Google Map Of Punjab

Official Website: http://punjabgovt.nic.in/ Established: 1966-11-01 Capital: 1966-11-01 Largest city: Ludhiana Districts: 22 Government Body: Governor - Nish G, Chief Minister - Parkash Singh Badal Legislature: Unicameral (117 seats) Parliamentary constituency: 13 High Court: Punjab and Haryana High Court Area Total: 50,362 km2 (19,444.9 sq mi Area rank: 19th Population 2011: 27,704,236 Population Density: 550.1/km2 (1,424.8/sq mi) Time zone: IST (UTC+05:30) UN/LOCODE: NA ISO 3166 code: IN-PB Vehicle registration: NA HDI: 0.679 (medium) HDI rank: 9th (2005) Literacy: 76.68% Official languages: Punjabi

Seal of Punjab

Introduction to Punjab:

The name Punjab in various languages denotes the Land of Five Rivers that is in Sanskrit, Urdu, and Persian. Before partition of India and Pakistan the state had five rivers and due to that reason it became the granary of British Empire in India. After partition three rivers went to Pakistan's Panjab and rest two remained in India's Punjab. It stands in the midst of the states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana  and Rajasthan in India and towards south west of India is the Pakistani province of Punjab. The capital of Punjab is Chandigarh, that is managed independently as an Union Territory because it is shared with the state of Haryana as the capital.

The soil in Punjab is very fertile so is very good for agriculture and vegetation and an excellent irrigation canal system and many rivers falling in .The state sits at the foot of the Himalayas in its north eastern region

Punjab has extreme climatic conditions that are too cold or too hot like the annual temperature in Punjab range from -2 to 40 °C , can reach 47 °C (117 °F) in summer in the months of April to June and -4 °C in winter in the months of December to February. Other than these two in the months of July to September it is monsoon and a period of heavy rainfall.

History of Punjab

The history of Punjab has seen a lot of changes and influences on the cultural and ethnic values of the people in the region. This state has been in existence since the time of Mahabhaata in the name of Panchanada. It has been under the influence of Gandhara, Mahajanapadas, Nandas, Mauryas, Sungas, Kushans, Guptas, Palas, Gurjara-Pratiharas and Hindu Shahis. Cultivation grew well due to which the trade in the areas of Jalandhar and Ludhiana expanded nicely.

As it is centrally located it was invaded by British and was their head quarter to rule India. Later in 1946 Punjab was partitioned and East Punjab was given away to Pakistan. The year 1950, saw the birth of two more states; the previous Raj province came to be known as today's state of Punjab, other ones were Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) which were formed by combining the erstwhile significant states.

Punjab is the “Granary of India” as it has the most fertile soil on earth and the irrigation system is the best in the country. Farming and cultivation is the major livelihood in the state and next to it are few more main ways of revenue from the making of scientific instruments, electrical goods, machine tools, textiles, tourism, sewing machines, sports goods, starch, fertilizers, bicycles, and the processing of pine oil and sugar.

Culture of Punjab

The culture in Punjab is very colourful and exciting. It has a long history of poetry, storytelling, dance, music and a mix of wide range of cuisine. All the aspects of the Punjabi culture are influenced by a lot of civilisations and we cannot say which one it depicts. The dance tradition includes Dhamaal, Bhangra, Giddha, Dhola, and Sammi. The dresses people wear are very flashy and colourful. Basic dress code is salwar suit for the women and the men wear dhothis and kurta. A Punjabi marriage customs and celebrations are a fine expression of Punjabi traditions. Wedding ceremonies are famous for their rich customs, food, music, dresses, and dances which have come up over for centuries. In these functions the variety of Punjabi cuisine can be seen which has the mixture of various traditions across the world that have invaded and influenced Punjab. The language spoken in Punjab is Punjabi whose script is written in Gurmukhi, it is one of the official languages in India and is also spoken in lot of places other than India like in parts of UK, Canada, and Pakistan. It is the 11th most popular language in the world.

They celebrate festivals with joy and fun like Lohri, Holi, Baisakhi, Teej etc. The main religion followed in the state is Sikhism other than Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam.