The
Punjab (pronounced or ;
Punjabi:
ਪੰਜਾਬ,
, ), also spelled Panjab (, panj-āb, "five waters"),
is a cultural
region straddling the border between
Punjab (Pakistan) and
Punjab (India). The so-called "five waters" are the
Jhelum, the
Chenab, the
Ravi, the
Sutlej, and the
Indus per ce. All are tributaries of the
Indus River, the
Jhelum being the largest. Punjab has a long history and rich cultural heritage. The people of the Punjab are called
Punjabis and their language is also called
Punjabi. The main
religions of the Punjab region are, in order of population,
Islam,
Hinduism and
Sikhism.
Punjab region of India and Pakistan
The area now known as the Greater Punjab comprises what were once vast territories of eastern
Pakistan and northern western
India. The bigger section of the Punjab is 80% within Pakistan and has the Republic of India 20%.
The region, populated by
Indo-Aryan speaking peoples, has been inhabited by different religious and ethnic groups, including
Sikhs,
Jains,
Buddhists,
Greeks,
Persians,
Arabs,
Turks,
Mughals,
Afghans,
Balochis,
Hindus and
British. In 1947, it was
partitioned between
British India's successor states with 4 out of the 5 rivers going to
Pakistan and the remaining river was allotted to India.
The Pakistani
Punjab now comprises the majority of the region together with the Hazara region of the
North-West Frontier Province,
Islamabad, and
Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Government further sub-divided Punjab into the modern Indian states of
Punjab,
Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh and
Delhi. The Pakistani part of the region West Punjab covers an area of 205,344 square kilometers (79,284 square miles), whereas the Indian State of Punjab is 50,362 square kilometers (19,445 square miles). Besides the Indian Punjab, the region also includes the areas of
Jammu region and
Himachal and
Haryana states of India that were created out of
East Punjab in 1966. The populations of the region are similarly divided as 86,084,000 (2005) in West Punjab (Pakistan) and 24,289,296 (2000) in the present-day State of (East) Punjab (India) and a further 30 million in the rest of the region.
Punjabi is spoken by (approximately) 65% of population in Pakistani Punjab (another 25% speak Punjabi variants) and 92.2% in Indian Punjab. The capital city of undivided Punjab was
Lahore, which now sits close to the partition line as the capital of West Punjab. Indian Punjab has as its capital the city of
Chandigarh. Indian Punjab uses the
Gurmukhi script, while Pakistani Punjab uses the
Shahmukhi script.
Language
The language of the region is
Punjabi. The official written script of Punjabi in the state of Punjab in India is called
Gurmukhi "(from the Mouth of the Guru)". The neighbouring
Pakistani state of
Punjab still maintains the
Shahmukhi script; which is based on the
Perso-Arabic Script. The official language of the Punjab region up till the early twentieth century was
Urdu written in the Perso-Arabic Script.
History
A section of the Lahore Fort built by the Mughal emperor Akbar.
Government College in Lahore
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 epic battles described in the
Mahabharata were fought in Modern day Harayana and historic 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. 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" .
In
326 BCE,
Alexander the Great invaded the Punjab from the north and incorporated it into his empire. His armies entered the region via the
Hindu Kush in north west Pakistan and his rule extended up to the city of
Sagala (modern day
Sialkot) in north east
Pakistan. At 305bc the area was divided among the
Maurya Empire and the
Greco-Bactrian Kingdom. In a long line of succeeding rulers of the area,
Chandragupta Maurya,
Asoka the great and stand out as the most renowned. The Maurya presence in the area was then consolidated in the
Indo-Greek Kingdom at 180 bce.
Menander I Soter "The Saviour" (known as Milinda in Indian sources) is the most renowned leader of the era. Greek ruling came to an end after several invasions by the
Yuezhi and the Scythian people, at around 12bc.
The Yuezhis formed the
Kushan Empire which lasted in the area until about 230ad, giving place to the
Indo-Sassanid kingdom, a branch of the Sassanid Persians who established their rule in the northwestern Indian subcontinent during the 3rd and 4th centuries ad, at the expense of the declining Kushans. They were in turn displaced in 410 CE by the invasions of the Indo-Hephthalites(
Huna people). They were able to re-establish some authority after the Sassanids destroyed the
Hephthalites in 565 CE, but their rule collapsed under Arab attacks in the mid 600s. In a series of events, century after century, the Sultanate and then the Moghul era came in the area.
