Punjab
• Population: 24,358,999
• Capital: Chandigarh
• Area: 19,445 square miles (50,362 sq km)
• Population: 24,358,999
• Capital: Chandigarh
• Area: 19,445 square miles (50,362 sq km)
Punjab is situated in the northwestern
corner of the country. It is bounded on the north by the Indian state of Jammu
and Kashmir, on the east by Himachal Pradesh and the Union territory of
Chandigarh, on the south by Haryana and Rajasthan, and on the west by Pakistan.
The city of Chandigarh is the joint administrative capital of Punjab and
Haryana.
The word Punjab is a compound of two
Persian words, panj ("five") and ab ("water"), signifying
historically the land of five waters, or rivers. Owing to territorial changes,
however, only two of the rivers referred to (the Sutlej and the Beas) lie
within the boundaries of India's Punjab.
Punjab has a single-chamber legislative
assembly with 117 seats. The state sends 19 members to the Indian national
parliament; 7 to the RajyaSabha (Upper House) and 12 to the LokSabha (Lower
House). The state is made up of 12 administrative districts.
History
Punjab has a recorded history beginning
from the annexation of Punjab and Sindh to the Persian Empire by Darius (c. 518
B.C). Many Muslim emperors ruled over Punjab before the Mughals entered the
political scene in 1526. Under the Mughals, Punjab enjoyed relative peace and
prosperity which lasted for more than 200 years. Later, British rule took over
Punjab after a period of vigorous struggle by the Sikhs against the foreign
domination. When India finally attained Independence in 1947, Punjab was split
into two parts, the larger portion becoming a part of Pakistan. The Partition
resulted in a brutal lose of lives and properties. The present provincial
boundaries were drawn in 1970.
Society and Culture
According to the census of 1991, Punjab had
a population of 20,281,986, with an average density of 403 persons per sq km.
The population of Punjab consists mainly of Punjabis, Jats and Rajputs.
Punjabi, the principal spoken language of present-day Punjab is also the
official state language, written in the Gurmukhi script. The majority 60 per
cent of the population follow Sikhism, a faith originated from the teachings of
Nanak, the first Sikh Guru. The largest minority is Hindu followed by Muslims,
Buddhists, Christian and Jains. Scheduled castes of both the Hindu and Sikh
religion constitute about one-fourth of the Punjab's population. The literacy
rate of Punjab is 59%.
The culture of Punjab is best reflected in
its folklore, ballads of love and war, fairs and festivals, dancing, music and
literature. Punjab holds numerous religious and seasonal festivals, such as
Dussehra, Diwali, and Baisakhi, as well as anniversary celebrations in honour
of Gurus and saints. The bhangra, jhumar, and sammi are the popular dance
forms. The giddha, a native Punjabi form, is a humorous song-dance performed by
women. In addition to Sikh religious music, semiclassical Mughal forms, such as
the khayal, thumri, ghazal, and qawwali, continue to be popular. Punjabi literature
owes its origin to the mystical and religious writings of the 13th century
Muslim sufi (mystic) ShikhFarid and of the 15th-16th century Guru Nanak,
founder of the Sikh faith, who were the first to use Punjabi extensively as
medium of their politically tinged poetic pursuits. Author BhaiVir Singh and
the poets Puran Singh and Dhani Ram Chatrik inaugurated the modern Punjabi
literature at the beginning of the 20th century.
Punjab is also famous for its handicraft
products. Young girls in villages weave durries (cotton bed or floor spreads)
in different attractive designs. Needlework of Punjab is unique. Baghs,
Phulkaris, rumals and scarves are intricately designed in rich traditional
patterns and motifs. The woodwork of Punjab is exquisitely beautiful. Artistic
beds with comfortable, skillfully made back rests fitted with mirrors and
carved colourful legs called Pawas, low seats called Peeras, Peerian were made
by the carpenters in almost every village. Furniture designed with inlay ivory
work, coloured mirror and engraved woodwork is also exported to different
countries.
Pin Code details for Major Cities in Punjab
Amritsar Pin codes
Bathinda Pin codes
Chandigarh Pin codes
Faridkot Pin codes
Fatehgarh Sahib Pin codes
Firozpur Pin codes
Gurdaspur Pin codes
Hoshiarpur Pin codes
Jalandhar Pin codes
Kapurthala Pin codes
Ludhiana Pin codes
Mansa Pin codes
Moga Pin codes
Mohali Pin codes
Muktsar Pin codes
Nawanshahr Pin codes
Patiala Pin codes
Ropar Pin codes
Sangrur Pin codes
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