Gobindgarh Fort Amritsar – The Complete Guide.

Location of the fort

Apart from the holy shrine, Golden Temple, there is another old part in the Amritsar City that is now open to the public which is ” Gobindgarh Fort Amritsar”. It’s a historic fort in Amritsar, built-in 1760 and is now open to the public since February 2017. It is located inside LohgarhChowk, on Old Cantt Road.

Distance

• From the Airport: It is pretty easy to reach the Gobindgarh Fort Amritsar which is only 12 km away from the airport.

• From Bus stand: It is over 3 km away from the city’s bus stand, where cabs and other public transports are easily available which can help you get there.

• Distance From Golden Temple Amritsar: Distance between Golden Temple Amritsar and Gobindgarh fort is jut 2 KM. It just takes 9 minutes to travel distance,

• Most of the tourists take private cabs and find some hotel near to this place. You can find good hotels at a cheaper price using apps such as Oyo Rooms, Gobibo, Trivago, etc which can help you find the list of hotels at an affordable rate.

Main Attractions of Gobindgarh Fort Amritsar

With its rich historical background, the fort is intentionally modernized to a live museum, which will feast the eyes of the visitors by giving them the best live experience. There are innumerous spots inside the Gobindgarh Fort Amritsar where one can enjoy and get different experiences. 

ZamZama

The replica of historic cannon” ZamZama” made inside the fort fascinate the visitors with its great history. It is heavyweight 80 pounder gun of 14 feet and 4½ inches in length which is one of the largest gun ever made in subcontinent along with another gun of the same size by Shah Nazir.
Both the guns were cast at Lahore under the directions of Shah Wali Khan. The original cannon was made on the orders of Afghan ruler Ahmed Shah Abdali to fight against the Marathas in the third battle of Panipat. After defeating Afghani’s, the cannon becomes the property of bhangis who brought it to Amritsar and named it” Bhangion di Tope”.

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Sher e Punjab

A 7D show which enthralls, educate and inspire viewers by depicting the glorious life of Maharaja Ranjit Singh that transports you back to the 18thcentury in an astonishing way by leaving you speechless. This audio-visual display plays twice a day in Punjabi and English in the evening between 7 pm and 7:45 pm.

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Toshakhana .coin museum

In the heart of the fort, lies Toshakhana, a treasury of Ranjit Singh in which Kohinoor diamond was once engraved, is built into a coin museum for old and rare coins including a replica of the Kohinoor. The roof is made circular using old bricks from the same period. The visitors get awe-inspiring experience by visiting this place. This museum was once the place where Ranjit Singh kept his treasures and provisions for his army.

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The Bungalow– Ancient Warfare museum

This building gives you an immense environment of war in which you will get a chance to see several replicas of instruments and attires from the time of the Anglo-Sikh war. It has much real lifelike sculpture that is surprisingly amazing and so realistic that they would make you doubt whether they are alive or not.

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Spirit of Punjab

A stage which holds all the live performances such as bhangra, gatka, giddha, comedy, games, dhol, etc is the only place of refreshment for visitors where they get chances to see the culture and tradition of Punjab. It conducts competitions each day for which the winners receive prizes.

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Ambarsari Zaika

This is a place of different food shops and stalls which mainly sell Amritsari and Punjabi cuisine along with some other eatery options. People here engage themselves in the various eateries to taste the flavors of traditional cuisine. Taking a short break and eating some food will add more flavors to your day by making it memorable.

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Haat Bazaar

This bazaar has fare options for traditional wears right from phulkaris, juttis, shawls, antiques, etc. Strolling around bazaar will excite you while giving a bunch of options in front of you where you can find different shops selling different cultural items.

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Whispering Walls

Whispering Walls is an evening Light and Sound Show held every evening at 8:30 PM (Punjabi Show) and 9:00 PM (English Show) of Total Duration 30 minutes. It uses art projection mapping technologies and laser lights to captivate its audience. You will not find such a unique and fine quality laser show in any other part of India. It will surely take your breath away. It plays in Punjabi as well as in English each day.

Nalwa Gate

The Nalwa gate is the main (inner) entrance to the Gobindgarh Fort. The gate was named after Hari Singh Nalwa, the Commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army of the Sikh Empire from 1791–1837.

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Steel Bell

The steel bell was manufactured by Naylor Vickers & Company. It was a cast made in Sheffield of the UK in 1863 in order to make other bells for Amritsar.

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Pagdi Museum (Turban Museum)

The Pagdi Museum inside the fort exhibits the interesting forms of the turbans of the people of Punjab, both Sikh, and Non-Sikh. Info-boards give insights about this distinctive headgear- right from its evolution to the modern “NRI styles “of the present day.

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Parna

It is a quick casual turban to tie hair. The parna is normally 2.5m to 3m long. The types of parna include Vattan wala parna, gol parna Keski parna and Nok wala parna.

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The Akali Turban

This is cotton tied over a wicker frame. The first form of this turban had a thick bamboo stick in the center and was raised to a measure of nine inches or as long as a hand.