At all times during the establishment and consolidation of
Mughal rule, there was conflict, chaos, and political upheaval in the Punjab. However, with the Mughals prosperity, growth and relative peace was established, particularly under the reign of
Jahangir. The period was also notable for the emergence of
Guru Nanak (1469-1539), 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 multi-cultural state in the Punjab. For this he fought relentlessly with the
Mughals. His state lasted just under a year before its collapse. A number of years afterward, he was captured and executed.
Abdali's Indian invasion weakened the Maratha influence, but he could not defeat the Sikhs. At the formation of the
Dal Khalsa in
1748 at
Amritsar, the Punjab had been 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 were then able to the defeat Punjab with the help of some
Dogra kings. The Sikh State of Punjab was the only state which was a not a part of British rule at that time. Hence, it was conquered last by the British.
This Sikh Empire was the last to fall against the British, and was a victim of intrigue from neighboring Kingdoms. In many ways Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh was the only territory in South Asia that could have stood up against the might of the British Empire.
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
Ajit Singh Sandhu,
Bhagat Singh,
Udham Singh,
Kartar Singh Sarabha,
Bhai Parmanand,
Muhammad Iqbal,
Chaudhary Rehmat Ali,
Ilam Din Shaheed and
Lajpat Rai.
The Punjabis also play a prominent role in the mutiny against the British of
1857. The cities like
Jhelum and
Ludhiana served as center of rebellion against the British government.
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,
Turkey,
Afghanistan and
Central Asia have also integrated into Punjabi society from whom many Pakistani Punjabis claim descent. However the majority of Punjab is still made up of the native Jats, Rajputs and Khatris and gujjars in north Punjab. The vast majority of Pakistani Punjabis inhabiting the fertile regions of four out of the five major rivers are
Muslims by faith, but also include numerous minority faiths such as
Christians,
Buddhists,
Zorastrianism,
Ahmadi Muslims and
Sikhs.
Sikhism, a reformist religion of the late 15th century, is the main religion practiced in Indian Punjab - it arose in the Punjab itself. 60% of the population of Indian Punjab is Sikh, 40% is
Hindu, and the rest are
Jains, Christians, Muslims or Buddhists. However, due to large scale migration from Uttar Pradesh, 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. Indian Punjabis speak
Punjabi language written in
Gurmukhi script.
Islam is the religion of more than 90% of the population of the Punjab in Pakistan, followed by a small Christian minority of about 3-5%. There is also a small number of Sikh, Zorastrian and Hindu minorities among others. Pakistan uses the
Shahmukhi script, that is closer to
Persian script and has considerable Persian loan words. In total, Pakistan has 76 million Punjabis, and India has 29 million Punjabis.
Economy
The historical region of Punjab is considered to be one of the most fertile regions on Earth. Both east and west Punjab produce a relatively high proportion of
India and
Pakistan's food output, respectively. The
agricultural output of the Punjab region in Pakistan contributes significantly to Pakistan's
GDP. The region is important for
wheat growing. In addition,
rice,
cotton,
sugar cane,
fruit and
vegetables are also major crops. Both Indian and Pakistani Punjab are considered to have the best infrastructure of their respective countries. The Indian Punjab has been estimated to be the second richest state in India (the richest being
Maharashtra.
Haryana is the fourth. The Pakistani Punjab produces 68% of Pakistan's food grain production. Its share of Pakistan's GDP has historically ranged from 51.8% to 54.7%.
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. In 2001, it was recorded that farmers made up 39% of Indian Punjab's workforce.
Timeline
- 1000 - 500 BCE: Middle and late Vedic Period
- 550 BCE - 600 CE: Buddhism remained prevalent
- 326 BCE: Alexander's Invasion of Punjab (part which is now in Pakistan)
- 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
- 8th Century : Arabs capture Sind and Multan (currently in Pakistani Punjab) and join area to Abbasid Caliphate based in Iraq
- 1469 - 1539 : Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1st Sikh Guru)
- 1714 - 1759 : Sikh warriors (Sardars) struggle and perform warfare against Afghans & Mughal Governors
- 1739 : Invasion of Nadir Shah and warfare with Sikh Armies
- 1760s- Durrani (Afghan empire)
- 1756 - 1759 : Sikh and Maratha cooperation in the Punjab
- 1762 : 2nd massacre (Ghalughara) from Ahmed Shah's 2nd invasion
- 1761 - 1801 : Rule of the Sikh Misls (Confederacy)
- 1849 : Complete annexation of Punjab into British India
- 1947 : Partition of British India thus Punjab into 2 parts the Eastern part (or one river) became the Indian Punjab and the Western majority part(4 rivers) the Pakistani province of Punjab
Photo gallery
See also
