Punjab (Punjabi: ਪੰਜਾਬ Punjab.ogg (help·info), Hindi: पंजाब) (pronounced /pənˈdʒɑːb/) is a state in northwest India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by Indian-administered Kashmir the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh 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 include Mohali, Moga,Ludhiana, Amritsar, Bathinda, Rajpura 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. 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 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 Persian words panj (five) and āb (water), 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 spelt as Panjab or PanjaabPunjaab. or
Geography
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 very 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]
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.
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 is largely cultivated in the south-east of the Punjab and attains a high degree of perfection about Multan and Hoshiarpur. Cultivated fruit trees are abundant, such as orange, pomegranate, apple, peach, fig, mulberry, quince, apricot, almond, and plum.[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 common 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 Northern Goshawk, (Accipter Gentilis), 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
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. 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.
The capital of the undivided Punjab Province, 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 linguistic basis.On 1 November 1966, the mostly 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 pending an agreement on which parts of the Hindi-speaking areas of Abohar and Fazilka, in Firozpur District, should be transferred to Haryana in exchange.
During the 1970s, the Green Revolution brought increased economic prosperity for the Punjab, mainly due to Pratap Singh Kairon, the late Sikh leader. 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. The 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 for the Punjab and other states and limiting the role and powers of the Central Government.
Some Sikhs demanded equal rights that were promised at the time of partition while some wanted an independent state called Khalistan and a number of militants began targeting officials and people opposed to their point of view whom they termed as agents of the Central Government . Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was the leader of Damdami Taksal, a 300-year old Sikh educational organisation, and in later years was called the leader of the separatist movement, even though during his life he never voiced support or opposition to the idea of Khalistan, he merely claimed that if the Harmandir Sahib was attacked, then and only then would Khalistan become a reality. The idea of Khalistan was something that was given prominence by the Govt. as it gave the impression that Sikhs were terrorists who were looking for trouble. Jarnail Singh, along with his supporters, sought shelter inside the Akal Takht in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Fearing arrest, Bhindranwale with help from Major General Shabeg Singh, unofficial hero of 1971 war who had been implicated in false cases and even refused a trial because he had upset Indira Gandhi by refusing to arrest Jai Prakash Narain,took refuge in the heavily fortified temple. The Indian army finally assaulted the Golden Temple to take out the armed militants in June, 1984, when thousands of pilgrims had thronged the Temple for celebration of Shaheedi Gurpurab. However, Operation Bluestar was poorly planned and coordinated, leading to heavy military and civilian casualties. The loss of thousands of innocent lives was claimed as poor coordination by the Indira Gandhi Govt., but Sikhs the world over knew it was a deliberate attempt to "break the back of Sikhs" as thousands of bodies were dumped into municipal lorries and illegally cremated, before the foreign media was allowed to enter Amritsar. After Operation Blue Star, nearly all of the Akali leadership was thrown into jail and so were thousands of pilgrims. In the months to follow, Operation Woodrose, was launched by the army to capture the militants who had fled to the villages near Pakistan border and camped there.
As a result, the situation in Punjab deteriorated into anarchy with a rise in militancy. By the early 1990s, after many years of violence across Punjab, the militants' struggle for Khalistan had lost much of the sympathy gained after the assault on the Golden Temple and what little armed resistance remained was eliminated and forced underground. In the following years there was concern over alleged human rights abuses conducted by the central and state government against Sikhs, and many human rights organisations were not allowed in the Punjab at the time.[9]
Punjab's economy was acutely affected in the 1980s and early 1990s. However in recent times, there have been serious attempts by the Central Government to diminish resentment and strong feelings of Punjabis over the issue. Punjab's economy is now on the path to recovery. However, corruption and violence continues to hamper the state. In recent times, there is growing concern in the state about the immigration of labourers from other Indian states such as Orissa, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Around 10% of Punjab's population is now made up of migrants from these 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.[10] The pro-Khalistan organization Dal Khalsa (International) has blamed the problems like rising crime rate and unemployment on immigration. On the other hand the leaders like Tarsem Jodha have stated that immigration is vital to Punjab's economy since the landlords of Punjab have always relied on immigrants for labour.[10
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Punjab (India)
| [show]Population Growth |
|---|
| Religion | No. of people[13] | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Total population | 24358999[14] | 100% |
| Sikhs | 14656345 | 59.60% |
| Hindus | 8997942 | 37.00% |
| Muslims | 382045 | 1.57 % |
| Christians | 292800 | 1.20 % |
| Buddhists | 41487 | 0.13 % |
| Jains | 39276 | 0.16 % |
| Others | 8594 | 0.04 % |
The Indian state of Punjab is 59% Sikh and 37% Hindu. There is a small Muslim population still living there, especially in Malerkotla.[13]
The holiest of Sikh shrines, the Shri Harmandir Sahib Ji (or Golden Temple), is in the city of Amritsar. The Sri Akal Takht Sahib Ji which resides within the Golden temple complex is the temporal seat of Sikhs. Of the five Takhts (Temporal Seats) of Sikhism, three are in Punjab. Anandpur Sahib is where Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji created the Khalsa on Vaisakhi. During major holidays on the Sikh calendar (such as Vaisakhi, Hola Mohalla, Gurpurb or Diwali), many Sikhs gather and march through virtually every city, town and village in Punjab. Sikhism is so common in fact, that at least one Sikh Gurdwara can be found in every village, town and city (in various styles and sizes).
The Punjabi language, written in the Gurmukhi script is the official and most commonly used language in the state. The other language which is spoken in Punjab is Hindi, the widely spoken language across India.
The population is dominated by the land-owning Jatts, who constitute 30% to 35% of the total population. The merchant castes (Banias, Khatris and Aroras), who constitute 10% to 12% of the population are also very influential. Brahmins are only 5% of the population, while Dalits account for 30%. The remaining 20% to 25% is composed of numerically smaller people like the Gujjars, Kambohs, Ramgarhias, Sainis and Rais.[15]
Education
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.[16]
EconomyMain article: Economy of Punjab (India)  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.[20] Punjab has the best infrastructure in all of India[21][22] 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. The state run electricity board is in a perpetual state of crisis and lack of funds due to corruption, faulty subsidies, poor management and work ethic. 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".[23] 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.[23] 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.[24] 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 politicsMain articles: Government of Punjab (India), Politics of Punjab (India), and List of districts of Punjab (India) 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.[25] The state of Punjab is divided into four administrative divisions and twenty districts:
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Tourism
Main article: Tourism in Punjab, India
Tourism in Indian Punjab centres around the historic palaces, battle sites, shrines and temples of the state and the surrounding region. Examples include various sites of the Indus Valley Civilization, the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the ancient fort of Bathinda, the architectural monuments of Kapurthala, and Chandigarh, the modern capital designed by Le Corbusier.[26]
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
Main article: Punjabi 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,[27] 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.[28]
Punjabi wedding traditions and ceremonies are a strong reflection of Punjabi culture. Marriage ceremonies are conducted in Punjabi for Sikhs, in Sanskrit for Hindus and Jains and there is much overlap in ritual, song, dance, food and dress, which have evolved over many centuries.
