Punjab

Punjab is a historical region of South Asia whose name means “five rivers.” It is now divided between eastern Punjab in India and western Punjab in Pakistan.

Indus Valley Civilization: A Bronze Age civilization that flourished along the Indus River and neighboring regions of South Asia. Its major urban settlements extended into parts of the region that became Punjab.
Punjabi people: An ethnolinguistic group originating in Punjab and linked by Punjabi language and regional heritage. They form the region’s principal ethnolinguistic community across the modern border.
Partition of India: The 1947 division of British India into the independent states of India and Pakistan. The division split Punjab and triggered mass displacement across its new boundary.
Five Rivers of Punjab: The Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers associated with the historical Punjab region. Their name and geography explain the region’s traditional designation as the land of five rivers.
Haryana: A state in northern India formed in 1966 from the southeastern part of the former Indian Punjab. Its separation shows how linguistic reorganization further divided the Indian portion of historical Punjab.
Rigveda: The oldest Veda, a collection of Sanskrit hymns composed in ancient South Asia. Its hymns preserve early references to rivers and peoples associated with the Punjab region.
Sikhs: A religious community founded in Punjab in the fifteenth century, following the teachings of the Sikh Gurus. Punjab is Sikhism’s historical homeland and remains central to Sikh religious life.
Radcliffe Line: The boundary line drawn in 1947 to divide Punjab and Bengal between India and Pakistan. Its Punjab section established the international border through the historical region.
Indus River: A major South Asian river flowing from the Tibetan Plateau through Pakistan to the Arabian Sea. The Indus basin frames Punjab’s western geography and water systems.
Himachal Pradesh: A mountainous state in northern India that borders Punjab and includes territories once administered within the Punjab region. Its distinct hill geography and later statehood set it apart from the Punjab plains.

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