Punjab (; ) is a
state in northern India. Forming part of the larger
Punjab region of the
Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the
Indian states of
Himachal Pradesh to the north and northeast,
Haryana to the south and southeast, and
Rajasthan to the southwest; by the Indian
union territories of
Chandigarh to the east and
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
to the north. It shares an international border with
Punjab, a
province of Pakistan to the west.
The state covers an area of 50,362 square kilometres (19,445 square miles), which is 1.53% of India's total geographical area,
making it
the 19th-largest Indian state by area out of 28 Indian states (20th largest, if UTs are considered). With over 27 million inhabitants, Punjab is
the 16th-largest Indian state by population, comprising
23 districts.
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
, written in the
Gurmukhi script, is the most widely spoken and the official language of the state. The main ethnic groups are the
Punjabis
The Punjabis ( Punjabi: ; ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ; romanised as Panjābīs), are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The ...
, with
Sikhs
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...
and
Hindus as the dominant religious groups.
The state capital is Chandigarh, a union territory and also the capital of the neighbouring state of
Haryana. The five tributary rivers of the
Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
from which the region takes its name are the
Sutlej
The Sutlej or Satluj River () is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroads region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. The Sutlej River is also known as ''Satadru''. It is the easternmost tributary of the Ind ...
, the
Beas, the
Ravi Ravi may refer to:
People
* Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director
* Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist
* Ravi (music director) (1926–201 ...
, the
Chenab and the
Jhelum
Jhelum ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...
. Of these, the first three flow through Indian Punjab.
The
history of Punjab has witnessed the migration and settlement of different tribes of people with different cultures and ideas, forming a melting pot of Punjabi civilisation. The
Indus Valley civilization
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...
flourished in antiquity before
recorded history until their decline around 1900 BCE. Punjab was enriched during the height of the
Vedic period, but declined in predominance with the rise of the
Mahajanapadas
The Mahājanapadas ( sa, great realm, from ''maha'', "great", and '' janapada'' "foothold of a people") were sixteen kingdoms or oligarchic republics that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE during the second urban ...
. The region formed the frontier of initial empires during antiquity including the
Alexander's and
Maurya empires. It was subsequently conquered by the
Kushan Empire
The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, i ...
,
Gupta Empire, and then
Harsha's Empire. Punjab continued to be settled by nomadic people; including the
Huna,
Turkic
Turkic may refer to:
* anything related to the country of Turkey
* Turkic languages, a language family of at least thirty-five documented languages
** Turkic alphabets (disambiguation)
** Turkish language, the most widely spoken Turkic language
* ...
and the
Mongols. Circa 1000 CE, the Punjab came under the rule of
Muslims and was part of the
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). ,
Mughal Empire, and
Durrani Empire
The Durrani Empire ( ps, د درانيانو ټولواکمني; fa, امپراتوری درانیان) or the Afghan Empire ( ps, د افغانان ټولواکمني, label=none; fa, امپراتوری افغان, label=none), also know ...
.
Sikhism was
founded in the 15th to 17th centuries by the
Sikh Gurus in the Punjab and resulted in the formation of the
Sikh Confederacy after the fall of the Mughal Empire and ensuing conflict with the Durrani Empire. This confederacy was united into the
Sikh Empire in 1801 by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...
.
The greater Punjab region was annexed by the
British East India Company from the
Sikh Empire in
1849
Events
January–March
* January 1 – France begins issue of the Ceres series, the nation's first postage stamps.
* January 5 – Hungarian Revolution of 1848: The Austrian army, led by Alfred I, Prince of Windisch-Grätz, enters in th ...
. Following widespread
religious violence in
1947
It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Events
January
* January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...
, the
Punjab Province of
British India was
divided
Division is one of the four basic operations of arithmetic, the ways that numbers are combined to make new numbers. The other operations are addition, subtraction, and multiplication.
At an elementary level the division of two natural numb ...
along
religious lines into
West Punjab
West Punjab ( pnb, ; ur, ) was a province in the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. The province covered an area of 159,344 km2 (61523 sq mi), including much of the current Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province and the Islamabad Capital Te ...
and
East Punjab. West Punjab became part of a Muslim-majority Pakistan, while East Punjab became part of a Hindu-majority India. After the
Punjabi Suba movement, Indian Punjab was
reorganised on the basis of language on 1 November 1966.
Haryanvi and
Hindi-speaking southern and eastern areas were carved out as Haryana, while
Pahari-speaking northern hilly regions were attached to Himachal Pradesh. The remaining, mostly Punjabi-speaking areas became the current state of Punjab. A separatist
insurgency occurred in Punjab during the 1980s.
At present, the
economy of Punjab
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with ...
is the
15th-largest state economy in India with in
gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of , ranking
17th amongst Indian states.
Since independence, Punjab is predominantly an
agrarian society. It is the
ninth-highest ranking among Indian states in
human development index.
Punjab has bustling
tourism,
music,
culinary
Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of outline of food preparation, food preparation, cooking and food presentation, presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as res ...
, and
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
industries.
[—]
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Etymology
History
Ancient period
The Punjab region is noted as the site of one of the earliest urban societies, the
Indus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...
that flourished from about 3000 B.C. and declined rapidly 1,000 years later, following the
Indo-Aryan migrations that overran the region in waves between 1500 and 500 B.C.
Frequent intertribal wars stimulated the growth of larger groupings ruled by chieftains and kings, who ruled local kingdoms known as
Mahajanapadas
The Mahājanapadas ( sa, great realm, from ''maha'', "great", and '' janapada'' "foothold of a people") were sixteen kingdoms or oligarchic republics that existed in ancient India from the sixth to fourth centuries BCE during the second urban ...
.
The rise of kingdoms and dynasties in the Punjab is chronicled in the ancient Hindu epics, particularly the
Mahabharata.
The epic battles described in the ''
Mahabharata'' are chronicled as being fought in what is now the state of Haryana and historic Punjab. The
Gandharas
Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Vall ...
,
Kambojas,
Trigartas
Trigarta kingdom was an ancient kingdom in northern Indian region of the Indian subcontinent with its capital at Prasthala (modern Jalandhar), Multan and Kangra.
Trigarta was founded and ruled by the vrishni Dynasty.
Mention in Mahabharata
Tri ...
,
Andhra,
Pauravas
The Pauravas were an ancient dynasty on the Indus (present-day India and Pakistan) to which King Porus may have belonged.
Porus and the Pauravas
The origins of the Pauravas are still disputed. The Pauravas may be related to the Puru tribe, due ...
,
Bahlikas
The Bahlikas ( sa, बाह्लिक; ''Bāhlika'') were the inhabitants of Bahlika ( sa, बह्लिक, located in Bactria), mentioned in Atharvaveda, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Puranas, Vartikka of Katyayana, Brhatsamhita, Amarkosha etc. ...
(
Bactrian settlers of the Punjab),
Yaudheyas, and others sided with the
Kauravas in the great battle fought at
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra (, ) is a city and administrative headquarter of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty ") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita".
Legends
According to the Pura ...
. According to DrFauja Singh and Dr.L.M. Joshi: "There is no doubt that the Kambojas, Daradas, Kaikayas, Andhra, Pauravas, Yaudheyas, Malavas, Saindhavas, and Kurus had jointly contributed to the heroic tradition and composite culture of ancient Punjab." The bulk of the
Rigveda was composed in the Punjab region between circa 1500 and 1200 BC, while later Vedic scriptures were composed more eastwards, between the
Yamuna and
Ganges rivers. The
historical Vedic religion constituted the religious ideas and practices in the Punjab during the
Vedic period (1500–500 BCE), centred primarily in the worship of
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
.
The earliest known notable local king of this region was known as
King Porus, who fought the famous
Battle of the Hydaspes against
Alexander the Great. His kingdom spanned between rivers ''Hydaspes'' (
Jhelum
Jhelum ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...
) and ''Acesines'' (
Chenab);
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
had held the territory to contain almost 300 cities.
He (alongside
Abisares) had a hostile relationship with the Kingdom of
Taxila
Taxila or Takshashila (; sa, तक्षशिला; pi, ; , ; , ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and ...
which was ruled by his extended family.
When the armies of Alexander crossed Indus in its eastward migration, probably in
Udabhandapura, he was greeted by the-then ruler of Taxila,
Omphis
Taxiles (in Greek language, Greek Tαξίλης or Ταξίλας; lived 4th century BC) was the Greece, Greek chroniclers' name for the ruler who reigned over the tract between the Indus River, Indus and the Jhelum River, Jhelum (Hydaspes) Riv ...
.
Omphis had hoped to force both Porus and Abisares into submission leveraging the might of Alexander's forces and diplomatic missions were mounted, but while Abisares accepted the submission, Porus refused.
This led Alexander to seek for a face-off with Porus.
Thus began the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC; the exact site remains unknown.
The battle is thought to be resulted in a decisive
Greek victory; however, A. B. Bosworth warns against an uncritical reading of Greek sources who were obviously exaggerative.
