Governed

Amritsar district is managed by several important officials and bodies.

• The Deputy Commissioner: This person is an officer from the Indian Administrative Service. They are in charge of the district's general management. They also lead the police force as the District Magistrate. The current Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar is Harpreet Singh Sudan, appointed in 2022.
• Department Heads: Different departments like public works, health, education, and agriculture have their own district officers. These officers belong to various Punjab state services.
• The Commissioner of Police: This officer is from the Indian Police Service. They are responsible for keeping law and order in the district. They get help from other Punjab Police officers.
• The Divisional Forest Officer: This officer is from the Indian Forest Service. They manage the forests and wildlife in the district. They are helped by other forest and wildlife officials.
• Municipal Corporation: The city of Amritsar has a Municipal corporation. This group is in charge of public works and health services in the city. It is made up of elected councillors, and the Mayor leads them. Currently, there are over 70 councillors.

Amritsar District shares borders with several other areas. To the west, it borders the Pakistani Punjab Districts of Lahore, Kasur, and Shiekhupura along the Ravi River. To the south, it borders Tarn Taran District along the Sutlej River. Kapurthala District is to the east along the Beas River, and Gurdaspur District is to the north.

Tehsils in Amritsar District

A tehsil is a smaller administrative area within a district. As of the 2011 census, Amritsar district has four tehsils:

There are also two more tehsils: Majitha and Lopoke at Chogawan.

Politics in Amritsar District

The district has several areas called constituencies, each represented by an elected official.

Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs)

Here are the current Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) for the Amritsar district. They represent different areas within the district.

See also

In Spanish: Distrito de Amritsar para niños

Images for kids

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  Symbol for Islam

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  Symbol for Sikhism

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  Symbol for Hinduism

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  Symbol for Christianity