Punjab (Punjabi: ਪੰਜਾਬ (Gurmukhi) Punjab.

ogg (help·info)) (pronounced /pən

ˈdʒɑːb/) is a state in northwest India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state
is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir to the
northeast, Chandigarh 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. The state capital is
Chandigarh, which is administered separately as a Union Territory because it is also the
capital of Haryana. Other major cities of Punjab includes Mohali, 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.

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.

Etymology
The word Punjab is a combination of the Indo-Iranian words panj (five) and āb (water),
and thus the (land of) five rivers.[2] The five rivers are the Beas, Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi
and Sutlej. Sometimes, in English, there can be a definite article before the name i.e. the
Punjab.[3] The name is also sometimes spelled as Panjab or Panjaab or Punjaab.

eography
Most of the Punjab is a fertile, alluvial plain with many rivers and an extensive irrigation
canal system.[4] 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. Zones II and III are referred to as Low
Damage Risk Zone while zone IV referred to as high damage risk zone.[5]

Climate and Temperature

The temperature range in Punjab is from –2 to 40 °C (min/max), but can reach 47 °C (117
°F) in summer and –5 °C in winter. Climatically, Punjab has three major seasons as
under:[4]

• Hot weather (April to June) when temperature rises as high as 110 °F.
• Rainy season (July to September). Average rainfall annual ranges between
960 mm sub-mountain region and 460 mm in the plains.
• Cold weather (October to March). Temperature goes down as low as 40 °F.

Male and female Blackbucks

The Sivalik area is the richest area of Punjab in terms of floral and faunal diversity and
has been identified as one of the micro-endemic zones of India. Amongst the
Angiosperms, about 355 species of herbs, 70 tree species, 70 species of shrubs or under
shrubs, 19 of climbers and 21 species of twiners have been recorded from the area. Apart
from angiosperms, 31 species of Pteridophytes, 27 of bryophytes and one species of
gymnosperms (Pinus roxburghii) have also been recorded. The area is also rich in faunal
diversity including 396 species of birds, 214 species of Lepidoptera, 55 species of fish, 20
species of reptiles, and 19 species of mammals.[6]

There are no natural forests in the plains; extensive tracts occur covered only with grass,
shrubs and bushes. The mango fruit is largely cultivated in the south-east of the Punjab
and attains a high degree of perfection about Multan and Hoshiarpur. Cultivated fruit
trees, such as orange, pomegranate, apple, peach, fig, mulberry, quince, apricot, almond,
and plum are abundant in the region.[7]

There are a number of wetlands, bird sanctuaries and zoological parks across Punjab.
These include the Hari-ke-pattan National Wetland and Wildlife Sanctuary at Firozpur,
the Kanjli Wetland, the Kapurtala Sutlej Water Body Wetland, the Ropar Zoological
Park, Chhatbir, Bansar Garden, Sangrur, the Aam Khas Bagh, Sirhind, the Ram Bagh
Garden, the Shalimar Garden, Kapurthala and the Baradari Garden at Patiala.[8] Alligators
are also commonly found in local rivers. The silkworm is reared with great skill and
industry, and bees produce abundant wax and honey. Camels thrive in the hot southern
plains, and herds of buffaloes on the grazing lands adjoining the rivers. Horses are reared
in the north-east part of the Punjab.[7] Among poisonous snakes there are the cobra and
the sangehur, the bite of which causes instant death. Other mammals like the smooth-
coated otter, hog deer, wild boar, flying fox, wildcat, squirrel, fruitbat, and mongoose can
be seen in the wild and in reserves.