Alexander later founded two cities—''
Nicaea'' at the site of victory and
''Bucephalous'' at the battle-ground, in memory of
his horse, who died soon after the battle.
Later,
tetradrachms would be minted depicting Alexander on horseback, armed with a ''sarissa'' and attacking a pair of Indians on an elephant.
Porus refused to surrender and wandered about atop an elephant, until he was wounded and his force routed.
When asked by Alexander how he wished to be treated, Porus replied "Treat me as a king would treat another king". Despite the apparently one-sided results, Alexander was impressed by Porus and chose to not depose him.
Not only was his territory reinstated but also expanded with Alexander's forces annexing the territories of Glausaes, who ruled to the northeast of Porus' kingdom.
After Alexander's death in 323 BCE,
Perdiccas became the regent of his empire, and after Perdiccas's murder in 321 BCE,
Antipater
Antipater (; grc, , translit=Antipatros, lit=like the father; c. 400 BC319 BC) was a Macedonian general and statesman under the subsequent kingships of Philip II of Macedon and his son, Alexander the Great. In the wake of the collaps ...
became the new regent. According to
Diodorus, Antipater recognized Porus's authority over the territories along the
Indus River
The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...
. However,
Eudemus, who had served as Alexander's
satrap
A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires.
The satrap served as viceroy to the king, though with consid ...
in the Punjab region, treacherously killed Porus. The battle is historically significant because it resulted in the
syncretism
Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various school of thought, schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or religious assimilation, assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in t ...
of ancient Greek political and cultural influences to the Indian subcontinent, yielding works such as
Greco-Buddhist art
The Greco-Buddhist art or Gandhara art of the north Indian subcontinent is the artistic manifestation of Greco-Buddhism, a cultural syncretism between Ancient Greek art and Buddhism. It had mainly evolved in the ancient region of Gandhara.
The s ...
, which continued to have an impact for the ensuing centuries. The region was then divided between the
Maurya Empire
The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...
and the
Greco-Bactrian kingdom
The Bactrian Kingdom, known to historians as the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom or simply Greco-Bactria, was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic-era Hellenistic Greece, Greek state, and along with the Indo-Greek Kingdom, the easternmost part of the Helleni ...
in 302 B.C.E.
Menander I Soter conquered Punjab and made
Sagala (present-day
Sialkot) the capital of the
Indo-Greek Kingdom.
Menander is noted for having become a patron and convert to
Greco-Buddhism and he is widely regarded as the greatest of the Indo-Greek kings. Greek influence in the region ended around 12 B.C.E. when the Punjab fell under the
Sassanids.
Medieval period
Following the
muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent at the beginning of the 8th century,
Arab armies of the
Umayyad Caliphate penetrated into South Asia introducing
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
into Punjab.
In the ninth century, the
Hindu Shahi dynasty emerged in the Punjab, ruling much of Punjab and eastern Afghanistan.
The
Turkic
Turkic may refer to:
* anything related to the country of Turkey
* Turkic languages, a language family of at least thirty-five documented languages
** Turkic alphabets (disambiguation)
** Turkish language, the most widely spoken Turkic language
* ...
Ghaznavids
The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwest ...
in the tenth century overthrew the Hindu Shahis and consequently ruled for 157 years, gradually declining as a power until the
Ghurid conquest of
Lahore by
Muhammad of Ghor in 1186, deposing the last Ghaznavid ruler
Khusrau Malik. Following the death of
Muhammad of Ghor in 1206, the Ghurid state fragmented and was replaced in northern India by the
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526). . The Delhi Sultanate ruled the Punjab for the next three hundred years, led by five unrelated dynasties, the
Mamluks
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') i ...
,
Khalajis,
Tughlaqs,
Sayyids
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...
and
Lodis. A significant event in the late 15th century Punjab was the formation of
Sikhism by
Guru Nanak.
["Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikh originated in India."] The history of the Sikh faith is closely associated with the history of Punjab and the socio-political situation in the north-west of the Indian subcontinent in the 17th century.
![Ranjit_Singh_at_Harmandir_Sahib_-_August_Schoefft_-_Vienna_1850_-_Princess_Bamba_Collection_-_Lahore_Fort](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Ranjit_Singh_at_Harmandir_Sahib_-_August_Schoefft_-_Vienna_1850_-_Princess_Bamba_Collection_-_Lahore_Fort.jpg)
The hymns composed by
Guru Nanak were later collected in the
Guru Granth Sahib, the central religious scripture of the Sikhs. The religion developed and evolved in times of
religious persecution
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religion, religious beliefs or affiliations or their irreligion, lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within soc ...
, gaining converts from both
Hinduism and
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
.
Mughal rulers of India tortured and executed two of the Sikh gurus—
Guru Arjan (1563–1605) and
Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675)—after
they refused to convert to Islam.
[Pashaura Singh (2005), Understanding the Martyrdom of Guru Arjan, Journal of Punjab Studies, 12(1), pp. 29–62] The persecution of Sikhs triggered the founding of the ''
Khalsa'' by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as an order to protect the
freedom of conscience
Freedom of thought (also called freedom of conscience) is the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints.
Overview
Every person attempts to have a cognitive proficiency by ...
and
religion,
with members expressing the qualities of a ''
Sant-Sipāhī'' ('saint-soldier').
The lifetime of Guru Nanak coincided with the conquest of northern India by
Babur
Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...
and establishment of the
Mughal Empire. Jahangir ordered the execution of
Guru Arjun Dev
Guru Arjan (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ, pronunciation: ; 15 April 1563 – 30 May 1606) was the first of the two Gurus martyred in the Sikh faith and the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of t ...
, whilst in Mughal custody, for supporting his son
Khusrau Mirza
Khusrau Mirza (16 August 1587 – 26 January 1622) was the eldest son of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir and his first wife, Shah Begum.
He was beloved of his grandfather, Mughal Emperor Akbar and his grandmother, Mariam-uz-Zamani. The young ...
's rival claim to the throne. Guru Arjan Dev's death led to the sixth Guru
Guru Hargobind to declare sovereignty in the creation of the
Akal Takht and the establishment of a fort to defend
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
. Jahangir then jailed Guru Hargobind at
Gwalior, but released him after a number of years when he no longer felt threatened. The succeeding son of Jahangir,
Shah Jahan
Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...
, took offence at Guru Hargobind's declaration and after a series of assaults on Amritsar, forced the Sikhs to retreat to the
Sivalik Hills. The ninth Guru,
Guru Tegh Bahadur, moved the Sikh community to
Anandpur and travelled extensively to visit and preach in defiance of
Aurangzeb
Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
, who attempted to install
Ram Rai
Ram Rai (Gurmukhi: ਰਾਮ ਰਾਏ; ''rāma rā'ē''; 1645–1687) was the excommunicated eldest son of the seventh Sikh Guru, Guru Har Rai, and the founder of the Ramraiyas, an unorthodox and heretical sect in Sikhism.
Biography
Ex ...
as new guru.
Modern period
The Mughals came to power in the early sixteenth century and gradually expanded to control all of the Punjab from their capital at
Lahore. As Mughal power weakened, Afghan rulers took control of the region.
Contested by
Marathas and Afghans, the region was the center of the growing influence of the Sikhs, who expanded and established the
Sikh empire in 1799 as the Mughals and Afghans weakened. The
Cis-Sutlej states were a group of states in modern Punjab and
Haryana states lying between the Sutlej River on the north, the Himalayas on the east, the Yamuna River and
Delhi District on the south, and
Sirsa District on the west. These states were ruled by the
Sikh Misls
The Misls (derived from an Arabic word مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and is cit ...
. The empire existed from 1799, when
Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...
captured
Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered in the
Second Anglo-Sikh War. It was forged on the foundations of the
Khalsa from a collection of autonomous
Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
''
misls''.
At its peak in the 19th century, the Empire extended from the
Khyber Pass
The Khyber Pass (خیبر درہ) is a mountain pass in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, on the border with the Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. It connects the town of Landi Kotal to the Valley of Peshawar at Jamrud by traversing pa ...
in the west to western
Tibet in the east, and from
Mithankot in the south to
Kashmir
Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
in the north. It was divided into four provinces:
Lahore, in Punjab, which became the Sikh capital;
Multan, also in Punjab;
Peshawar; and Kashmir from 1799 to 1849. Religiously diverse, with an estimated population of 3.5 million in 1831 (making it the
19th most populous country at the time),
[ Amarinder Singh's The Last Sunset: The Rise and Fall of the Lahore Durbar] it was the last major region of the Indian subcontinent to
be annexed by the
British Empire. The Sikh Empire spanned a total of over at its zenith.
![Map_of_India_1823](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Map_of_India_1823.jpg)
After Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, the empire was severely weakened by internal divisions and political mismanagement. This opportunity was used by the
East India Company to launch the
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
Second Anglo-Sikh Wars. The country was finally annexed and dissolved at the end of the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849 into separate
princely states and the
province of Punjab
Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...
. Eventually, a Lieutenant Governorship was established in Lahore as a direct representative of
the Crown.
