'Punjab' (, ) (Also spelled 'Panjab') is a
state in northwest
India. The Indian state borders the
Pakistani
province of Punjab to the west,
Jammu and Kashmir to the north,
Himachal Pradesh to the northeast,
Haryana to the south and southeast,
Chandigarh to the southeast and
Rajasthan to the southwest. The total area of the state is 50,362 square kilometres (19,445 square miles). The population is 24,289,296 (2000). Punjab's capital is Chandigarh, which is administered separately as a
Union Territory since it is also the capital of neighbouring Haryana. Other major cities of Punjab include
Ludhiana,
Amritsar,
Jalandhar and
Patiala.
The Indian Punjab historically forms a part of the larger
Punjab region, which includes the some parts of
Afghanistan,
Pakistani province of
Punjab and the
North West Frontier Province, the Indian states of
Haryana and
Himachal Pradesh, parts of
J&K and
Delhi and the Union Territory of
Chandigarh. Indian Punjab was trifurcated in the year 1966 leading to the formation of
Haryana and
Himachal Pradesh.
The word "Punjab" is a combination of the
Persian words 'panj' (پنج) ''Five'', and 'āb' (آب) ''Water'', giving the literal meaning of the ''Land of the Five Rivers''. The five rivers after which Punjab is named are the
Jhelum, the
Chenab, the
Ravi, the
Beas and the
Sutlej - all tributaries of the
Indus River.
Agriculture is the largest industry in Punjab. Others major industries include the manufacture of scientific instruments, electrical goods, financial services, machine tools, textiles, sewing machines, sports goods, starch, tourism, fertilizers, bicycles, garments, and the processing of pine oil and sugar. Punjab is considered to have the best infrastructure in
India [1], this includes road, rail, air and river transport links that are extensive throughout the region. Punjab also has the lowest poverty rate in India at 6.16% (1999-2000 figures), and has won the best state performance award
[2], based on statistical data compiled by the Indian Government.
Punjabi culture
Punjabi culture is one of self-dependence, self-reliance and hard work
[3], which have made Punjabis statistically on average the wealthiest in
India.
[4] These character traits comes from Punjab's difficult history, particularly due to the number of outside invasions (
Greeks,
Persians,
Scythians,
Kushans,
Turks,
Mughals and
Afghans)
[5]. The heroism of the ancient residents of Punjab was highlighted during
Alexander the Great's invasion, most notably that of
King Porus & his army at the
Battle of the Hydaspes River.
[6] In a letter to his mother, Alexander wrote, ''"I am involved in the land of a leonine and brave people, where every foot of the ground is like a well of steel, confronting my soldier. You have brought only one son into the world, but everyone in this land can be called an Alexander.”''
[7] Traditional historic Punjabi culture is renowned for its tolerance, progressive and logical approach to life.
[8] Punjabis customarily value and show great respect for their traditions and history.
[9] The state is the location of one of the world's first and oldest civilizations, the
Indus Valley Civilization,
India's first civilization.
[10]
Religion
Sikhism is the main religion of Indian Punjab and is practiced by about 60% of the population
[11]. Hinduism forms the prevalent minority religion, there is a small Muslim minority left (most of the Muslim population migrated to the Pakistani side after Partition). The holiest of
Sikh shrines, the
Golden Temple, is in the city of
Amritsar, which is considered to be the holiest city in
Sikhism. Amritsar is also a place of religious significance for
Jains.
The
Punjabi language, written in the
Gurmukhi script (as opposed to
Shahmukhi in Pakistan), is the prevalent language in the state.
Education
Punjab is served by 11 leading public institutes of excellence in
higher education (listed below). All the major arts, humanities, science, engineering, law, medicine, veterinary science, and business courses are offered, leading to first degrees as well as postgraduate awards. Advanced research is conducted in all major areas of excellence. Punjab Agricultural University is one of the world's leading authorities in agriculture. It was instrumental and played vital role in Punjab's
Green Revolution in the 1960s-70s.
#
Guru Nanak Dev University,
Amritsar.
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Punjabi University,
Patiala.
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Panjab University,
Chandigarh.
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Punjab Agricultural University,
Ludhiana.
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Punjab Technical University,
Jalandhar.
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Punjab Medical University,
Faridkot.
#
Punjab Veternary Sciences University,
Talwandi Sabo[12].
#
Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University[13].
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