The state bird of Punjab is the Baz (Eastern Goshawk)[9] (Melierax poliopterus)[10], the
state animal is the Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra), and the state tree is the Shisham
(Dalbergia sissoo).[4]

History
Main article: History of the Punjab

Ancient History

Indus Valley Civilization spanned around much of the Punjab region with cities such as
Harrapa (modern-day Punjab, Pakistan) and Rupar (modern-day Punjab, India). The
arrival of the Indo-Aryans led to the flourishing of the Vedic Civilization along the length
of the Indus River to cover most of Northern India. This civilization shaped subsequent
cultures in the Indian Subcontinent and Afghanistan. Punjab was part of the great ancient
empires including the Gandhara Mahajanapadas, Nandas, Mauryas, Sungas, Kushans,
Guptas, Palas, Gurjara-Pratiharas and Hindu Shahis. Agriculture flourished and trading
cities (such as Jalandhar and Ludhiana) grew in wealth.

Due to its location, the Punjab region came under constant attack and influence from the
west. Punjab faced invasions by the Persians, Greeks, Scythians, Turks, and Afghans.
This resulted in the Punjab witnessing centuries of bitter bloodshed. Its legacy is a unique
culture that combines Zorastrian, Hindu, Buddhist, Persian, Central Asian, Islamic,
Afghan, Sikh and British elements.

The city of Taxila, founded by son of Taksh the son Bharat who was the brother of Ram.
It was reputed to house the oldest university in the world, Takshashila University, one of
the teachers was the great Vedic thinker and politician Chanakya. Taxila was a great
centre of learning and intellectual discussion during the Maurya Empire. It is a UN World
Heritage site.

Greeks, Central Asians, and Persians

Unique to Punjab was that this area was repeatedly invaded by various Greek, Persian
and Central Asians; such as those of Alexander the Great, Chengiz Khan and Tamerlane.
Of particular importance were the periods of contact between Punjab and various Persian
Empires when the parts of it either became integrated with the empire itself, or was an
autonomous region which paid taxes to the Persian King. In later centuries, when Persian
was the language of the Mughal government, Persian architecture, poetry, art and music
was an integral part of the region's culture. The official language of Punjab remained
Persian until the arrival of the British in the mid 19th century, where it was finally
abolished and the administrative language was changed over to English.

Mughal Rule of Punjab

The Mughals controlled the region from 1524 until 1739 and would also lavish the
province with building projects such as the Shalimar Gardens and the Badshahi Mosque,
both situated in Lahore. Muslim soldiers, traders, architects, theologians and Sufis
flocked from the rest of the Muslim world to the Islamic Sultanate in South Asia and
some may have settled in the Punjab. Following the decline of the Mughals, the Shah of
Iran and founder of the Afsharid dynasty in Persia, Nader Shah crossed the Indus and
sacked the province in 1739. Later, the Afghan conqueror Ahmad Shah Durrani,
incidentally born in Panjab, in the city of Multan made the Punjab a part of his Durrani
Empire lasting until 1762.

