Experience · Amritsar, Punjab, India
Jallianwala BaghA place with a story.
The walled garden in Amritsar where British troops fired on an unarmed crowd on 13 April 1919.
A closer look
The story
On 13 April 1919, during Baisakhi, thousands gathered at Jallianwala Bagh, a walled public garden, for a peaceful meeting despite a British ban on public gatherings. Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered troops to fire on the crowd without warning, blocking the main exits. The Hunter Commission recorded 379 deaths; Indian National Congress investigations put the toll closer to 1,000.
The full story
The massacre is widely seen as a turning point that hardened the Indian independence movement against British rule. Bullet marks are still visible on the garden's walls, and the well into which many fleeing people jumped is preserved on site.
A trust set up in 1920 acquired the land, and the memorial — designed by American architect Benjamin Polk — was inaugurated by President Rajendra Prasad on 13 April 1961. It sits a short walk from the Golden Temple and the Partition Museum, making central Amritsar a dense corridor of Indian history.
Written from the sources listed at the end of this page. If we have something wrong, tell us.
What you will see
Stops on the trail.
- 01Martyrs' Well
- 02Bullet-marked walls
- 03Martyrs' Gallery
- 04Partition Museum
- 05Golden Temple
When to go
October to March, when Amritsar's weather is cool and dry, is the most comfortable time to walk the city's historic core.
Getting there
Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, is about 12–13 km away; the memorial is a short walk from the Golden Temple in the old city.
How to visit
- Photography is prohibited inside the Martyrs' Gallery exhibition room.
- Keep a respectful, quiet demeanour near the well and the bullet-marked walls.
- Let time pass
- Behave as a guest
- No smiling selfies
- Tread lightly
- Leave something behind
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