Colonial era
![Punjab_1909](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Punjab_1909.jpg)
The Punjab was annexed by the
East India Company in 1849. Although nominally part of the
Bengal Presidency it was administratively independent. During the
Indian Rebellion of 1857, apart from
Revolt led by Ahmed Khan Kharal and
Murree rebellion of 1857
The Murree Rebellion of 1857 was a part of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. It was a skirmish between the hill tribes of Murree (in modern-day Pakistan) and the colonial government of British India. Resentment toward colonial rule had been mounting ...
, the Punjab remained relatively peaceful.
In 1858, under the terms of the Queen's Proclamation issued by
Queen Victoria, the Punjab came under the direct rule of Britain. Colonial rule had a profound impact on all areas of Punjabi life. Economically it transformed the Punjab into the richest farming area of India, socially it sustained the power of large landowners and politically it encouraged cross-communal co-operation amongst land owning groups.
The Punjab also became the major centre of recruitment into the
Indian Army. By patronising influential local allies and focusing administrative, economic and constitutional policies on the rural population, the British ensured the loyalty of its large rural population.
Administratively, colonial rule instated a system of bureaucracy and measure of the law. The 'paternal' system of the ruling elite was replaced by 'machine rule' with a system of laws, codes, and procedures. For purposes of control, the British established new forms of communication and transportation, including post systems, railways, roads, and telegraphs. The creation of
Canal Colonies in western Punjab between 1860 and 1947 brought 14 million acres of land under cultivation, and revolutionised agricultural practices in the region.
To the agrarian and commercial class was added a professional middle class that had risen the social ladder through the use of the English education, which opened up new professions in law, government, and medicine. Despite these developments, colonial rule was marked by exploitation of resources. For the purpose of exports, the majority of external trade was controlled by British export banks. The Imperial government exercised control over the finances of Punjab and took the majority of the income for itself.
In 1919 a British officer ordered his troops to fire on a crowd of demonstrators, mostly Sikhs in
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
. The
Jallianwala massacre fueled the
indian independence movement.
Nationalists declared the independence of India from Lahore in 1930 but were quickly suppressed.
The struggle for Indian independence witnessed competing and conflicting interests in the Punjab. When the Second World War broke out, nationalism in British India had already divided into religious movements.
The landed elites of the Muslim, Hindu and Sikh communities had loyally collaborated with the British since annexation, supported the
Unionist Party and were hostile to the Congress party led independence movement.
[Pritam Singh, Federalism, Nationalism and Development: India and the Punjab Economy, Routledge, 19 February 2008, p.54] Amongst the peasantry and urban middle classes, the Hindus were the most active
National Congress ''National Congress'' is a term used in the names of various political parties and legislatures .
Political parties
*Ethiopia: Oromo National Congress
*Guyana: People's National Congress (Guyana)
*India: Indian National Congress
*Iraq: Iraqi Nati ...
supporters, the Sikhs flocked to the
Akali movement whilst the Muslims eventually supported the
Muslim League.
Many Sikhs and other minorities supported the Hindus, who promised a secular multicultural and multireligious society. In March 1940, the All-India Muslim League passed the
Lahore Resolution, demanding the creation of a separate state from Muslim majority areas in British India. This triggered bitter protests by the Hindus and Sikhs in Punjab, who could not accept living in a Muslim Islamic state.
After the partition of the sub-continent had been decided, special meetings of the Western and Eastern Section of the Legislative Assembly were held on 23 June 1947 to decide whether or not the Province of the Punjab be partitioned. After voting on both sides, partition was decided and the existing Punjab Legislative Assembly was also divided into
West Punjab
West Punjab ( pnb, ; ur, ) was a province in the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. The province covered an area of 159,344 km2 (61523 sq mi), including much of the current Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province and the Islamabad Capital Te ...
Legislative Assembly and the
East Punjab Legislative Assembly. This last Assembly before independence, held its last sitting on 4 July 1947. During this period, the British granted separate independence to India and Pakistan, setting off massive communal violence as Punjabi Muslims fled to Pakistan and Hindu and Sikh Punjabis fled east to India.
The Sikhs later demanded a Punjabi-speaking Punjab state with an autonomous Sikh government.
Post-colonial era
During the
colonial era, the various districts and princely states that made up
Punjab Province were religiously eclectic, each containing significant populations of
Punjabi Muslims,
Punjabi Hindus,
Punjabi Sikhs,
Punjabi Christians
Punjabi Christians are adherents of Christianity who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis. They are one of the four main ethnoreligious communities of the historical Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent—spl ...
, along with other ethnic and religious minorities. However, a major consequence of independence and the partition of Punjab Province in 1947 was the sudden shift towards religious homogeneity occurred in all districts across province and region owing to the new international border that cut through the subdivision.
The demographic shift was captured when comparing decadal census data taken in 1941 and 1951 respectively, and was primarily due to wide scale migration but also caused by large-scale
religious cleansing
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or their lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within societies to alienate o ...
riots which were witnessed across the region at the time. According to historical demographer
Tim Dyson, in the eastern regions of Punjab that ultimately became Indian Punjab following independence, districts that were 66% Hindu in 1941 became 80% Hindu in 1951; those that were 20% Sikh became 50% Sikh in 1951. Conversely, in the western regions of Punjab that ultimately became
Pakistani Punjab
Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...
, all districts became almost exclusively Muslim by 1951.
![International_border_at_Wagah_-_evening_flag_lowering_ceremony](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/International_border_at_Wagah_-_evening_flag_lowering_ceremony.jpg)
Following independence, several small Punjabi princely states, including Patiala,
acceded to the Union of India and were united into the
PEPSU. In 1956 this was integrated with the state of East Punjab to create a new, enlarged Indian state called simply "Punjab". ''Punjab Day'' is celebrated across the state on 1 November every year marking the formation of a Punjabi language speaking state under the Punjab Reorganisation Act (1966).
In 1966, following Hindu and Sikh Punjabi demands, the Indian government divided Punjab into the state of Punjab and the Hindi majority-speaking states of
Haryana and
Himachal Pradesh.
From 1981 to 1995 the state suffered a 14-year long
insurgency. Problems began due to disputes between Punjabi Sikhs and the central government of the Republic of India. Tensions escalated throughout the early 1980s and eventually culminated with
Operation Blue Star in 1984; an Indian Army operation aimed at the dissident Sikh community of Punjab. Shortly thereafter, Indian Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
was
assassinated
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
by two of her Sikh bodyguards. The decade that followed was noted for widespread inter-communal violence and accusations of genocide on the part of the Sikh community by the Indian government.
Geography
Punjab is in northwestern India and has a total area of . Punjab is bordered by Pakistan's
Punjab province on the west,
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
on the north,
Himachal Pradesh on the northeast and
Haryana and
Rajasthan on the south.
Most of Punjab lies in a fertile, alluvial plain with perennial rivers and an extensive irrigation canal system.
A belt of undulating
hills extends along the northeastern part of the state at the foot of the Himalayas. Its average elevation is above sea level, with a range from in the southwest to more than around the northeast border. The southwest of the state is semi-arid, eventually merging into the
Thar Desert. Of the five Punjab rivers, three—Sutlej, Beas and Ravi—flow through the Indian state. The Sutlej and Ravi define parts of the international border with Pakistan.
The soil characteristics are influenced to a limited extent by the topography, vegetation and parent rock. The variation in soil profile characteristics are much more pronounced because of the regional climatic differences.
Punjab is divided into three distinct regions on the basis of soil types: southwestern, central, and eastern. Punjab falls under
seismic zones
Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other ...
II, III, and IV. Zone II is considered a low-damage risk zone; zone III is considered a moderate-damage risk zone; and zone IV is considered a high-damage risk zone.
Climate
![Punjab Monsoon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Punjab_Monsoon.jpg)
The geography and
subtropical latitudinal location of Punjab lead to large variations in temperature from month to month. Even though only limited regions experience temperatures below , ground frost is commonly found in the majority of Punjab during the winter season. The temperature rises gradually with high
humidity and overcast skies. However, the rise in temperature is steep when the sky is clear and humidity is low.
The maximum temperatures usually occur in mid-May and June. The temperature remains above in the entire region during this period. Ludhiana recorded the highest maximum temperature at with Patiala and Amritsar recording . The maximum temperature during the summer in Ludhiana remains above for a duration of one and a half months. These areas experience the lowest temperatures in January. The sun rays are oblique during these months and the cold winds control the temperature at daytime.
Punjab experiences its minimum temperature from December to February. The lowest temperature was recorded at Amritsar () and Ludhiana stood second with . The minimum temperature of the region remains below for almost two months during the winter season. The highest minimum temperature of these regions in June is more than the daytime maximum temperatures experienced in January and February. Ludhiana experiences minimum temperatures above for more than two months. The annual average temperature in the entire state is approximately . Further, the mean monthly temperature range varies between in July to approximately in November.
Seasons
Punjab experiences three main seasons. They are:
*Summer (mid-April to the end of June)
*Monsoon (early July to the end of September)
*Winter (early December to the end of February).
Apart from these three, the state experiences transitional seasons like:
*Pre-summer season (March to mid-April): This is the period of transition between winter and summer.