The religion of Sikhism began at the time of the Conquest of Northern India by Babur.
His grandson, Akbar supported religious freedom and after visiting the langar of Guru
Amar Das had a favorable impression of Sikhism. As a result of his visit he donated land
to the langar and had a positive relationship with the Sikh Gurus until his death in 1605.
[11]
His successor, Jahangir, saw the Sikhs as a political threat. He arrested Guru Arjun
Dev because of Sikh support for Khusrau Mirza[12] and ordered him to be put to death by
torture. Guru Arjan Dev's Martyrdom led to the sixth Guru, Guru Har Gobind, declaring
Sikh sovereignty in the creation of the Akal Takht and the establishment of a fort to
defend Amritsar.[13] Jahangir attempted to assert authority over the Sikhs by jailing Guru
Har Gobind at Gwalior and released him after a number of years when he no longer felt
threatened. Sikhism did not have any further issues with the Mughal Empire until the
death of Jahangir in 1627. His successor, Shah Jahan "took offense" at Guru Har
Gobind's sovereignty and after a series of assaults on Amritsar forced the Sikhs to retreat
to the Sivalik Hills.[13] Guru Har Gobind's successor, Guru Har Rai maintained the
guruship in the Sivalik Hills by defeating local attempts to seize Sikh land and taking a
neutral role in the power struggle between Aurangzeb and Dara Shikoh for control of the
Timurid dynasty. The ninth Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, moved the Sikh community to
Anandpur and traveled extensively to visit and preach in Sikh communities in defiance
Aurangzeb, who attempted to install Ram Rai to the guruship. He aided Kashmiri
Brahmins in avoiding conversion to Islam and was arrested and confronted by
Aurangzeb. When offered a choice between conversion or death, he chose to die rather
than compromise his principles and was executed.[14] Guru Gobind Singh, assumed the
guruship in 1675 and to avoid battles with Sivalik Hill Rajas moved the gurship to
Paunta. He built a large fort to protect the city and garrisoned an army to protect it. The
growing power of the Sikh community alarmed Sivalik Hill Rajas who attempted to
attack the city but the Guru's forces routed them at the Battle of Bhangani. He moved on
to Anandpur and established the Khalsa, a collective army of baptized Sikhs, on March
30, 1699. The establishment of the Khalsa united the Sikh community against various
Mughal-backed claimants to the guruship.[15] In 1701, a combined army composed of the
Sivalik Hill Rajas and the Mughal army under Wazir Khan attacked Anandpur and,
following a retreat by the Khalsa, were defeated by the Khalsa at the Battle of Mukstar.
In 1707, Guru Gobind Singh accepted an invitation by Bahadur Shah I, Aurangzeb's
successor to meet in southern India. When he arrived in Nanded in 1708, he was
assassinated by agents of Wazir Khan, the governor of Sirhind.

Banda Singh Bahadur

Banda Singh Bahadur was an ascetic who converted to Sikhism after meeting Guru
Gobind Singh at Nanded. A short time before his death, Guru Gobind Singh ordered him
to reconquer Punjab and gave him a letter that commanded all Sikhs to join him. After
two years of gaining supporters, Banda Singh Bahadur initiated an agrarian uprising by
breaking up the large estates of Zamindar families and distributing the land to the poor
Sikh, Hindu,and Muslim peasants who farmed the land.[16] Banda Singh Bahadur started
his rebellion with the defeat of Mughal armies at Samana and Sadhaura and the rebellion
culminated in the defeat of Sirhind. During the rebellion, Banda Singh Bahadur made a
point of destroying the cities in which Mughals had been cruel to Sikhs, including
executing Wazir Khan in revenge for the deaths of Guru Gobind Singh's sons after the
Sikh victory at Sirhind.[17] He ruled the territory between the Sutlej river and the Yamuna
river established a capital in the Himalayas at Lohgarh and struck coinage in the names of
Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh.[16] In 1716, his army was defeated by the Mughals
after he attempted to defend his fort at Gurdas Nangal. He was captured along with 700
of his men and sent to Delhi where he was tortured and executed after refusing to convert
to Islam.

Sikh Misls

Main article: Sikh Confederacy

Portrait of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

The period from 1716 to 1799 was a highly turbulent time politically and militarily in the
Punjab. This was caused by the overall decline of the Mughal Empire.[18] This left a
power vacuum that was eventually filled by the Sikhs in the late 18th century, after
fighting off local Mughal remnants and allied Rajput leaders, Afghans, and occasionally
hostile Punjabi Muslims who sided with other Muslim forces. Sikh warlords eventually
formed their own independent Sikh administrative regions (misls), which were united in
large part by Ranjit Singh.

