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Since 1947 Punjab has been separated into an Indian state and a Pakistani
province bearing the same name. The Indus River bounds the region in part of the
west and the Yamuna River in part of the east. The five rivers that give Punjab
its name, the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi, the Sutlej, and the Beas merge to
form the Panjnad, which flows into the Indus. Except in the north, where there
are forested mountains yielding salt and coal, the Punjab is a level alluvial
plain. Rainfall is scant and irregular, but extensive irrigation systems using
the waters of the great rivers have made possible enormous agricultural
productivity. Wheat (by far the leading crop), millet, barley, cotton, and
sugarcane are grown, and there are extensive fruit orchards. The Punjab has a
large textile industry and much flour milling. Communications (by road, by rail,
and on the rivers) are excellent.
More than 60% of the population of Punjab is Sikh. The region, situated athwart
the main approaches to the Indian subcontinent, formed one of the centers of the
prehistoric Indus valley civilization , and after c.1500 BC it was the site of
the earliest Aryan settlements. The Punjab was occupied by Alexander the Great
and then by the Maurya empire.
Muslims occupied W Punjab by the 8th century and firmly implanted Islam. Not
until the late 12th century did they conquer E Punjab, which even afterward
remained predominantly Hindu. Under the Mughal empire the Punjab reached its
cultural height. When the empire declined in the late 18th cent., the Sikhs rose
to dominance. By the early 19th century their territorial aggrandizement brought
conflict with the British, who emerged victorious in the two Sikh Wars (1846,
1849) and in 1849 annexed most of the Punjab and made it a province, though some
of the princely states were retained.
With the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the Punjab was partitioned approximately
along the line between the main concentrations of the Muslim and the Hindu
populations. The western portion became the Pakistan province of West Punjab
(renamed simply Punjab in 1949) with its capital at Lahore .
The Indian section of the Punjab was divided after partition into three areas.
The numerous Punjab hill states were merged into the union territory of Himachal
Pradesh (now a state), other princely states were formed into the Patiala and
East Punjab States Union, and the remaining area became the Indian state of East
Punjab. In 1956, however, the state of East Punjab and the union territory of
Patiala and East Punjab States Union were merged to form the state of Punjab. In
a further reorganization in 1966, Punjab was divided into two states:
Hindi-speaking Haryana and Punjabi-speaking Punjab. The capital of Punjab is
Chandigarh . Other important cities in Punjab are Amritsar , Jalandhar , and
Ludhiana . A third portion of the former Punjab was added to Himachal Pradesh.
Sikh separatists have sought an independent Sikh state since 1947. The movement
grew more militant in the face of attempts by India's central government to
suppress the movement through military action, concessions to moderates, and
internal subversion. Peace has now returned and Punjab is rapidly regaining its
economic importance. Punjab is governed by a chief minister and cabinet
responsible to a bicameral legislature with one elected house and by a governor
appointed by the president of India. |
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