*Post-
monsoon season (September to end of November): This is the period of transition between monsoon and winter seasons.
=Summer
=
Punjab starts experiencing mildly hot temperatures in February. The actual summer season commences in mid-April and the heat continues till the end of August. High temperatures between May and August hover between 40 and 47 °C. The area experiences atmospheric pressure variations during the summer months. The atmospheric pressure of the region remains around 987 millibar during February and it reaches 970 millibar in June.
=Monsoon
=
Punjab's rainy season begins in the first week of July as monsoon currents generated in the
Bay of Bengal bring rain to the region. The monsoon lasts up to mid-September.
=Winter
=
Temperature variation is minimal in January. The mean night and day temperatures fall to and , respectively.
=Post-Monsoon transitional season
=
The monsoon begins to reduce by the second week of September. This brings a gradual change in climate and temperature. The time between October and November is the transitional period between monsoon and winter seasons. Weather during this period is generally temperate and dry.
=Post-Winter transitional season
=
The effects of winter diminish by the first week of March. The hot summer season commences in mid-April. This period is marked by occasional showers with hail storms and
squalls that cause extensive damage to crops. The winds remain dry and warm during the last week of March, commencing the harvest period.
Rainfall
*Monsoon Rainfall
Monsoon season provides most of the rainfall for the region. Punjab receives rainfall from the monsoon current of the Bay of Bengal. This monsoon current enters the state from the southeast in the first week of July.
*Winter Rainfall
The winter season remains very cool with temperatures falling below freezing at some places. Winter also brings in some western disturbances.
Rainfall in the winter provides relief to the farmers as some of the winter crops in the region of Shivalik Hills are entirely dependent on this rainfall. As per meteorological statistics, the sub-Shivalik area receives more than of rainfall in the winter months.
Flora and fauna
![Agriculture in Punjab India](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Agriculture_in_Punjab_India.jpg)
The fauna of the area is rich, with 396 types of birds, 214 kinds of
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera ( ) is an order (biology), order of insects that includes butterfly, butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 Family (biology), families and 46 Taxonomic r ...
, 55 varieties of fish, 20 types of reptiles, and 19 kinds of mammals. The state of Punjab has large wetland areas, bird sanctuaries that house numerous species of birds, and many zoological parks. Wetlands include the national wetland
Hari-Ke-Pattan, the wetland of
Kanjli, and the wetlands of Kapurthala Sutlej. Wildlife sanctuaries include the Harike in the district of Tarn Taran Sahib, the Zoological Park in Rupnagar, Chhatbir Bansar Garden in Sangrur,
Aam Khas Bagh
Aam is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Overbetuwe
Overbetuwe () is a municipality in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 January 2001 as a merger of three former ...
in Sirhind, Amritsar's famous
Ram Bagh Palace
Ram Bagh is a garden built during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Amritsar, Punjab, India. Ram Bagh palace also known as Ram Bagh Mahal, is a palace situated in the centre of this garden, which was used as the summer residence of Ranjit ...
, Shalimar Garden in Kapurthala, and the famous Baradari Garden in the city of Patiala.
Animals
A few of the rivers in Punjab have crocodiles. The extraction of silk from silkworms is another industry that flourishes in the state. Production of bee honey is done in some parts of Punjab. The southern plains are desert land; hence, camels can be seen.
Buffaloes graze around the banks of rivers. The northeastern part is home to animals like horses. Wildlife sanctuaries have many more species of wild animals like the otter, wild boar, wildcat, fruit bat, hog deer, flying fox, squirrel, and mongoose. Naturally formed forests can be seen in the Shivalik ranges in the districts of Ropar, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur. Patiala is home to the Bir forest while the wetlands area in Punjab is home to the Mand forest.
Botanical gardens exist throughout Punjab. There is a zoological park and a tiger safari park, as well as three parks dedicated to deer.
The state bird is the
northern goshawk (baz) (''Accipiter gentilis''), the state animal is the
blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), the state aquatic animal is
Indus river dolphin (''Platanista minor''), and the state tree is the shisham (''
Dalbergia sissoo'').
Government and politics
![Assembly 09](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Assembly_09.jpg)
Punjab is governed through a parliamentary system of representative democracy. Each of the states of India possesses a parliamentary system of government, with a ceremonial state
Governor, appointed by the
President of India on the advice of the central government. The head of government is an indirectly elected
Chief Minister who is vested with most of the executive powers. The term length of the government is five years. The state legislature, the
Vidhan Sabha, is the unicameral
Punjab Legislative Assembly, with 117 members elected from single-seat constituencies. The current government was elected in the
2022 Assembly elections as
Aam Aadmi Party
The Aam Aadmi Party (; AAP) is a political party in India, as one of the national political parties. The AAP was founded in November 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal and his then-companions following the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement, popular ...
won 92 out of 117 Assembly seats and
Bhagwant Mann
Bhagwant Singh Mann (born 17 October 1973) is an Indian politician and current Chief Minister of Punjab. He leads the cabinet ministry of Punjab and is a member of the Aam Aadmi Party. He is a former actor, comedian and satirist.
He previous ...
is the current Chief Minister. The state of Punjab is divided into five administrative divisions and twenty-two districts.
The capital of Punjab is
Chandigarh, which also serves as the capital of
Haryana and is thus administered separately as a
Union Territory of India. The judicial branch of the state government is provided by the
Punjab and Haryana High Court in Chandigarh.
The three major political parties in the state are the
Aam Aadmi Party
The Aam Aadmi Party (; AAP) is a political party in India, as one of the national political parties. The AAP was founded in November 2012 by Arvind Kejriwal and his then-companions following the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement, popular ...
, a centrist to left wing party, the
Shiromani Akali Dal, a
Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...
Punjabiyat Punjabiyat means "Punjabiness" and is the language revitalization movement of Punjabi.
In Pakistan, its goal is a better status of Punjabi language along with Urdu at state level. In India, its goal is to bring together the Sikh, Hindu and Muslim ...
party and the
Indian National Congress, a
centrist catch all party.
President's rule
In India, President's rule is the suspension of state government and imposition of direct Union government rule in a state. Under Article 356 of the Constitution of India, if a state government is unable to function according to Constitutional ...
has been imposed in Punjab eight times so far, since 1950, for different reasons. In terms of the absolute number of days, Punjab was under the President's rule for 3,510 days, which is approximately 10 years. Much of this was in the 80s during the height of militancy in Punjab. Punjab was under the President's rule for five continuous years from 1987 to 1992.
Punjab state law and order is maintained by
Punjab Police. Punjab police is headed by its DGP, Dinkar Gupta, and has 70,000 employees. It manages state affairs through 22 district heads known as SSP.
Administrative set-up
![Administrative division of Punjab](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Administrative_division_of_Punjab.png)
Punjab has 23 districts, which are geographically classified into
Majha,
Malwa,
Doaba and
Puadh
Puadh ( IAST: uādha sometimes anglicized as Poadh or Powadh) is a historic region in north India that comprises parts of present-day Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and the U.T. of Chandigarh, India. It has the Sutlej rive ...
regions, as under: -
*
Majha (4)
**
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
**
Gurdaspur
**
Pathankot
**
Tarn Taran
*
Doaba (4)
**
Hoshiarpur
**
Jalandhar
**
Kapurthala
**
Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar
*
Malwa (12)
**
Barnala
Barnala is a city in the state of Punjab of India. Barnala city serves as the headquarters of the Barnala district which was formed in 2006. Prior to formation of Barnala district, this city was located in Sangrur district. It is situated ne ...
**
Bathinda
**
Ferozepur
**
Fazilka
**
Faridkot
**
Ludhiana
**
Moga
**
Malerkotla
**
Mansa
**
Sri Muktsar Sahib
Sri Muktsar Sahib (/ʃriː ˈmʊktsər saːhɪb/) (often referred to as Muktsar (/ˈmʊktsər/)) is a historical city and district headquarters in Punjab, India. The 2011 Census of India put the total population of Sri Muktsar Sahib municipality ...
**
Patiala
**
Sangrur
*
Puadh
Puadh ( IAST: uādha sometimes anglicized as Poadh or Powadh) is a historic region in north India that comprises parts of present-day Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and the U.T. of Chandigarh, India. It has the Sutlej rive ...
(3)
**
SAS Nagar (Mohali)
**
Rupnagar
**
Fatehgarh Sahib
Fatehgarh Sahib is a city and a sacred pilgrimage site of Sikhism in the north west Indian state of Punjab. It is the headquarters of Fatehgarh Sahib district, located about north of Sirhind. Fatehgarh Sahib is named after Fateh Singh, the 7-y ...
These districts are officially divided among 5 administrative divisions: Faridkot, Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Patiala and Ropar(created on 31 December 2010, which was a part of Patiala Division earlier).
Each district is under the administrative control of a
District Collector. The districts are subdivided into 93
tehsils, which have fiscal and administrative powers over settlements within their borders, including maintenance of local land records comes under the administrative control of a
Tehsildar. Each Tehsil consists of blocks which are total 150 in number. These blocks consist of
revenue villages
In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business.
Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...
. There are total number of revenue villages in the state is 12,278. There are 23
Zila Parishads, 136
Municipal Committees and 22 Improvement Trusts looking after 143 towns and 14
cities of Punjab.
The capital city of the state is
Chandigarh and largest city of the state is
Ludhiana. Out of total population of Punjab, 37.48% people live in urban regions. The absolute urban population living in urban areas is 10,399,146 of which 5,545,989 are males and while remaining 4,853,157 are females. The urban population in the last 10 years has increased by 37.48%. The major cities are
Ludhiana,
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
,
Jalandhar,
Mohali
Mohali, officially known as Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, is a planned city in the Mohali district in Punjab (India), Punjab, India, which is an administrative and a commercial hub lying south-west of Chandigarh. It is the headquarters of the Moh ...
,
Patiala and
Bathinda.
Economy
![Arrival in Amritsar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Arrival_in_Amritsar.jpg)
Punjab's
GDP is .
Punjab is one of the most fertile regions in India. The region is ideal for wheat-growing.
Rice, sugar cane,
fruits
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particula ...
and
vegetables are also grown. Indian Punjab is called the "Granary of India" or "India's bread-basket".
[Welcome to Official Web site of Punjab, India](_blank)
It produces 10.26% of India's cotton, 19.5% of India's wheat, and 11% of India's rice. The
Firozpur and
Fazilka Districts are the largest producers of wheat and rice in the state. In worldwide terms, Indian Punjab produces 2% of the world's cotton, 2% of its wheat and 1% of its rice.
Punjab ranked first in GDP per capita amongst Indian states in 1981 and fourth in 2001, but has experienced slower growth than the rest of India, having the
second-slowest GDP per capita growth rate of all Indian states and UTs between 2000 and 2010, behind only
Manipur.
Punjab's economy has been primarily agriculture-based since the
Green Revolution due to the presence of abundant water sources and fertile soils; most of the state lies in a fertile alluvial plain with many rivers and an extensive irrigation canal system.
The largest cultivated crop is
wheat. Other important crops are
rice,
cotton,
sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
,
pearl millet
Pearl millet (''Cenchrus americanus'', commonly known as the synonym ''Pennisetum glaucum''; also known as 'Bajra' in Hindi, 'Sajje' in Kannada, 'Kambu' in Tamil, 'Bajeer' in Kumaoni and 'Maiwa' in Hausa, 'Mexoeira' in Mozambique) is the most w ...
,
maize,
barley and
fruit. Rice and wheat are doublecropped in Punjab with rice stalks being burned off over millions of acres prior to the planting of wheat. This widespread practice is polluting and wasteful.
Despite covering only 1.53%
of its geographical area, Punjab makes up for about 15-20%
of India's wheat production, around 12% of its rice production, and around 5%
of its milk production, being known as
India's breadbasket.
About 80%
[Taylor, S., Singh, M., Booth, D. (2007) Migration, development and inequality: Eastern Punjabi transnationalism. School of Social Sciences and Law, University of Teesside, Middlesbrough, UK; Department of Sociology, Punjab University, Chandigarh, India.]-95% of Punjab's agricultural land is owned by its
Jat Sikh
Jat Sikh (also known by the more conventional endonym Jatt Sikh) is a sub-group of the Jat people and the Sikh religious group from the Indian subcontinent. They are one of the dominant communities in the Punjab owing to their large land holdin ...
community despite it only forming 21%
of the state's population. About 10% of Punjab's population is made up of migrants from poorer states to the southeast such as
Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar who work as farm labourers.
[Simmering discontent: Sikhs in Punjab are fighting many wars](_blank)
8 March 2008, 0000 hrs IST,Praveen S Thampi, Times of India.
Other major industries include
financial services
Financial services are the Service (economics), economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, acco ...
, the manufacturing of
scientific instruments, agricultural goods, electrical goods,
machine tools
A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, boring, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some sort of tool that does the cutting or shaping. All m ...
,
textiles
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
,
sewing machines,
sports goods
Sports equipment, sporting equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear used to compete in a sport and varies depending on the sport. The equipment ranges from balls, nets, and protective gear like helmets. ...
,
starch
Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diets ...
,
fertilisers
A fertilizer (American English) or fertiliser (British English; see spelling differences) is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from ...
,
bicycles,
garments, and the processing of
pine oil and
sugar
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
.
Minerals and energy resources also contribute to Punjab's economy to a much lesser extent. Punjab has the largest number of steel
rolling mill plants in India, which are in "Steel Town"—
Mandi Gobindgarh in the
Fatehgarh Sahib district
Fatehgarh Sahib district is one of the twenty-three districts of the state of Punjab, India, with its headquarters in the town of Fatehgarh Sahib.
The district came into existence on 13April 1992, Baisakhi Day and derives its name from Sahib ...
.
Punjab also has a large diaspora that is mostly settled in the
United Kingdom, the
United States, and
Canada, numbers about 3 million, and sends back billions of USD in
remittances
A remittance is a non-commercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland. Money sent home by migrants competes with ...
to the state, playing a major role in its economy.
In Punjab the consumption of fertiliser per hectare is 223.46 kg as compared to 90 kg nationally. The state has been awarded the National Productivity Award for agriculture extension services for ten years, from 1991 to 1992 to 1998–99 and from 2001 to 2003–04. In recent years a drop in productivity has been observed, mainly due to falling fertility of the soil. This is believed to be due to excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides over the years. Another worry is the rapidly falling water table on which almost 90% of the agriculture depends; alarming drops have been witnessed in recent years. By some estimates, groundwater is falling by a meter or more per year.
According to the India State Hunger Index, Punjab has the lowest level of hunger in India.
Transport
Air
Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport
Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport is an international airport serving Amritsar, Punjab, India, located 11 km (7 mi) north-west from the city centre. It is named after Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh Guru and the founder of Amritsar. The ...
in
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
, is the Primary Hub Airport and Gateway to Punjab, as the airport serves direct connectivity to key cities around the world, including
London,
Singapore,
Moscow,
Dubai,
Birmingham among others.
Punjab has six civil airports including two international airports:
Amritsar International Airport and
Chandigarh International Airport at
Mohali
Mohali, officially known as Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, is a planned city in the Mohali district in Punjab (India), Punjab, India, which is an administrative and a commercial hub lying south-west of Chandigarh. It is the headquarters of the Moh ...
; and four domestic airports:
Bathinda Airport
Bathinda Airport is an airport serving Malwa, a region in the Indian state of Punjab. It is located about northwest of the city near the village of Virk Kalan. The airport is a civil enclave of the Bhisiana air force station. Alliance Air (In ...
,
Pathankot Airport,
Adampur Airport (
Jalandhar) and
Sahnewal Airport (
Ludhiana). Apart from these 6 airports, there are 2 airfields at Beas (
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
) and
Patiala which do not serve any commercial flight operations, as of now.
Railways
![LDH PF4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/LDH_PF4.JPG)
The
Indian Railways'
Northern Railway line runs through the state connecting most of the major towns and cities. The
Shatabdi Express, India's fastest series of train connects
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
to
New Delhi covering total distance of 449 km.
Amritsar Junction Railway Station
Amritsar Central railway station (station code: ASR) is a railway located in Amritsar district in the Indian state of Punjab and serves Amritsar. It is the largest and busiest railway station of Punjab.
History
The Scinde, Punjab & Delhi Railw ...
is the busiest junction of the state.
Bathinda Junction holds the record of maximum railway lines from a railway junction in Asia. Punjab's major railway stations are
Amritsar Junction (ASR),
Ludhiana Junction (LDH),
Jalandhar Cantonment (JRC),
Firozpur Cantonment (FZR),
Jalandhar City Junction (JUC),
Pathankot Junction
Pathankot Junction railway station (station code: PTK) is a located in Pathankot district in the Indian state of Punjab and serves Pathankot .
The railway station
Pathankot railway station is at an elevation of and was assigned the code – P ...
(PTK) and
Patiala railway station
Patiala railway station is a railway station serving Patiala city of Punjab (region), Punjab in India. It is under Ambala railway division of Northern Railway zone of Indian Railways. It is located at above sea level and has four platforms. 24 ...
(PTA). The railway stations of
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
is included in the Indian Railways list of 50 world-class railway stations.
Hyperloop
Punjab Government have signed a
MoU ( Memorendum of Understanding) with
Virgin Hyperloop One to explore the feasibility of running a
Hyperloop between
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
and
Chandigarh which could decrease the travel time between 2 cities from five hours by road to less than 30 minutes. It will have stops in
Ludhiana and
Jalandhar.
Roads
![ISBT Amritsar](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/ISBT_Amritsar.jpg)
All the cities and towns of Punjab are connected by four-lane
national highways. The
Grand Trunk Road, also known as "NH1", connects
Kolkata to
Peshawar, passing through
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
and
Jalandhar.
National highways passing through the state are ranked the best in the country with widespread road networks that serve isolated towns as well as the border region. Amritsar and Ludhiana are among several Indian cities that have the highest accident rates in India.