The Sikh Empire

Main article: Sikh Empire

Sikh Empire

At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the religion of Sikhism was born, and during the
Mughal period gradually emerged as a formidable military force until subjugated and
assimilated by the later rising and expanding Sikh Empire. After fighting Ahmad Shah
Durrani, the Sikhs wrested control of the Punjab from his descendants and ruled in a
confederacy, which later became the Sikh Empire of the Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit
Singh. A denizen of the city of Gujranwala, the capital of Ranjit Singh's empire was
Lahore.[19]

The Sikh Empire (1801–1849) was formed on the foundations of the Punjabi Army by
Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The empire extended from the Khyber Pass in the west, to
Kashmir in the north, to Sindh in the south, and Tibet in the east. The main geographical
footprint of the empire was the Punjab region. The religious demography of the Sikh
Empire was Muslim (80%), Sikh (10%), Hindu (10%).[20]

The foundations of the Sikh Empire could be defined as early as 1707, starting from the
death of Aurangzeb and the downfall of the Mughal Empire. The fall of the Mughal
Empire provided opportunities for the army, known as the Dal Khalsa, to lead expeditions
against the Mughals and Afghans. This led to a growth of the army, which was split into
different Punjabi armies and then semi-independent "misls". Each of these component
armies were known as a misl, each controlling different areas and cities. However, in the
period from 1762–1799, Sikh rulers of their misls appeared to be coming into their own.
The formal start of the Sikh Empire began with the disbandment of the Punjab Army by
the time of coronation of Ranjit Singh in 1801, creating a unified political state. All the
misl leaders who were affiliated with the Army were nobility with usually long and
prestigious family histories in Punjab's history.[21][22]

Dalip Singh,the last Maharaja of Punjab in 1875.

The golden throne of Maharaja Ranjit Singh

After Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, the empire was severely weakened by internal
divisions and political mismanagement. This opportunity was used by the British Empire
to launch the Anglo-Sikh Wars. A series of events of the Sikhs being betrayed by some
prominent leaders in the army led to its downfall. Maharaja Gulab Singh and Dhian
Singh, were Hindu Rajput Dogras from Jammu, and top Generals of the army.[23][24]

The Sikh Empire was finally dissolved after a series of wars with the British at the end of
the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1849 into separate princely states and the British province
of Punjab, which were granted statehood. Eventually, a Lieutenant Governorship was
formed in Lahore as a direct representative of the British Crown.

The British in Punjab

By 1845 the British had moved 32,000 troops to the Sutlej frontier, to secure their
northernmost possessions against the succession struggles in the Punjab. In late 1845,
British and Sikh troops engaged near Ferozepur, beginning the First Anglo-Sikh War.
The war ended the following year, and the territory between the Sutlej and the Beas was
ceded to Great Britain, along with Kashmir, which was sold to Gulab Singh of Jammu,
who ruled Kashmir as a British vassal.

The Maharaja's death in the summer of 1839 brought political chaos and the subsequent
battles of succession and the bloody infighting between the factions at court weakened
the state. Relationships with neighbouring British territories then broke down, starting the
First Anglo-Sikh War; this led to a British official being resident in Lahore and the
annexation of territory south of the Satluj to British India. Sikhs were the first people of
the Punjab to rule their own land since Prithviraj Chauhan's defeat.

As a condition of the peace treaty, some British troops, along with a resident political
agent and other officials, were left in the Punjab to oversee the regency of Maharaja
Dhalip Singh, a minor. The Sikh army was reduced greatly in size. In 1848, out-of-work
Sikh troops in Multan revolted, and a British official was killed. Within a few months, the
unrest had spread throughout the Punjab, and British troops once again invaded. The
British prevailed in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, and under the Treaty of Lahore in 1849,
the Punjab was annexed by the British East India Company, and Dhalip Singh was
pensioned off. The Punjab became a province of British India, although a number of
small states, most notably Patiala, retained local rulers who recognized British
sovereignty.

In every way, the Punjab was one of Great Britain's most important assets in colonial
India. Its political and geographic predominance gave Britain a base from which to
project its power over more than 500 princely states that made up India. Lahore was a
center of learning and culture under British rule, and Rawalpindi became an important
Army installation.

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 occurred in Amritsar. In 1930, the Indian
National Congress proclaimed independence from Lahore. The 1940 Lahore Resolution
of the Muslim League to work for Pakistan, made Punjab the centerstage of a different,
bloodier and dirtier struggle.

