Punjab map (topographic) with cities
Punjab Punjabi: [pə̞ɲˈdʒäːb] ⓘ romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb ), also known as the Land of the Five Rivers, is a geopolitical, cultural , and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent , comprising areas of modern-day eastern-Pakistan and northwestern -India . Punjab's major cities are Lahore , Faisalabad , Rawalpindi , Gujranwala , Multan , Ludhiana , Amritsar , Sialkot , Chandigarh , Shimla , Jalandhar , Patiala , Gurugram , and Bahawalpur .
Punjab grew out of the settlements along the five rivers, which served as an important route to the Near East as early as the ancient Indus Valley civilization , dating back to 3000 BCE , followed by migrations of the Indo-Aryan peoples . Agriculture has been the chief economic feature of the Punjab and formed the foundation of Punjabi culture . The Punjab emerged as an important agricultural region, especially following the Green Revolution during the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, and has been described as the "breadbasket of both India and Pakistan."
Punjab's history is a tapestry of conflict, marked by the rise of indigenous dynasties and empires. Following Alexander the Great 's invasion in the 4th century BCE, Chandragupta Maurya allied with Punjabi republics to establish the Maurya Empire . Successive reigns of the Indo-Greek Kingdom , Kushan Empire , and Indo-Scythians followed, but were ultimately defeated by Eastern Punjab Janapadas such as the Yaudheya , Trigarta Kingdom , Audumbaras , Arjunayanas , and Kuninda Kingdom . In the 5th and 6th centuries CE, Punjab faced devastating Hunnic invasions, yet the Vardhana dynasty emerged triumphant, ruling over Northern India . The 8th century CE witnessed the Hindu Shahis rise, known for defeating the Saffarid dynasty and the Samanid Empire . Concurrently, the Tomara dynasty and Katoch Dynasty controlled eastern Punjab, resisting Ghaznavid invasions. Islam took hold in Western Punjab under Ghaznavid rule. The Delhi Sultanate then succeeded the Ghaznavids in which the Tughlaq dynasty and Sayyid dynasty Sultans are described as Punjabi origin. The 15th century saw the emergence of the Langah Sultanate in south Punjab, acclaimed for its victory over the Lodi dynasty . After the Mughal Empire's decline in the 18th century, Punjab experienced a period of anarchy. In 1799 CE, the Sikh Empire established its rule, undertaking conquests into Kashmir and Durrani Empire held territories, shaping the diverse and complex history of Punjab.
The boundaries of the region are ill-defined and focus on historical accounts and thus the geographical definition of the term "Punjab" has changed over time. In the 16th century Mughal Empire the Punjab region was divided into three, with the Lahore Subah in the west, the Delhi Subah in the east and the Multan Subah in the south. Under the British Raj until the Partition of India in 1947, the Punjab Province encompassed the present Indian states and union territories of Punjab , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Chandigarh , and Delhi , and the Pakistani regions of Punjab , and Islamabad Capital Territory .
The predominant ethnolinguistic group of the Punjab region are the Punjabi people , who speak the Indo-Aryan Punjabi language . Punjabi Muslims are the majority in West Punjab (Pakistan), while Punjabi Sikhs are the majority in East Punjab (India). Other religious groups include Hinduism , Christianity , Jainism , Zoroastrianism , Buddhism , and Ravidassia . (Full article...
Lahore (
Punjabi :
لہور ) is the
capital city of the province of
western Punjab . It is the second largest and most populous
city in
Pakistan , after
Karachi , and the 32nd most populous urban city in the world. The city is located in the north east part of Punjab province, near the border with
India . Lahore is ranked as a
world city , and is one of Pakistan's wealthiest cities with an estimated total nominal GDP of $58.14 billion as of 2014.
Lahore is the historic cultural centre of the Punjab region , and is the largest Punjabi city in the world. The city has a long history, and was once under the rule of the Hindu Shahis , Ghaznavids , Ghurids , Lodis , Marathas and the Delhi Sultanate . Lahore reached the height of its splendour under the Mughal Empire , serving as its capital city for a number of years. The city then became capital of the Sikh Empire , before becoming the capital of the Punjab under British rule . Lahore was central to the independence movements of both India and Pakistan , with the city being site of both the declaration of Indian Independence , and the resolution calling for the establishment of Pakistan . Following the Partition of British India , Lahore became the capital of the western Punjab province.
Image 2 Jats in Delhi (1868) (from
Punjab )
Image 3 Kumhars in Lahore (c. 1859–1869) (from
Punjab )
Image 4 The snow-covered Himalayas (from
Punjab )
Image 5 Map of the Punjab Province (British India) (from
Punjab )
Image 6 Tarkhans in Lahore (c. 1862–1872) (from
Punjab )
Image 7 Rajputs in Delhi (1868) (from
Punjab )
Image 8 Left to right: Gurkha, Brahmin and Shudra (Chuhra-Chamar) in Shimla (1868) (from
Punjab )
Image 9 Brahmin in Lahore (c. 1799–1849) (from
Punjab )
Image 10 Arains in Lahore (1868) (from
Punjab )
Image 11 One of the first known kings of ancient Punjab,
King Porus , fought against Alexander the Great. His surrender is depicted in this 1865 engraving by
Alonzo Chappel . (from
Punjab )
Image 12 Rig Veda , the oldest known Hindu text, originated in the Punjab region. (from
Punjab )
Image 13 Illustration of
Ranjit Singh , founder of the
Sikh Empire (from
Punjab )
Image 14 Gujjars in Delhi (c. 1859–1869) (from
Punjab )
Image 15 Silver copper coin of
Khizr Khan , founder of the
Sayyid dynasty (from
Punjab )
Image 16 Arora in Lahore (c. 1862–1872) (from
Punjab )
Image 17 Taxila in Pakistan is a
World Heritage Site . (from
Punjab )
Image 18 Map showing the Punjabi Sikh Empire (from
Punjab )
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