Portal:Punjab

The Punjab Portal

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Introduction

P:PA

Punjab (/pʌnˈdʒɑːb, -ˈdʒæb, ˈpʊn-/; Punjabi: [pə̞ɲˈdʒäːb] ^ⓘ; also 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...)

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Badshahi Mosque

Lahore (/ləˈhɔːr/ lə-HOR; Punjabi: لہور [lɔː˩˥ɾ]; Urdu: لاہور [laːˈɦɔːɾ] ^ⓘ) is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and 26th largest in the world, with a population of over 13 million. Located in central-eastern Punjab, along the River Ravi, it is the largest Punjabi-speaking city in the world. Lahore is one of Pakistan's major industrial, educational and economic hubs. It has been the historic capital and cultural centre of the wider Punjab region, and is one of Pakistan's most socially liberal, progressive, and cosmopolitan cities.

Lahore's origin dates back to antiquity. The city has been inhabited for around two millennia, although it rose to prominence in the late 10th century with the establishment of the Walled City, its fortified interior. Lahore served as the capital of several states and empires during the medieval era, including the Hindu Shahis, Ghaznavid Empire and Delhi Sultanate. It succeeded Multan as the primary cultural centre of Punjab in the late-medieval era, reaching the height of its splendor under the Mughal Empire between the late 16th and early 18th centuries and also serving as its capital city between 1586 and 1598. During this period, it was one of the largest cities in the world. (Full article...)

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General images

Image 1Brahmin in Lahore (c. 1799–1849) (from Punjab)
Image 2The Samadhi of Ranjit Singh is located in Lahore, Pakistan, adjacent to the iconic Badshahi Mosque (from Sikh Empire)
Image 3The expanding Sikh Empire in 1809. The Cis-Sutlej states are visible south of the Sutlej River (from Sikh Empire)
Image 4One 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 5Nanakshahi coins of the Sikh Empire (from Sikh Empire)
Image 6Kumhars in Lahore (c. 1859–1869) (from Punjab)
Image 7Illustration of Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire (from Punjab)
Image 8Rajputs in Delhi (1868) (from Punjab)
Image 9Maharaja Ranjit Singh holding court outside near the Golden Temple in Amritsar with everyone dressed in Basant (yellow) (from Sikh Empire)
Image 10Sikh warrior helmet with butted mail neckguard, 1820–1840, iron overlaid with gold with mail neckguard of iron and brass (from Sikh Empire)
Image 11
The dominant mother tongue in each District of Pakistan, according to the 2017 Pakistan Census
(from Punjab)
Image 12The snow-covered Himalayas (from Punjab)
Image 13The charge of the British 16th Lancers at Aliwal on 28 January 1846, during the First Anglo-Sikh War (from Sikh Empire)
Image 14Detail from ‘Darbar (royal court) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’, gouache, ca.1850 (from Sikh Empire)
Image 15Arora in Lahore (c. 1862–1872) (from Punjab)
Image 16Contemporary painting of the Battle of Sobraon in 1846. (from Sikh Empire)
Image 17Map of the Multan Province of the Sikh Empire, Herbert B. Edwardes, 1848–49 (from Sikh Empire)
Image 18Rig Veda, the oldest known Hindu text, originated in the Punjab region. (from Punjab)
Image 19Left to right: Gurkha, Brahmin and Shudra (Chuhra-Chamar) in Shimla (1868) (from Punjab)
Image 20The Indian subcontinent in 1805. (from Sikh Empire)
Image 21
Ranjit Singh listening to Guru Granth Sahib being recited near the Akal Takht and Golden Temple, Amritsar, Punjab, India.
(from Sikh Empire)
Image 22Ranjit Singh, c. 1830. (from Sikh Empire)
Image 23Maharaja Ranjit Singh seeking the sanctuary of Guru Nanak, ca.1830 (from Sikh Empire)
Image 24Arains in Lahore (1868) (from Punjab)
Image 25Two late 19th century drawings of Sikh troops in action against British forces during the Anglo-Sikh Wars (from Sikh Empire)
Image 26Map of the Punjab Province (British India) (from Punjab)
Image 27Taxila in Pakistan is a World Heritage Site. (from Punjab)
Image 28Jats in Delhi (1868) (from Punjab)
Image 29Ranjit Singh holding court in 1838 (from Sikh Empire)
Image 30A letter sent from the King of France, Louis-Philippe to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Ranjit Singh is addressed as “Rendjit Sing Bahador – Padichah du Pendjab”. 27 October 1835 (from Sikh Empire)
Image 31Map showing the Punjabi Sikh Empire (from Punjab)
Image 32Gujjars in Delhi (c. 1859–1869) (from Punjab)
Image 33Silver copper coin of Khizr Khan, founder of the Sayyid dynasty (from Punjab)
Image 34Tarkhans in Lahore (c. 1862–1872) (from Punjab)

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Portrait by George Richmond, c. 1862

Maharani Jind Kaur (c. 1817 – 1 August 1863) was regent of the Sikh Empire from 1843 until 29 March 1847. After the Sikh Empire was dissolved on 29 March 1847 the Sikhs claimed her as the Maharani and successor of Maharaja Duleep Singh. However, on the same day the British took full control and refused to accept the claims.

She was the youngest wife of the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Ranjit Singh, and the mother of the last Maharaja, Duleep Singh. She was renowned for her beauty, energy and strength of purpose and was popularly known as Rani Jindan, but her fame is derived chiefly from the fear she engendered in the British in India, who described her as "the Messalina of the Punjab". (Full article...)

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Guru Gobind Singh Guru Nanak Ranjit Singh Porus Bulleh Shah Manmohan Singh Harjit Sajjan Abdus Salam Jagmeet Singh Banda Singh Bahadur Sophia Duleep Singh Bhagat Singh Har Gobind Khorana Abdus Salam Guru Tegh Bahadur

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Darbar (court) of Maharaja Ranjit Singh during the Panjab Empire
Credit: Edwin Binney

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WikiProject Punjab

WikiProject Punjab was formed to foster better articles on the region of Punjab with a spirit of cooperation. The project is a home base that provides a place for Wikipedians (editors) to discuss issues, while share information and resources regarding improvements to Punjabi related articles, which can be discussed at the project's talk page. To join WikiProject Punjab (anyone may join), simply list your username on the members page. Editors are also encouraged to participate in the more regional and/or topic specific WikiProject 's as listed below.

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