In 1946, massive communal tensions and violence erupted between the majority Muslims
of Punjab, and the Hindu and Sikh minorities. The Muslim League attacked the
government of Unionist Punjabi Muslims, Sikh Akalis and the Congress, and led to its
downfall. Unwilling to be cowed down, Sikhs and Hindus counter-attacked and the
resulting bloodshed left the province in great disorder. Both Congress and League leaders
agreed to partition Punjab upon religious lines, a precursor to the wider partition of the
country. The British Punjab province, which includes present-day Punjab province of
Pakistan, and the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal pradesh was partitioned in
1947 prior to the independence of Pakistan and subsequently, India.
 Independence and its aftermath

British Punjab Province,before 1947

In 1947 the Punjab province of British India was divided along religious lines into West
Punjab and East Punjab. The western Punjab was assimilated into new country of
Pakistan while the east Punjab stayed in India. This led to massive rioting as both sides
committed atrocities against fleeing refugees. The Partition of India in 1947 split the
former Raj province of Punjab; the mostly Muslim western part became the Pakistani
province of West Punjab and the mostly Sikh and Hindu eastern part became the Indian
province of Punjab. Many Sikhs and Hindus lived in the west, and many Muslims lived in
the east, and so partition saw many people displaced and much intercommunal violence.
Several small Punjabi princely states, including Patiala, also became part of India. The
undivided Punjab, of which Punjab (Pakistan) forms a major region today, was home to a
large minority population of Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus unto 1947 apart from the Muslim
majority.[25]

At the time of independence in 1947 and due to the ensuing horrendous exchange of
populations, the Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus migrated to India.[26] Punjabi Muslims were
uprooted similarly from their homes in East Punjab which now forms part of India.[27]
Approximately 7 million plus who moved to Pakistan, over 6 million settled in Punjab. In
1950, two new states were created; the former Raj province became the state of Punjab,
while the princely states were combined into the Patiala and East Punjab States Union
(PEPSU). Himachal Pradesh was created as a union territory from several princely states
and Kangra district. In 1956, PEPSU was merged into Punjab state, and several northern
districts of Punjab in the Himalayas were transferred to Himachal Pradesh.

Formation of current Punjab

The capital of the undivided Province of Punjab, Lahore, ended up in Pakistan after
partition, so a new capital for Indian Punjab was built at Chandigarh.

After years of struggle by the Akali leadership(Punjabi Suba Movement) and detention of
thousands of Sikhs and loss of many lives Punjab was divided on a linguistic basis. On 1
November 1966, the majority Hindi-speaking southern half of Punjab became a separate
state, Haryana. Chandigarh was on the border between the two states, and became a
separate union territory but serves as the capital of both Punjab and Haryana. Chandigarh
was due to transfer to Punjab in 1986, but this has been delayed due to Indian
government's appeasement of neighbouring hindu majority Haryana. During the 1970s,
the Green Revolution brought increased economic prosperity for the Punjab, mainly due
to the late Sikh leader, Pratap Singh Kairon. However, a growing polarisation between
the Indian National Congress led central government and the main Sikh political party,
the Shiromani Akali Dal, began to widen during the 1970s. Hostility and bitterness arose
from what was widely seen by the Sikhs as increasing alienation, centralization and
discriminatory attitudes towards Punjab by the Government of India. This prompted the
Shiromani Akali Dal to unanimously pass the Anandpur Sahib Resolution which among
other things called for granting maximum autonomy to the region of Punjab and other
states, and limited the role and powers of the Central Government.

Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Punjab (India)
Religion "PUNJAB" Religion No. of people[28] % of total
Total population 24358999[29] 100%
Sikhs 16,656,345 63.60%
Hindus 7,997,942 34.00%
Muslims 382,045 1.57 %
Christians 292,800 1.20 %
Buddhists 41,487 0.13 %
Jains 39,276 0.16 %
Others 8,594 0.04 %

The Indian state of Punjab is 66% Sikh and 31% Hindu. There is a small Muslim
population still living there, especially in Malerkotla.[28] In recent times, there is growing
concern in the state about the immigration of labourers from other Indian states
such as Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Around 15-20% of Punjab's population is
now made up of migrants from other states. The Sikhs are concerned that they
will soon become a minority in the state, and allege that the unchecked
immigration is encouraged by the government.[32] The Dal Khalsa (International) has
clamed problems like rising crime rate and unemployment on immigration. .[32]

Religion
Sikh Flag- The Nishan Sahib

Sikhism is the predominant faith in Punjab. More than 60% of the people in the state are
Sikhs, while the remaining population mostly follow a dual religious traditions, believing
in Sikhism along with their major faith. The holiest of Sikh shrines, the Sri Harmandir
Sahib Ji (or Golden Temple), is in the city of Amritsar. The Sri Akal Takht Sahib which
resides within the Golden temple complex is the 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 and Anandpur Sahib. Anandpur Sahib is where
Guru Gobind Singh Ji created the Khalsa in 1699 on the day of Vaisakhi. During major
holidays on the Sikh calendar (such as Vaisakhi, Hola Mohalla, Gurpurb and Diwali),
many Sikhs gather and march in religious processions through virtually every city, town
and village in Punjab. Sikhism is in fact so common that at least one Sikh Gurdwara can
be found in almost every village in the state beside towns and cities (in various
architectural styles and sizes). Hinduism has a large following in Punjab and is the second
most practiced faith in Punjab. A large segment of Punjabis who are now categorized as
Hindus or who identify themselves as Punjabi Hindus, continue to live out heterogeneous
religious practice that includes spiritual kinship with Sikhism. This not only includes
veneration of the Sikh Gurus in private practice, but also visit to Sikh Gurdwaras as well
as Hindu temples. This is evident from the continuing propensity to conduct important
life cycle ceremonies such as on marriage or death by any of the Hindu or Sikh rites. This
is especially true for the Khatri and Arora communities, and even more so among the
Kukhrain tribe.Punjabi Hindus go to Hindu temples for worship. In addition to that, they
also believe in Sikh Gurus and liberal Sufi saints. It is also very common for Hindus to
worship at the Gurudwara. Other religions like Islam(1.5%) and Christianity(1.2%) are
also followed by few people in the state,beside Buddhism(0.1%) and Jainism(0.2%).

Language
The Punjabi language, written in the Gurmukhi script, is the only official and most
commonly used language in the state.[33] The language is now popular across India and
the wider world due to large scale migration of Punjabis[34] and the rich Punjabi
music.Punjabi has always been an integral part of Indian Bollywood cinema. In recent
years a trend of Bollywood songs written totally in Punjabi can be observed. Punjabi is
also the most spoken language in Pakistan and is the provincial language of Punjab
(Pakistan), the second largest and the most populous province of Pakistan. It is also the
second official language in the Indian states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the
National capital of Delhi.[35]
Apart from India and Pakistan, Punjabi is the second most spoken language in England[36]
and fourth most spoken language in Canada according to official census.[37] Among the
world languages, Punjabi is the 11th most spoken language in the world.[38] The major
dialects of Punjabi spoken in Punjab are Majhi, Malwi, Pwadhi and Doabi.[38]

Other languages common in Punjab are English, Hindi, Urdu (mainly in Malerkotla) and
Bihari languages.[39]

Education
The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research
The Ranjit Singh Block at Guru Nanak Dev University
Guru Gobind Singh Bhawan at Punjabi University
Main article: Education in Punjab (India)

Punjab is served by several institutions of higher education, which provide undergraduate

and postgraduate courses in all the major arts, humanities, science, engineering, law,
medicine, veterinary science, and business courses. 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. Among the alumni of the Panjab University,
Chandigarh include Manmohan Singh, the current Prime Minister of India, and Har
Gobind Khorana, a biochemistry nobel laureate. One of the oldest institutions of higher
education is the Christian Medical College, Ludhiana which has existed since 1894.[40]

