General Information
Population 21.6 Million
Area 50,362 sq. km.
Capital CHANDIGARH
People per Sq. Km 433
Main Language PUNJABI
Introduction
Punjab is an Indo-Iranian word meaning "the land of five rivers". Punjab lies at the cross-roads of the great civilizations of the world. Historicaly, the area west of Punjab was under the sphere of influence of the Persians, the east was the heartland of the Indian civilization, the south under the influence of the Arabs and the north under the Turko-Mongolian influence. Many great religious movements which found world-wide appeal grew in the fertile plains of Punjab. They include Budhism, Sikhism and many schools of Sufi thought in Islam . This ethnic and religous diversity is reflected in the cultural mosaic of todays's Punjab.
The historical area of Punjab was defined to the east from the basin of the river Bias (including Dehli) to the basin of River Indus in the west. To the north it was bounded by the Himalayas of Kashmir and to the south it stretched as far as the plains of Cholistan and Rajasthan. Over different periods of history Punjab has seen its boundries expand and shrink. The high time for Punjab was during the reign of Mughal emperor Babur (and also during the time of Ranjit Singh more recently) when Punjab along with Babur's empire streteched from Dehli in the east to Kabul and Ghazni to the West. But never in the history, did the boundries of Punjab shrink so much as they did after the division of India in 1947. The tragic incident resulted in the division of Punjab into two parts as the Indian state of Punjab and the Pakistani province of Punjab. Indian Punjab was further divided twice for administrative reasons . Today's Punjab(Indian) is about one-fourth of the Punjab that existed before partition.
Punjab suffered the most destruction and damage at the time of Partition of India. Prior to partition the Punjab extended across both sides of what is now the India-Pakistan border, and its capital Lahore is now the capital of the Pakistani state of Punjab. The major city in the Punjab is Amritsar, the holy city of the Sikhs. Chandigarh, a new planned city, was concieved and built in the 1950s to serve as the capital of the new Punjab. In 1966, Punjab underwent another split. It was divided into the predominantly Sikh and Punjabi- speaking state of Punjab and the state of Haryana. At the same time some of the northern parts of the Punjab were hived off to Himachal Pradesh. Chandigarh on the border of Punjab and Haryana, remains the capital of the two states, yet is administered as a Union Territory from Delhi.
The Punjab's per capita income is nearly double the all-India average (in second place is Haryana). Although Punjabi's comprise less than 2.5% of India's population, they provide 22% of India's Wheat and 10% of its rice. The Punjab provides a third of all the milk production in India. Punjab also has a number of thriving industries including Hero Bicycles at Ludhiana.
From the travellers point of view, the area has just one attraction -the beautiful Golden Temple in Amritsar. Apart from this the states are mainly places of transit for travellers on their way to the Himachal hill stations, Pakistan, and Kashmir.
Cities
Chandigarh
Punjab shares its' capital with Haryana. Chandigarh is the only Indian city to have been designed and planned by a single architect - Le Corbusier. The city, surrounded by the Shiwalik Hills that hem the great Himalayas, is a model of wide roads and spacious residential colonies. Visit Sukhna Lake, Pinjore Gardens, the Rose Garden and the Rock Garden, where the city's discarded junk has been recycled into bizarre human and animal sculptures. Chandigarh is a good base to travel northwards to the hill resorts of Shimla Kulu, Manali, Dharmashala and Dalhousie.
Amritsar
Home of the Sikhs holiest shrine, the beautiful Golden Temple (so called because the dome is covered with gold leaf), Amritsar is the holy city of the Sikhs. The temple houses the Guru Granth Sahib, the Holy Book of the Sikhs. The Community Kitchen feeds 10,000 pilgrims daily, on a voluntary and complementary basis. The historic Jallianwal
a Bagh is where the British General Dyer's bullets killed scores of innocent Indians.
Ludhiana
Ludhiana is another prominent industrial city of Punjab known for its hosiery and woollen garments sold in prestigious stores all over the world.
Jalandhar
The modern industrial city of Jalandhar is famous for its sportsmen as well as its' sports goods industry. The monuments of interest here include the 800-year old Imam Nasir's Mausoleum, 200-year old Devi Talab (a tank) and 400-year old Juma Masjid. Another tourist attraction is the Shiva Mandir dating back to the Lodhi era.
Patiala
The capital of the erstwhile princely state of Patiala, the city is said to have been founded in 1756 by Baba Ala Singh. It has magnificent forts, palaces and gardens. The Quilla Mubarak, the nucleus of Patiala, houses impressive armoury and chandeliers. The Moti Bagh Palace, built in 19th century, is patterned after the famous Shalipaar Gardens of Lahore. It now houses the National Institute of Sports and the Art Gallery. Near Patiala is the Beer Moti Bagh sanctuary where neelgai, black buck and wild boar can be spotted.
How To Get There
Air : The state has two airports namely Amritsar and Chandigarh . Almost all important airlines operate flights to both of these airports connecting them to major Indian cities.
Road: An extensive road network links the state directly to most of the significant places in northern and eastern India. National Highways 1 (Grand Trunk Road or G.T. Road), 15, 19, 20, 21, and 1A and numerous of state highways literally crisscross the state making road travel an easy affair.
Rail: The state also boasts of a good rail network. Main Railway Stations in the state are: Chandigarh , Ludhiana, Amritsar, Ferozepur and Jalandhar. Important trains service these stations regularly.
