History of Punjab

Punjab Punjabi: ਪੰਜਾਬ (Gurmukhi)) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the west, it is also bounded to the north by Jammu and Kashmir. The state capital is Chandigarh. Major cities of Punjab includes Mohali, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Patiala and Jalandhar. After the partition of India in 1947, the Punjab province of British India was divided between India and Pakistan. The Indian Punjab was divided in 1966 with the formation of the new states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh as well as the current state of Punjab. Punjab is the only state in India with a majority Sikh population.^[3]

Agriculture is the largest industry in Punjab; it is the largest single provider of wheat to India. Other major industries include the manufacturing of scientific instruments, water meter, 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 also has the largest number of Steel Rolling Mill Plants in India which are located in Steel Town Mandi Gobindgarh, District Fatehgarh Sahib.

Contents ·                    1 Etymology ·                    2 Geography o                               2.1 Climate ·                    3 Wildlife ·                    4 History o                               4.1 Ancient History ·                    5 Sikhs in Punjab o                               5.1 Banda Singh Bahadur o                               5.2 Sikh Misls o                               5.3 The Sikh Empire ·                    6 The British in Punjab ·                    7 Independence and its aftermath o                               7.1 Formation of current Punjab ·                    8 Demographics ·                    9 Religion ·                    10 Language ·                    11 Education ·                    12 Economy ·                    13 Government and politics ·                    14 Regions and Districts o                               14.1 Administrative divisions ·                    15 Tourism ·                    16 Transportation ·                    17 Digital Library of Panjab ·                    18 Culture o                               18.1 Bhangra o                               18.2 Punjabi Folklore ·                    19 See also ·                    20 References ·                    21 Further reading o                               21.1 Primary sources ·                    22 External links

[edit] Etymology

The word Punjab is a combination of the Persian words پنج panj (five) and آب āb (water), and thus the (land of) five rivers.^[4] The five rivers are the Beas, Sutlej, Ravi River, Chenab River and Jhelum River. Traditionally, in English, there used to be a definite article before the name i.e. the Punjab.^[5] The name is also sometimes spelled as Panjab or Punjaab.

[edit] Geography

Punjab is located in northwestern India, and has an area of 50,362 km². It extends from the latitudes 29.30° North to 32.32° North and longitudes 73.55° East to 76.50° East. It is bounded on the west by Pakistan, on the north by Jammu and Kashmir, on the northeast by Himachal Pradesh and on the south by Haryana and Rajasthan.

Most of the Punjab lies in a fertile plain, alluvial plain with many rivers and an extensive irrigation canal system.^[6] A belt of undulating hills extends along the northeastern part of the state at the foot of the Himalayas. Its average elevation is 300 meters above sea level, with a range from 180 meters in the southwest to more than 500 meters around the northeast border. The southwest of the state is semi-arid, eventually merging into the Thar Desert. The Siwalik Hills extends along the northeastern part of the state at the foot of the Himalayas.

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 II, III, and IV. Zone II is considered a low damage risk zone; zone III is considered a moderate damage risk zones; and zone IV is considered a high damage risk zone.^[7]

[edit] Climate

Agricultural fields of Punjab in Monsoon

Punjab's climate is characterized by extreme hot and extreme cold conditions. Annual temperatures in Punjab range from –2 to 40 °C (min/max), but can reach 47 °C (117 °F) in summer and –4 °C in winter. The northeast area lying near the foothills of the Himalayas receives heavy rainfall, whereas the area lying further south and west receives less rainfall and experiences higher temperatures. Average annual rainfall ranges between 960 mm in the sub-mountain region and 460 mm in the plains.

Punjab has three seasons:^[6]

·                    Summer (April to June), when temperature typically rise as high as 110°F.

·                    Monsoon season (July to September), when a majority of rainfall occurs.

·                    Winter (December to February), when temperatures typically fall as low as 40°F.

There is a transitional period between winter and summer in March and early April, as well as a transitional season between monsoon season and winter in October and November.