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'Punjab' ਪੰਜਾਬ in Gurmukhi, , meaning ''"Land of the five Rivers"'') (c.f. ''ap-''); also 'Panjab' is a region straddling the border between India and Pakistan. The "Five Rivers" are the Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab and Jhelum, all tributaries of the Indus. Punjab has a long history and rich cultural heritage. The people of the Punjab are called Punjabis and they speak a language called Punjabi. The main religions in Indian Punjab are Sikhism and Hinduism.
The area that is now known as the Greater Punjab comprised vast territories of northern India and eastern Pakistan. It was bounded by the Indus in the west and the Yamuna river in the east. It was a centre of the prehistoric Indus Valley civilization and after c. 1500 BCE the site of early Aryan settlements . In ancient times, the area was inhabited by Vahikas or Arattas. Tribes included the Gandharas, Prasthalas, Khasas, Vasatis, Trigartas, Pauravas, Malavas, Yaudheyas, Saindhavas, Sauviras; the Iranian and transfrontier peoples such as the Kambojas, Pahlavas; and the Persianised Ionians (Yavanas) as well as the nomadic Scythians, also called Shakas.^[1]
The region, populated by Indo-Aryans, has been ruled by many different empires and ethnic groups, including the ancient Greeks, Persians, Arabs, Turks, Mughals, Afghans, Balochis, Sikhs and British. In 1947, it was partitioned between British India's successor states, India and Pakistan.
The Indian Punjab has been further sub-divided into the modern Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. The Pakistani part of the region covers an area of 205,344 square kilometres (79,284 square miles), whereas the Indian State of Punjab is 50,362 square kilometres (19,445 square miles). The populations of the region are similarly divided as 86,084,000 (2005) in the Present-day State of (East) Punjab(India).Punjabi is spoken by (approx) 92.2% in Indian Punjab.^[2]. Indian Punjab has as its capital the city of Chandigarh. With partition, Indian Punjab now uses the Gurmukhi script.

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

Economy

Timeline

Etymology

References

See also

Further reading

External links

Geography

Most of the Punjab is an alluvial plain, bounded by mountains to the North. Despite its dry conditions, it is a rich agricultural area due to the extensive irrigation made possible by the great river system traversing it.
Punjab region Summer temperatures can reach 47° C (117° F). Punjab region temperature range: -20° to 40° C (MIN/MAX).

History

Main articles: History of the Punjab

As a result of numerous invasions, many ethnic groups and religions make up the cultural heritage of the Punjab.
In prehistoric times, one of the earliest known cultures of South Asia, the Harappa civilization, was located in the Punjab.
The Vedic and Epic period was socially and culturally prolific in the Punjab. During this period, the Hindu scriptures, the Rig Veda and the Upanishads, were composed in the Punjab. Tradition maintains that the sage Valmiki composed the Ramayana near the present location of Amritsar. In legend, Krishna delivered the divine message of the Bhagavad Gita at Kurukshetra. Eighteen principal Puranas were written in the region. The authors of Vishnu Purana and the Shiva Purana belonged to Central Punjab.
The epic battles described in the Mahabharata were fought in the Punjab. The Gandharas, Kambojas, Trigartas, Andhra, Pauravas, Bahlikas (Bactrian settlers of Punjab), Yaudheyas and others sided with the Kauravas in the great battle fought at Kurukshetra.^[3] According to Dr Fauja 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" ^[4].
In 326 BCE, Alexander the Great attempted to invade the Punjab from the north. His armies entered the region via the Hindu Kush.
At times during the establishment and consolidation of Mughal rule, there was conflict, chaos, and political upheaval in the Punjab. The period was also notable for the emergence of Guru Nanak (1469-1538), the founder of a powerful popular movement which has left a lasting impression on the history and culture of Punjab. Born in the district of Sheikhupura, he rejected the division of mankind into rigid compartments of orthodox religions and castes and preached the oneness of humanity, and oneness of God, thus aiming at creating a new order which embraced the all pervasive spirit in man. This new philosophy would serve as the foundation for the Sikh faith.
In 1713, Banda Singh Bahadur wanted to establish a Sikh state in the Punjab. For this he fought relentlessly with the Mughals.
In 1756, the Marathas under Raghunath Rao defeated the Afghan Ahmed Shah Abdali on his first attempt at conquering India. The Marathas chased the retreating Afghans back to Attock. The Sikhs and Khatris (the dominant groups of Punjab) were co-operative to the Marathas for having successfully removed the Muslims from their land and signed formal treaties of friendship. At the formation of the Dal Khalsa in 1748 at Amritsar, the Punjab was divided into 36 areas and 12 separate Sikh principalities. From this point onwards the beginnings of a Punjabi Sikh Empire emerged.