• Adesh Institute of Engineering and Technology, Faridkot

• Central University of Punjab, Bathinda
• Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar
• Punjabi University, Patiala
• Panjab University, Chandigarh
• Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh
• Chitkara Institute Of Engineering And Technology, Rajpura
• Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology, Bathinda
• Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Technology, Ferozepur
• Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana
• Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana
• Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar
• Desh Bhagat Institute of Engineering and Management, Moga
• Swami Vivekanand Institute of Engineering and Technology, SVIET, Rajpura
• Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot
• Regional Institute of Management and Technology, Fatehgarh Sahib
• Punjab Veterinary Sciences University, Bathinda[41]
• Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University[42]
• National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali
• Dr B R Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar
• Thapar University, Patiala
• Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology, Sangrur
• Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Rupnagar
• Lovely Professional University, Phagwara

Economy
Main article: Economy of Punjab (India)
PCA Stadium under lights
Quark, Mohali

According to the India State Hunger Index 2008, Punjab has the lowest level of hunger in
India. .[43]

According to India Today, Leading magazine in India, Punjab has been awarded best
overall state since, 2003 and has been able to retain the top position every year. It also
affords best quality of life to its residents.[44]
Punjab has the best infrastructure in all of India[45][46] Although it has a huge shortage of
electricity due to high demand, all major cities in Punjab benefit from this and have some
of the lowest tariffs in India. All of Punjab's villages have been provided electricity and
connected to the state electrical power grid since 1974. Punjab (Land of the five rivers) is
one of the most fertile regions on earth. The region is ideal for wheat-growing. Rice,
sugar cane, fruits and vegetables are also grown. Indian Punjab is called the "Granary of
India" or "India's bread-basket".[47] It produces 14% of India's cotton, 20% of India's
wheat, and 9% of India's rice.The Firozpur District is the largest producer 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 the world's rice.[47] The largest grown crop is wheat. Other
important crops are rice, cotton, sugarcane, pearl millet, maize, barley and fruit. In Punjab
per hectare consumption of fertilizer is 177 kg as compared to 90 kg at national level.
Also Punjab State has been awarded National Productivity Award for agriculture
extension services for consecutively ten years from 1991-92 to 1998-99 and 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 fertilizers and pesticides
over the years. Also a big worry is the rapidly falling water table on which almost 90% of
the agriculture depends, which has witnessed alarming drops in recent years. By some
estimates, groundwater is falling by a meter or more per year.[48][49]

Excluding agriculture other major industries include the manufacture of scientific

instruments, electrical goods, machine tools, textiles, tourism, sewing machines, sports
goods, starch, fertilizers, bicycles, and the processing of pine oil and sugar.

Government and politics

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 state legislature is the unicameral
Punjab Legislative Assembly, with 117 members elected from single-seat constituencies.
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.[50]
The state of Punjab is divided into four administrative divisions and twenty districts:

Districts of Punjab along with their headquarters

Divisions:

• Firozpur Division
• Faridkot Division
• Patiala Division
• Jalandhar Division

Districts: • Ludhiana
• Mansa
• Amritsar • Moga
• Barnala • Mohali
• Bathinda • Muktsar
• Firozpur • Patiala
• Fatehgarh • Rupnagar
Sahib • Sangrur
• Faridkot • Shahid Bhagat
• Gurdaspur Singh Nagar
• Hoshiarpur
• Jalandhar • Tarn Taran

• Kapurthala
Tourism
Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala

Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar is a major tourist destination in Punjab

Tourism in Indian Punjab centres around the historic palaces, battle sites, great Sikh
architecture of the state and the surrounding region. Examples include various sites of the
Indus Valley Civilization,the ancient fort of Bathinda, the architectural monuments of
Kapurthala, Patiala and Chandigarh, the modern capital designed by Le Corbusier.[51] The
Golden Temple in Amritsar is one of the major tourist destination 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.[52]Moreover, there is a
rapidly expanding array of international hotels in the holy city that can be booked for
overnight stays.