The following expressways will pass through Punjab:
*
Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway from
Delhi to
Katra (National Expressway 5)
*
Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway from
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
to
Jamnagar
Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies ...
*
Pathankot-Ajmer Expressway from
Pathankot to
Ajmer
The following national highways connect major towns, cities and villages:
*
National Highway 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbere ...
*
National Highway 10
*
National Highway 15
Route 15, or Highway 15, can refer to:
For roads named A15, see A15 roads.
International
* Asian Highway 15
* European route E15
* European route E015
Australia New South Wales
* Hunter Expressway
* New England Highway and other local Newcas ...
*
National Highway 1A
*
National Highway 54
*
National Highway 20
Route 20, or Highway 20, may refer to:
International
* European route E20
Australia
* Sturt Highway (NSW/VIC/SA)
* Yarra Bank Highway
Brazil
* BR-020
Canada
* Alberta Highway 20
* British Columbia Highway 20
* Manitoba Highway 20
*New Br ...
*
National Highway 21
''For roads named A21 see ; List of A21 roads''
Route 21, or Highway 21, can refer to:
International
* European route E21
Australia
* Chandler Highway
* Toowoomba Connection Road (QLD)
* - Kakadu Highway
Austria
* Wiener Außenring Autobahn ...
*
National Highway 22
Route 22, or Highway 22, can refer to:
International
* European route E22
Argentina
* National Route 22
Australia
* Great Western Highway, Parramatta Road
Austria
* Donauufer Autobahn
Canada
* Alberta Highway 22
** Alberta Highway 22X
* ...
*
National Highway 64
*
National Highway 70
The following highways are numbered 70:
International
* Asian Highway 70
* European route E70
* Arab Mashreq route M70
Australia
* Peak Downs Highway - Queensland State Route 70 (Regional)
* Sunshine Motorway - Queensland State Route 70 (Suns ...
*
National Highway 71
*
National Highway 95
Urban Rapid Transit System
There are also a
bus rapid transit
Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
system
Amritsar BRTS
Amritsar MetroBus (Amritsar BRTS) is the bus rapid transit system (BRTS) in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. Amritsar MetroBus allows easy travel to different places in city like the Golden Temple, Jallianwala Bagh, Guru Nanak Dev Univer ...
in the holy city of Amritsar, popularly known as 'Amritsar MetroBus'
Demographics
Punjab is home to 2.30% of India's population; with a density of 551 persons per km
2. According to the provisional results of the
2011 national census, Punjab has a population of 27,743,338, making it the
16th
16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and .
In English speech, ...
most populated state in India. Of which male and female are 14,639,465 and 13,103,873, respectively.
32% of Punjab's population consists of
Dalits. In the state, the rate of population growth is 13.89% (2011), lower than national average. Out of total population, 37.48% people live in urban regions. The total figure of population living in urban areas is 10,399,146 of which 5,545,989 are males and while remaining 4,853,157 are females. The urban population in the last 10 years has increased by 37.48%.
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
is the sole official language of Punjab and is spoken by the majority of the population numbering around 24,919,067 constituting (89.82%) of the population as of 2011 census report.
Hindi is second largest language, spoken by 2,177,853 constituting 7.85% of the population and rest 646,418 spoke's other Indian languages comprising 2.83% in other category.
The
2011 Census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
found
Scheduled Castes to account for 31.9% of the state's population. The
Other Backward Classes have 31.3% population in Punjab. The exact population of
Forward castes is not known as their data from
Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011
The Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 (SECC) was conducted for the 2011 Census of India. The Manmohan Singh government approved the Socio Economic and Caste Census 2011 to be carried out after discussion in both houses of Parliament in 2010. ...
is not made public as of 2019.
There has been a constant decline in the sex ratio of the state. The sex ratio in Punjab was 895 females per 1000 males, which was below the national average of 940. The literacy rate rose to 75.84% as per 2011 population census. Of that, male literacy stands at 80.44% while female literacy is at 70.73%. In actual numbers, total literates in Punjab stands at 18,707,137 of which males were 10,436,056 and females were 8,271,081.
Religion
Punjab has the largest population of
Sikhs
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...
in India and is the only state where Sikhs form a majority, numbering around 16 million forming 57.69% of the state population.
Hinduism is the second largest religion in the Indian state of Punjab numbering around 10.68 million and forming 38.49% of the state's population and a majority in
Doaba region.
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
is followed by 535,489 accounting 1.93% of the population and are mainly concentrated in
Malerkotla and
Qadian. Other smaller segments of religions existing in Punjab are
Christianity practised by 1.26%,
Jainism practised by 0.16%,
Buddhism practised by 0.12% and others 0.36%. Sikhs form a majority in 17 districts out of the total 23 districts while Hindus form the majority in 5 districts namely,
Pathankot,
Jalandhar,
Hoshiarpur,
Fazilka and
Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar districts.
The
Sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
shrine,
Golden Temple (
Harmandir Sahib), is in the city of Amritsar, which houses the
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the topmost Sikh religious body. The
Sri Akal Takht Sahib
The Akal Takht ("Throne of the Timeless One") is one of five takhts (seats of power) of the Sikhs. It is located in the Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab, India. The Akal Takht (originally called Akal Bunga) was built by ...
, which is within the Golden Temple complex, is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs. Of the five Takhts (Temporal Seats of religious authority) of
Sikhism, three are in Punjab. These are Sri Akal Takht Sahib,
Damdama Sahib
The Takht Sri Darbar Sahib Damdama Sahib, Fourth Takhts or Seat of Temporal Authority of Sikhism, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib is in Talwandi Sabo in Punjab, India and is the place where Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, prepared the full ve ...
and
Anandpur Sahib. At least one Sikh
Gurdwara can be found in almost every village in the state, as well as in the towns and cities (in various architectural styles and sizes).
Hindu Mandirs can be found all over Punjab with the
Shri Durgiana Mandir in Amritsar, and the
Shri Devi Talab Mandir in Jalandhar visited by many pilgrims every year. Due to the open nature of their religion, a segment of Punjabis who are
Punjabi Hindus continue heterogeneous religious practices in spiritual kinship with Sikhism. This not only includes veneration of the Sikh Gurus in private practice but also visit to Sikh Gurdwaras in addition to Hindu Mandirs.
Education
Primary and Secondary education is mainly affiliated to
Punjab School Education Board. Punjab is served by several institutions of
higher education, including 23 universities that provide undergraduate and postgraduate courses in all the major arts, humanities, science, engineering, law, medicine, veterinary science, and business. Reading and writing
Punjabi language is compulsory till
matriculation for every student failing which the schools attract fine or cancellation of licence.
Punjab Agricultural University is a leading institution globally for the study of agriculture and played a significant role in Punjab's
Green Revolution in the 1960s–70s. Alumni of the
Panjab University, Chandigarh include
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...
, the former
Prime Minister of India
The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
, and Dr.
Har Gobind Khorana, a
biochemistry nobel laureate
The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make out ...
. One of the oldest institutions of medical education is the
Christian Medical College, Ludhiana
The Christian Medical College and Hospital is a private, minority-run teaching hospital in Ludhiana, India.
Founded in 1894, it was then the first medical school for women in Asia.
History
Medical missionary work in Ludhiana was begun in 188 ...
, which has existed since 1894. There is an existing gap in education between men and women, particularly in rural areas of Punjab. Of a total of 1 million 300 thousand students enrolled in grades five to eight, only 44% are women.
Punjab has 23 universities, of which ten are private, 9 are state, one is central and three are
deemed universities
Deemed university, or deemed-to-be-university, is an accreditation granted to higher educational institutions in India by the Department of Higher Education. , the UGC lists 127 institutes which were granted the deemed to be university status.
...
. Punjab has 104,000 (104,000) engineering seats.
Punjab is also increasingly becoming known for education of yoga and naturopathy, with its student slowly adopting these as their career. The Board of Naturopathy and Yoga Science (BNYS) is located in the state. Regional College Dinanagar is the first college to be opened in Dinanagar Town.
File:Khalsa College-Monumentos de Amritsar-India16.JPG, Khalsa College, Amritsar
File:Guru Nanak Dev University3.jpg, The Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...
Block at Guru Nanak Dev University
The university is Entitled by University Grants Commission to offer higher studies degree courses online. Guru Nanak Dev University's campus is spread over near village of Kot Khalsa, nearly west of the Amritsar, next to Khalsa College, A ...
File:PUP GGSB.jpg, Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh (; 22 December 1666 – 7 October 1708), born Gobind Das or Gobind Rai the tenth Sikh Guru, a spiritual master, warrior, poet and philosopher. When his father, Guru Tegh Bahadur, was executed by Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Sing ...
Bhawan at Punjabi University
Media
''
Daily Ajit
''Ajit'' (Daily Ajit) is a Punjabi language daily newspaper published in Jalandhar, India. The newspaper is run by Sadhu Singh Humdrad Trust . The newspaper was founded in 1941 in Urdu language. Veteran journalist and ex-Rajya Sabha member, Barj ...