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The Dumala

This is a more traditional style and we can easily recognize it by its horizontal wraps against the peaked wraps.

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The Regal Pagg

Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s only authentic painting by Emily Eden shows his distinctive style of turban. The Regal Pagg basically protects the neck from the burning sun possibly due to long periods spent riding.

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The Bhangra Style Pagg

This style is often with a Turla or a fan-like end that juts out of the top and resembles more the folk-styled turban tied in villages by Jats.

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Modern Ethnic Sikh Turban

The general theory of modern turbans is that anyone can invent their own style. Nowadays there are many designer turbans some even with Prints on them. Amongst the more popular ones are-

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Patiala Shahi Turban

First tied by Patiala’s king Bhupinder Singh this style became known after him as the ‘Patiala Shahi.’ A 5 layer Patiala Shahi pagg takes 5.5 meters cloth and a 6 layer pagg takes about 7 meters.

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Patka

It is basically a small piece of cloth tied around the head. Children wear patkas keep the hair tidy and clean.

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Non-Sikh Turbans

Peshwari Kullah- In Punjab, there are many ‘non-Sikh’ Punjabis too who traditionally had their own styles of wearing pagris. One such traditional turbans is a two-piece pagri. One piece is an inverted dome-shaped hard cup called “Kulla”. It may be intricately embroidered sometimes with golden threads.

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Prisoner Cells

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All the cells have been shuttered tight, with only one kept exposed so that one can take a look inside it. One cannot go in through- but can have a  look through the bars from the outside. The ceiling of the cells is higher than that of the corridor outside.

Fun Rides

There are numerous rides that you can relish at Gobindgarh Fort Amritsar. You can choose from horses, camels, quad biking, bicycle, etc. Not just this! the virtual rides are something that will blow your mind away.

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Ticket Cost at Gobindgarh Fort, Amritsar

The ticket price is Rs 180 for a general combo which includes entry to the fort, 7D high tech show based on Maharaja Ranjit Singh life story, and Pagdi Museum. There are two other museums, Toshakhana and Warfare Museum which are charged separately. There are several other packages available at different prices which include food and other services.

Combo 1

Price: Domestic- Rs 180  International- Rs 375

• Sher-E- Punjab (Lion of Punjab)
• Monument Areas & Museums ( Martial Arts & Royal Treasury)
• Punjab Rang Raunak ( Live Folk Performance)
  (Valid till 4 pm only)

Combo 2

Price: Domestic- Rs 180  International- Rs 375

• Kanda Boldian Ne (Whispering Walls)
• Monument Areas & Museums ( Martial Arts & Royal Treasury)
• Punjab Rang Raunak ( Live Folk Performance)

Maharaja Combo

Price: Domestic- Rs 320  International- Rs 625

• Sher-E- Punjab (Lion of Punjab)
• Kanda Boldian Ne (Whispering Walls)
• Punjab Rang Raunak ( Live Folk Performance)
• Monument Areas & Museums ( Martial Arts & Royal Treasury)

Gobindgarh Fort Timings

The timings of Gobindgarh Fort are 10 AM to 10 PM. Best time to visit is after 5:00 PM. Although you can sse the 7D show all day long, the special light and sound laser show also known as Whispering Wall begins when the day gets dark. It generally begins at 7 PM during winters and 8 PM in summers. They ultra technical light and sound laser show will brief you with history of fort.

History of the Gobindgarh Fort

This fort paved the glorious history of powerful Misl known as BhangiMisl which loses its rule after battling with Maharaja Ranjit Singh who reigns over the Amritsar since then.
He renovated it and renamed in honor of tenth Sikh guru. At that time he was expanding his rule in all over Punjab and set this fort as a center to supply his army with all the equipment.
Popularly known as “Bhangian da Killa”, It is located on the southwest fringe of Amritsar serving an area of 1000M. The main entrance, Nalwa Gate, is named after Hari Singh Nalwa. An underground tunnel runs towards Lahore.
There were 25 cannons, originally, in the fort. The fort is restored with the deep history right from the era of the BhangiMisl to the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh- to The British East India Company to The Indian Army to now.

How to reach Gobindgarh Fort Amritsar

It is easy for local citizens to drive and reach there as most of them use personal conveyance. But, for those who are coming from different parts of the country need not worry as there are many other options available to reach Gobindgarh Fort Amritsar.

Hop on Hop off Bus

Hop on Hop off bus is one of the convenient ways which allows you to visit the best tourist places in Amritsar without worrying about time. It is available at different packages ranging from ₹ 250- ₹ 1700. It saves your time and energy and you don’t have to worry about the prices, unlike the cabs which are costlier.

Timings: 10 am- 7 pm

Taxi

Those who don’t like traveling by bus can book a cab and visit fort without waiting for a bus which has a time limit. Prices for cab depends upon the pickup and drop off locations. There are some reliable apps such as Ola, Uber from where you get cab services.