Out of the 36 areas, 22 were united by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The other 14 accepted British sovereignty. Ten years after Maharaja Ranjit Singh's death, the empire broke up and the British seized the Punjab.

The British raj had political, cultural, philosophical and literary consequences in the Punjab, including the establishment of a new system of education. During the independence movement, many Punjabis played a significant role, including Lajpat Rai, Ajit Singh Sindhu, Bhagat Singh, Udham Singh, Bhai Parmanand.
At the time of partition in 1947, the province was split in to East and West Punjab. East Punjab became part of India, while West Punjab became part of Pakistan. The Punjab bore the brunt of the civil unrest following the end of the British raj, with casualties estimated in the hundreds of thousands or even higher.

Demographics

Ethnic ancestries of modern Punjabis include Indo-Aryan, and some Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian settlers of the region, including Indo-Greek . Punjabi people are generally believed to be the descendants of these people . With the advent of Islam, settlers from Persia, Afghanistan and Central Asia have also integrated into Punjabi society. Sikhism is the main religion of the Indian Punjab - it arose in the Punjab itself. About 52% of the population are Sikh, 45% are Hindu, and the rest are Jains, Christians, Muslims or Buddists. However, due to large scale migration from UP, Bihar, Bengal and Orissa demographics of punjab have become more skewed than reported earlier. Indian Punjab contains the holy Sikh city of Amritsar. The states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, formerly constituents of the British province of Punjab, are mostly Hindu-majority. Most Indian Punjabis largely have Jat ancestry, which is comprised mainly of Sikhs. Indian Punjabis speak Punjabi language written in Gurmukhi script. India has 39 million Punjabis.

Economy

The historical region of Punjab is considered to be one of the most fertile regions on Earth. Indian Punjab produces a relatively high proportion of India's food output. The region is important for wheat growing. In addition, rice, cotton, sugar cane, fruit and vegetables are also major crops. Indian Punjab is considered to have the best infrastructure in India. ^[5] The Indian Punjab has been estimated to be the second richest state in India (the richest being Chandigarh (Punjab's Capital city); Haryana is the fourth.^[6] In 2001, it was recorded that farmers made up 39% of Indian Punjab's workforce.^[7]

Timeline

★ 3300 - 1500 BCE: Harappan civilization

★ 1500 - 1000 BCE: Early (Rigvedic) Vedic civilization

★ 1000 - 500 BCE: Middle and late Vedic Period

★ 599 BCE: Birth of Mahavira

★ 567 - 487 BCE: Time of Gautama Buddha

★ 550 BCE - 600 CE: Buddhism remained prevalent

★ 550 - 515 BCE: Achaemenid Invasion to west of Indus River

★ 326 BCE: Alexander's Invasion

★ 322 - 298 BCE: Chandragupta I, Maurya period

★ 273 - 232 BCE: Reign of Ashoka

★ 125 - 160 BCE: Rise of the Sakas

★ 2 BCE: Beginning of Rule of the Sakas.

★ 45 - 180 : Rule of the Kushanas

★ 320 - 550 : Gupta Empire

★ 500 : Hunnic Invasion

★ 510 - 650 : Vardhana's Era

★ 647 - 1192 : Rajput period

★ 713 - 1300 : Muslim invaders (Turks and Arabs)

★ 8th Century : Arabs capture Sind and Multan

★ 1450 - 1700 : Mughal rule

★ 1469 - 1539 : Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1st Sikh Guru)

★ 1539 - 1552 : Guru Angad Dev Ji (2nd Sikh Guru)

★ 1552 - 1574 : Guru Amardas Ji (3rd Sikh Guru)

★ 1574 - 1581 : Guru Ramdas Ji (4th Sikh Guru)