Transport
Public transport in Punjab is provided by buses, auto rickshaws and Indian railways.The
state has a large network of multimodal transportation system:

Air

Punjab has six airports . Domestic airports are at Ludhiana, Patiala, Pathankot, Mohali.
International airport, Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar is the
largest and most important airport in the state and second busiest in North India after
Delhi Airport. Prominent Airports in Punjab are:

• Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport

• Sahnewal Airport
• Pathankot Airport
• Patiala Airport
• Chandigarh Airport
• Mohali Airport (under construction)

Rail

Almost all the major as well as smaller cities of the state are linked through railways.
Amritsar is the largest railway station having trains connecting to all major cities.
Shatabdi Express connects Amritsar to Delhi. The railway junction in Bhatinda is the
largest in asia.

Road

Almost all major cities of Punjab are connected with four/six lane National Highways.
The G T Road also called as NH1 connect Delhi to Lahore passing through Jalandhar and
Amritsar. Another major National Highway connect Punjab to Jammu passing through
Hoshiarpur and Pathankot. The state has a large and diversified transportation network,
its condition and functioning better than most of the other states in India.

Digital Library of Panjab

Launched in 2003 under Nanakshahi Trust, the Panjab Digital Library was a result of the
early phase of the digital revolution in Panjab. While most saw the Nanakshahi as a small
digitization organization, or as an assemblage of some unknown youth working towards
capturing some manuscripts on their digital cameras, its founders saw it as a cornerstone
of a fundamentally new approach to preserving Panjab’s heritage for future generations.
In the shadow of search engines, a Semantic Web approach thought of in the early 2003
reached maturity in 2006. This was when the organization planned to expand its
operations from a mere three employee organization to one of the leading NGO’s
working in the field of digital preservation all over India.

Digitized collections include manuscripts held by the Punjab Languages Department,

items from the Government Museum and Art Gallery Chandigarh, Chief Khalsa Diwan,
SGPC, DSGMC and manuscripts in the Jawahr Lal Nehru Library of Kurukshetra
University. It also include hundreds of personal collections. With over 5 million pages
digitized it is the biggest repository of digital data on Panjab.

Culture
The culture of the Punjab comprises 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 film industry which dates back to before Partition, a vast
range of cuisine which has become widely popular abroad, and a number of seasonal and
harvest festivals such as Lohri,[53] Basant, Baisakhi and Teej, all of which are celebrated
in addition to the religious festivals of India.

A kisse is a Punjabi language oral story-telling tradition that has a mixture of origins
ranging from the Arabian peninsula to Iran and Afghanistan.[54]

Punjabi wedding traditions 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 (Punjabi: ????? (Gurmukhi),; pronounced [pa`ngra`]) is a form of

dance and music that originated in the Punjab region.[55] Bhangra dance
began as a folk dance conducted by Punjabi Sikh 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 Punjabi Sikhs in England UK[56] and is seen in the West as an
expression of South Asian culture as a whole.[57] 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 is the traditional urge of thousands of years of
its history. While Majhi is considered the standard dialect of Punjabi
language, there are a number of local dialects through which the people
communicate. These include Majhi, Malwi, Doabi, and Pwadhi. 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 different parts of the Punjab. These
are the folk tales of Mirza Sahiban, Heer Ranjha, Sohni Mahiwal, Dulla Bhatti, and Sassi
Punnun. The mystic folk songs includes the Shalooks of Gurbani by Guru Nanak, Baba
Farid and others. They also include Baits, Dohas, Lohris, Sehra, and Jugni.[58]

The most famous of the romantic love songs are Mayhiah, Dhola and Boliyan. Punjabi
romantic dances include Dhamaal, Bhangra, Giddha, Dhola, and Sammi.