'', ''
Jagbani
Jagbani is a Punjabi language newspaper that is circulated in the state of Punjab, India. It was started by the Punjab Kesari Group back in 1978 along with Punjab Kesari and Hind Samachar. This newspaper is printed in Jalandhar and Ludhiana
...
'' and ''
Punjabi Tribune'' are the largest-selling Punjabi newspapers while ''
The Tribune'' is most selling English newspaper. A vast number of weekly, biweekly and monthly magazines are under publication in Punjabi. Other main newspapers are ''
Daily Punjab Times,
Rozana Spokesman
''Rozana Spokesman'' is a Punjabi-language daily newspaper in India, mainly circulated in the Punjab region. During its earlier years it was a weekly newspaper
A weekly newspaper is a general-news or Current affairs (news format), current a ...
,
Nawan Zamana'', etc.
Doordarshan
Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...
is the broadcaster of the
Government of India and its channel ''
DD Punjabi
''DD Punjabi'' is a state-owned Punjabi language TV channel, started in 1998, which is produced and telecasted from Doordarshan Kendra Jalandhar in Indian Punjab.
History
DD Punjabi Channel was launched in 1998, and it became a 24-hour serv ...
'' is dedicated to Punjabi. Prominent private
Punjabi channels include news channels like ''
BBC Punjabi
BBC Punjabi (in Punjabi: ਬੀਬੀਸੀ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Gurmukhi), بی بی سی پنجابی (Shahmukhi)) or BBC News Punjabi is an international news service in Punjabi language. It was started on 2 October 2017. The service is on webs ...
'', ''
ABP Sanjha
ABP Sanjha is the Punjabi language news channel, launched in 2014, by Media Content and Communication Services (MCCS), a news broadcasting company, owned by the ABP Group.
See also
* ABP Group
* ABP News
* International broadcasting
* List of ...
'', ''
Global Punjab TV'',
''News18 Punjab-Haryana-Himachal'', ''
Zee Punjab Haryana Himachal'', ''
PTC News
PTC News is a Punjabi language news channel. Indian politician and the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) (translation: ''Supreme Akali Party'') is a centre-right sikh-centric state political party in Pun ...
'' and entertainment channels like ''
Zee Punjabi'', ''
GET Punjabi'', ''
ETC Punjabi'', ''Chardikla Time TV'', ''
PTC Punjabi'', ''
Colours Punjabi
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associa ...
'', ''
JUS Punjabi'', ''
MH1'' and ''
9x Tashan''.
Punjab has witnessed a growth in FM radio channels, mainly in the cities of Jalandhar, Patiala and Amritsar, which has become hugely popular. There are government radio channels like ''
All India Radio, Jalandhar'', ''
All India Radio,
Bathinda'' and ''
FM Gold Ludhiana''. Private radio channels include ''
Radio Mirchi'', ''
BIG FM 92.7
BIG FM is one of India’s largest radio networks that broadcasts primarily at 92.7 MHz. It is part of Reliance Broadcast Ltd. with 58 stations reaching about 1.9K towns and covering 1.2 lakh villages in the country. It is accessible to over 3 ...
'', ''94.3 My FM'', ''
Radio Mantra
Radio Mantra is owned and operated by Dainik Jagran group promoting Shri Puran Multimedia Ltd (SPML). Radio Mantra has presence in eight cities across Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab & Jharkhand. It operates on frequency of 91.9 MHz.
Later ...
'' and many more.
Culture
![Punjabi jutti at Dilli Haat](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/Punjabi_jutti_at_Dilli_Haat.jpg)
The culture of Punjab has many elements including
music such as
bhangra, an extensive religious and non-religious
dance tradition, a long
history of poetry in the Punjabi language, a significant
Punjabi film industry
Punjabi cinema, sometimes metonymously referred to as Pollywood or Punjwood is the Punjabi-language film industry centered around the Indian state of Punjab, and based in Amritsar and Mohali.
The cinema of Punjab has its beginnings with ...
that dates back to before Partition, a vast range of
cuisine
A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...
, which has become widely popular abroad, and a number of seasonal and harvest festivals such as
Lohri,
Basant,
Vaisakhi and
Teeyan
Teeyan ( pa, ਤੀਆਂ) is the regional name of the festival of Teej which is celebrated throughout Punjab which is dedicated to the onset of the monsoon and focuses on daughters and sisters.
Celebration
The festival is celebrated during the m ...
, all of which are celebrated in addition to the religious festivals of India.
A
kissa is a Punjabi language oral story-telling tradition that has a mixture of origins ranging from the
Arabian peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
to
Iran and
Afghanistan.
Punjabi wedding traditions
Punjabi wedding traditions are a strong reflection of Punjabi culture with ritual, song, dance, food, and dress that have evolved over centuries.
Pre-wedding traditions Rokka (pre-engagement)
Roka is one of the most significant ceremonies that ...
and ceremonies are a strong reflection of Punjabi culture. Marriage ceremonies are known for their rich rituals, songs, dances, food and dresses, which have evolved over many centuries.
Bhangra
Bhangra ( pa, ਭੰਗੜਾ
( Gurmukhi); pronounced ) and
Giddha
Giddha ( pa, گدها, ਗਿੱਧਾ, ) is a popular folk dance of women in the Punjab region. The dance is often considered derived from the ancient dance known as the ring dance and is just as energetic as bhangra; at the same time it mana ...
are forms of dance and music that originated in the
Punjab region.
''Bhangra'' dance began as a folk dance conducted by
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
farmers to celebrate the coming of the harvest season. The specific moves of ''Bhangra'' reflect the manner in which villagers farmed their land. This hybrid dance became ''Bhangra''. The
folk dance has been popularised in the western world by
Punjabis
The Punjabis ( Punjabi: ; ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ; romanised as Panjābīs), are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. The ...
in England, Canada and the USA where competitions are held. It is seen in the West as an expression of
South Asian
South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, ...
culture as a whole.
Today, ''Bhangra'' dance survives in different forms and styles all over the globe – including pop music, film
soundtracks, collegiate competitions and cultural shows.
Punjabi folklore
The folk heritage of the Punjab reflects its thousands of years of history. While
Majhi is considered to be the standard dialect of
Punjabi language, there are a number of
Punjabi dialects
The Punjabi dialects and languages or Punjabic are a series of dialects and languages spoken in the Punjab region of Pakistan and India with varying degrees of official recognition. They have sometimes been referred to as ''Greater Punjabi''.
...
through which the people communicate. These include
Malwai,
Doabi and
Puadhi. The songs, ballads, epics and romances are generally written and sung in these dialects.
There are a number of folk tales that are popular in Punjab. These are the folk tales of
Mirza Sahiban,
Heer Ranjha,
Sohni Mahiwal,
Sassi Punnun
Sassi Punnuh or Sassui Punhun ( sd, سَسُئيِ پُنهوُن) is a love story from Punjabi, Sindhi, and Balochi folklore. The story is about a faithful lover who will endure any difficulty while seeking her beloved husband who was separated ...
,
Jagga Jatt
Jagat Singh Virk( 1901/02–1931/32), better known as Jagga Jatt or Jagga Daku, was a 20th-century heroic rebel of Punjab. He is known as the Robin Hood of Punjab for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", as is typically believed about R ...
,
Dulla Bhatti,
Puran Bhagat
Puran Bhagat (later became Sri Chauranginatha) was a Punjabi Nath Saint and prince of Sialkot. As per unauthenticated history, he had been exiled and lived the last days of his life in a village located in the suburbs of Sialkot city. His temple ...
, Jeona Maud etc.
The mystic folk songs and religious songs include the ''Shalooks'' of
Sikh gurus,
Baba Farid and others.
The most famous of the romantic love songs are ''Mayhiah'', ''Dhola'' and ''Boliyan''. Punjabi romantic dances include
Dhamaal
''Dhamaal'' () is a List of Bollywood films of 2007, 2007 Cinema of India, Indian Bollywood, Hindi-Hindi, language comedy film directed by Indra Kumar and produced by Ashok Thakeria. The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Ritesh Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi, ...
,
Bhangra,
Giddha
Giddha ( pa, گدها, ਗਿੱਧਾ, ) is a popular folk dance of women in the Punjab region. The dance is often considered derived from the ancient dance known as the ring dance and is just as energetic as bhangra; at the same time it mana ...
,
Dhola, and
Sammi and some other local folk dances.
Literature
Most early Punjabi literary works are in verse form, with prose not becoming more common until later periods. Throughout its history,
Punjabi literature has sought to inform and inspire, educate and entertain. The Punjabi language is written in several different scripts, of which the
Shahmukhi, the
Gurmukhī
Gurmukhī ( pa, ਗੁਰਮੁਖੀ, , Shahmukhi: ) is an abugida developed from the Laṇḍā scripts, standardized and used by the second Sikh guru, Guru Angad (1504–1552). It is used by Punjabi Sikhs to write the language, commonly r ...
scripts are the most commonly used.
Music
Punjabi Folk Music
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
is the traditional music on the traditional musical instruments of Punjab region.