★ 1581 - 1606 : Guru Arjan Dev Ji (5th Sikh Guru)

★ 1606 - 1644 : Guru Hargobind Ji (6th Sikh Guru)

★ 1644 - 1661 : Guru Har Rai Ji (7th Sikh Guru)

★ 1661 - 1664 : Guru Harkrishan Ji (8th Sikh Guru)

★ 1664 - 1675 : Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (9th Sikh Guru)

★ 1675 - 1708 : Guru Gobind Singh Ji (10th Sikh Guru)

★ 1699 : Birth of the Khalsa

★ 1708 - 1713 : Conquests of Banda Singh Bahadur

★ 1714 - 1759 : Sikh warriors (Sardars) struggle and perform warfare against Afghans & Mughal Governors

★ 1739 : Invasion of Nadir Shah and warfare with Sikh Armies

★ 1756 - 1759 : Sikh and Maratha cooperation in the Punjab

★ 1761 : Defeat of Maratha army at Panipat

★ 1762 : 2nd Holocaust (Ghalughara) from Ahmed Shah's 2nd invasion

★ 1761 - 1849 : Punjabi Sikh Empire

★ 1761 - 1801 : Rule of the Sikh Misls (Principalities)

★ 1801 - 1839 : Rule by Maharaja Ranjit Singh

★ 1839 - 1840 : Rule by Maharaja Kharak Singh

★ 1840 - 1840 : Rule by Maharaja Naunihal Singh

★ 1840 - 1843 : Rule by Maharaja Sher Singh

★ 1843 - 1849 : Rule by Maharaja Duleep Singh

★ 1849 : Annexation of Punjab

★ March 31st 1849 - August 15th 1947: British rule

★ 1947 : Partition of India thus Punjab into 2 parts the Eastern part became the Indian Punjab and the Western part the Pakistan Punjab

★ 1966 : Punjab in India divided into 3 parts on linguistic basis (Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the present Punjab)

★ 1984 : Operation Blue Star and its aftermath

Etymology

The name Punjab means "land of five rivers", and literally translates from Persian into the words ''Panj'' (پنج), cognate with Sanskrit ''Pañca'', meaning "five", and ''Āb'' (آب), cognate with Sanskrit ''Āp'', meaning "water" respectively. The rivers, tributaries of the Indus River, are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej and Beas. The five rivers, now divided between India and Pakistan, merge to form the Panjnad, which joins the Indus.

References

1. Buddha Parkash, ''Evolution of Heroic Tradition in Ancient Panjab'', 1971, p 53.
2. [1]
3. Buddha Parkash, ''Evolution of Heroic Tradition in Ancient Panjab'', p 36.
4. See: History of Panjab, Vol I, p 4, Dr L. M. Joshi, Dr Fauja Singh.
5. http://punjabgovt.nic.in/ECONOMY/Transport.htm

6. "Punjab second richest state in country: CII", ''Times of India'', 8 April 2004.
Called "The Granary of India" or "The Bread Basket of India", Indian Punjab produces 1% of the world's rice, 2% of its wheat, and 2% of its cotton. http://punjabgovt.nic.in/punjabataglance/LeadingbyExample.htm

7. Punjabi government statistics, retrieved 14 April 2007.

See also

★ Punjabi culture

★ History of the Punjab

★ Punjabi language

★ Punjabi cuisine

★ Music of Punjab

★ Punjabi people

★ Sikhism

★ Hinduism in Punjab

Further reading

★ [Chopra 77] The Punjab as a sovereign state, Gulshan Lal Chopra, Al-Biruni , Lahore, 1977.

★ Patwant Singh. 1999. ''The Sikhs''. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-50206-0.

★ The evolution of Heroic Tradition in Ancient Panjab, 1971, Buddha Parkash.

★ Social and Political Movements in ancient Panjab, Delhi, 1962, Buddha Parkash.

★ History of Porus, Patiala, Buddha Parkash.

★ History of the Panjab, Patiala, 1976, Fauja Singh, L. M. Joshi (Ed).

External links

★ Indian Punjab Government Website: http://punjabgovt.nic.in

★ The Genetic Heritage of the Earliest Settlers Persists Both in Indian Tribal and Caste Populations