Jallianwala Bagh is a public garden in Amritsar city in the north Indian state of Punjab. It is a site which holds national importance, as it stands as a memorial to all the Indians who lost their lives during an open-fire by notorious British General Dyer in 1919.
At the entrance is a statue of Udham Singh – a known figure from Punjab in the Indian Independence movement during British Raj. Inside, some old trees can be seen in the garden with some buildings at the back with the words 'VandeMataram', a flame titled 'Amar Jyoti' is seen burning to the right under a domed area.
Reconstruction :
Parts of Jallianwala Bagh were restored and recreated years after the massacre, but memories of the incident are kept alive through bullet marks that can be seen on some walls here. The entrance to Jallianwala Bagh is still a narrow passage - the same that had been the only entry and exit point at the time of the massacre.
Several new sculptures of martyrs have come up on the high walls of the narrow lane through which visitors enter the complex. These represent ordinary Punjabis from different walks of life, who walked into the park on that fateful day, but never returned.
Four new galleries have been created through adaptive re-use of underutilised buildings in the complex to showcase the historical value of events that took place in Punjab during that period. The galleries depict the history of Punjab, history of the freedom movement, and the Gadar movement.
The entry and exit points to the Bagh have been repositioned, and a lotus pond has been built around the main memorial. The famous ‘Shahidi Khu’ or Martyrs Well, into which people jumped to escape the hail of bullets, is now enclosed in a glass shield — a controversial decision that has been criticisedsince it is perceived to restrict the view.
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