Bhangra music of Punjab is famous throughout the world.
Punjabi music has a diverse style of
music, ranging from folk and Sufi to classical, notably the
Punjab gharana and
Patiala gharana.
Film industry
Punjab is home to the
Punjabi film industry
Punjabi cinema, sometimes metonymously referred to as Pollywood or Punjwood is the Punjabi-language film industry centered around the Indian state of Punjab, and based in Amritsar and Mohali.
The cinema of Punjab has its beginnings with ...
, often colloquially referred to as 'Pollywood'. It is known for being the fastest growing film industry in India. It is based mainly around
Mohali
Mohali, officially known as Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, is a planned city in the Mohali district in Punjab (India), Punjab, India, which is an administrative and a commercial hub lying south-west of Chandigarh. It is the headquarters of the Moh ...
city. According to MP
Manish Tewari, the government is planning to build a film city in Mohali.
The first Punjabi film was made in 1936. Since the 2000s Punjabi cinema has seen a revival with more releases every year with bigger budgets, homegrown stars, and Bollywood actors of Punjabi descent taking part.
Crafts
The city of
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
is home to the craft of brass and copper
metalwork done by the
Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, which is enlisted on the
UNESCO's
List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Years of neglect had caused this craft to die out, and the listing prompted the
Government of Punjab to undertake a craft revival effort under Project Virasat.
![Veg Punjabi Thaali](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Veg_Punjabi_Thaali.jpg)
Cuisine
One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes. Home cooked and restaurant cuisine sometimes vary in taste. Restaurant style uses large amounts of
ghee
Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from India. It is commonly used in India for cooking, as a traditional medicine, and for religious rituals.
Description
Ghee is typically prepared by simmering butter, which is churned from c ...
. Some food items are eaten on a daily basis while some delicacies are cooked only on special occasions.
There are many regional dishes that are famous in some regions only. Many dishes are exclusive to Punjab, including
Sarson Da Saag,
Tandoori chicken,
Shami kebab
Shami kabab or shaami kabab is a local variety of kebab, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It a popular dish in modern-day Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cuisines. It is composed of a small patty of minced meat, generally beef, but ...
,
makki di roti
Makki ki roti is a flat Leavening agent, unleavened bread made from cornmeal, corn meal (maize flour), primarily eaten in the Jammu division, Jammu region, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand in North Indi ...
, etc.
Festivals and traditions
Punjabis celebrate a number of festivals, which have taken a semi-secular meaning and are regarded as cultural festivals by people of all religions. Some of the festivals are
Bandi Chhor Divas (Diwali),
Mela Maghi
Maghi da Mela ( Punjabi: ਮਾਘੀ ਦਾ ਮੇਲਾ ), held at the holy city of Sri Muktsar Sahib each year in January or the month of ''Magh'' according to Nanakshahi calendar and it is one of the most important melas or fairs of India a ...
,
Hola Mohalla
Hola Mohalla (Gurmukhi: ਹੋਲਾ-ਮਹੱਲਾ ''hōlā muhalā''), also called Hola, is a three-day long Sikh festival which normally falls in March. It takes place on the second day of the lunar month of Chett, a day after the Hindu sp ...
,
Rakhri
Punjabi festivals are various festive celebrations observed by Punjabis in Pakistan, India and the diaspora Punjabi community found worldwide. The Punjabis are a diverse group of people from different religious background that affects the festiva ...
,
Vaisakhi,
Lohri,
Gurpurb
Gurpurab ( Punjabi: ਗੁਰਪੁਰਬ ) in Sikh tradition is a celebration of an anniversary of a Guru's birth marked by the holding of a festival.
There are indications in the old chronicles that the gurus who succeeded Guru Nanak cele ...
,
Guru Ravidass Jayanti
Guru Ravidass Jayanti" is the birthday of Guru Ravidas, celebrated on Magh Purnima, the full moon day in the month of Magh month. It is the annual focal point for the Hindu religion. People across countries celebrate this special o ...
,
Teeyan
Teeyan ( pa, ਤੀਆਂ) is the regional name of the festival of Teej which is celebrated throughout Punjab which is dedicated to the onset of the monsoon and focuses on daughters and sisters.
Celebration
The festival is celebrated during the m ...
and
Basant Kite Festival
Basant is a spring time kite flying event during the Basant Panchami festival in the Punjab. It falls on Basant, also called Basant Panchami. According to the Punjabi calendar it is held on the fifth day of lunar month of Magha (in late Januar ...
.
Sports
Kabbadi (Circle Style), a team contact sport originated in rural Punjab is recognised as the state game.
Field hockey is also a popular sport in the state.
Kila Raipur Sports Festival
Qila Raipur Sports Festival, popularly known as the Rural Olympics, is held annually in Qila Raipur (near Ludhiana), in Punjab, India. Competitions are held for major Punjabi rural sports, include cart-race, athletic events and rope pulling.
I ...
, popularly known as the Rural Olympics, is held annually in
Kila Raipur (near
Ludhiana). Competition is held for major Punjabi rural sports, include cart-race, rope pulling.
Punjab government organises World Kabaddi League,
Punjab Games and annual Kabaddi World Cup (Circle style), Kabaddi World Cup for Circle Style Kabbadi in which teams from countries like Argentina, Canada, Denmark, England, India, Iran, Kenya, Pakistan, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Spain and United States participated. A major C.B.S.E event C.B.S.E Cluster Athlectics also held in Punjab at Sant Baba Bhag Singh University.
The Punjab state basketball team won the National Basketball Championship on many occasions, most recently in 2019 and 2020.
Tourism
![MotiBaghPalace](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/MotiBaghPalace.jpg)
Tourism in Indian Punjab centres around the historic palaces, battle sites, and the great Sikh architecture of the state and the surrounding region. Examples include various sites of the
Indus Valley civilization
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...
, the ancient Qila Mubarak, fort of Bathinda, the architectural monuments of Kapurthala,
Patiala, and
Chandigarh, the modern capital designed by Le Corbusier.
The Harmandir Sahib, Golden Temple in
Amritsar
Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...
is one of the major tourist destinations of Punjab and indeed India, attracting more visitors than the Taj Mahal. Lonely Planet Bluelist 2008 has voted the Harmandir Sahib as one of the world's best spiritual sites. Moreover, there is a rapidly expanding array of international hotels in the holy city at Heritage Walk Amritsar that can be booked for overnight stays. Devi Talab Mandir is a Hindu temple located in
Jalandhar. This temple is devoted to Goddess Durga and is believed to be at least 200 years old. Another main tourist destination is religious and historic city of Sri
Anandpur Sahib where large number of tourists come to see the Virasat-e-Khalsa (Khalsa Heritage Memorial Complex) and also take part in
Hola Mohalla
Hola Mohalla (Gurmukhi: ਹੋਲਾ-ਮਹੱਲਾ ''hōlā muhalā''), also called Hola, is a three-day long Sikh festival which normally falls in March. It takes place on the second day of the lunar month of Chett, a day after the Hindu sp ...
festival.
Kila Raipur Sports Festival
Qila Raipur Sports Festival, popularly known as the Rural Olympics, is held annually in Qila Raipur (near Ludhiana), in Punjab, India. Competitions are held for major Punjabi rural sports, include cart-race, athletic events and rope pulling.
I ...
is also popular tourist attraction in
Kila Raipur near
Ludhiana. Shahpur kandi fort, Ranjit Sagar Dam, Ranjit Sagar lake and Sikh Temple in Sri Muktsar Sahib are also popular attractions in Punjab. Punjab also has the world's first museum based on the Indian Partition of 1947, in Amritsar, called the Partition Museum.
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
* Radhika Chopra. ''Militant and Migrant: The Politics and Social History of Punjab'' (2011)
* Harnik Deol. ''Religion and Nationalism in India: The Case of the Punjab'' (Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia) (2000)
* Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, ''Encyclopedia of Jalandhar'', Sikh University Press, Brussels, Belgium (2005)
* Harjinder Singh Dilgeer, ''SIKH HISTORY in 10 volumes'', Sikh University Press, Brussels, Belgium (2010–11)
* J. S. Grewal. ''The Sikhs of the Punjab'' (The New Cambridge History of India) (1998)
* J. S. Grewal. ''Social and Cultural History of the Punjab: Prehistoric, Ancient and Early Medieval'' (2004)
* Nazer Singh. ''Delhi and Punjab: Essays in history and historiography'' (1995)
* Tai Yong Tan. ''The Garrison State: Military, Government and Society in Colonial Punjab, 1849–1947'' (Sage Series in Modern Indian History) (2005)
* J. C. Aggarwal and S. P. Agrawal, eds. ''Modern History of Punjab: Relevant Select Documents'' (1992)
* R. M. Chopra, ''The Legacy of The Punjab'', 1997, Punjabee Bradree, Calcutta.
*
External links
Government
*
Official Tourism Site of Punjab, India
General information
*
*
{{Authority control
Punjab, India,
North India, *
States and union territories of India
States and territories established in 1956
1956 establishments in India
Punjabi-speaking countries and territories