Punjab is a state in the northwest region of India. Punjab is not just a geographical region, but its name of a culture, a tradition and a society.
Here we have compiled a list of some important facts about Punjab that everyone having an association with Punjab must know. It includes the important information related to history and culture of Punjab, tourist places of Punjab, geographical structure, aread and population etc.
Punjab - Something About Its Name
The name Punjab is made of two words Punj (Five) + Aab (Water) i.e. land of five rivers. These
five rivers of Punjab are Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum.
Only Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rivers flow in today's Punjab. The other two rivers are now in the state of Punjab, situated in Pakistan.
Punjab used to be known as Sapat Sindhu before the arrival of Aryans in India. The word Sapat Sindhu means the land of seven rivers.
These seven rivers were Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, Chenab, Jhelum, Saraswati and Sindhu. In Puranas and Mahabharata, it is named as Panchnanda which means land of five rivers.
During the rule of Mughals in India, it used to be called as Suba-E-Lahore. The city of Lahore was the capital of Punjab from the time of Mughals, till independence of India in 1947.
Punjab = Punj + Aab
Geographical Position and Climate
Punjab is a state in northwest region of India. It shares its border with four states - Jammu and Kashmir in the north, Himachal Pradesh towards east, Haryana in the south and Rajasthan in the southwest. Pakistan is situated on the Western side of Punjab. The river Ravi flows alongh the international border with Pakistan.
The total area of Punjab is 50,362 square kilometers. Most of the area of Punjab is plain with fertile land, with some mountain area on the northeast side. It has three major rivers Sutlej, Beas and Ravi and many small and seasonal rivers and has an extensive irrigation system.
The climate in Punjab is very hot in the summers and the winters are very cold. The average temperature varies between 1 to 45 degree celcius. The peak summer season is from May to July and the winters are from months of December to February.
Population of Punjab
According to 2011 census, the total Population of Punjab is 2.77 crore. This is around 2.5% of the total population of India. This is the only state in India where sikh population is in majority. It comprises of around 60% sikhs and almost 35% hindus.
Almost 62.5% of the population lives in rural area and only 37.5% lives in urban area. The low sex ratio in Punjab has always been a matter of concern. According to population data of 2011, the total number of females per 1000 males is 895.
Golden Temple (Sri Harmandir Sahib)
The Golden Temple, situated in Amritsar is the most important tourist place in Punjab. It is also known as Sri Harmandir Sahib. This is the most holy place of Sikh religion. Lakhs of people, from all religions, visit this holy place every month. A visit to this holy shrine will provide you inner peace.
The main building, built in the middle of a pond, is covered with the gold plated sheets. There is a community kitchen (called Langar in Punjabi), where thousands of people, irrespective of their caste or religion, are served free food.
Wagah Border
There is a road link between India and Pakistan through the international border at Wagah village in Pakistan. The Grand Trunk Road (G.T. Road) connects Amritsar, India with Lahore, Pakistan through the border crossing at Wagah. The last village on the Indian side is Attari, so the border is known as Wagah-Attari border.
The border is located 32 Km from Amritsar city and Lahore is at a distance of 24 Km from this border. The flag lowering ceremony in the evening is a major attraction for the tourists and everyday thousands of people from all parts of the country visit the border to watch this ceremony.
Another road crossing on the India-Pakistan internation border is near the Ferozpur city. It connects with the Kasur city in Pakistan. But this road is closed since 1971.
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Major Cities of Punjab
The major cities of Punjab are Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and Patiala. Ludhiana is the most populous city of Punjab and is a major industrial city of India. It is also known as Manchester of India due to a large number of small and medium scale industries. Amritsar is world famous due to Golden temple, the holy shrine.
Jalandhar is famous for its sports goods manufacturing industry. It export sports goods throughout the country and different parts of the world. Patiala was a princely state during the Brithish rule in India and is famous for palaces built during the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala.
Amritsar is connected to New Delhi via Jalandhar and Ludhiana through National Highway 1, also called as G.T. Road. The distance from Amritsar to New Delhi is 447 km. From New Delhi, Ludhiana is at a distance of 311 Km and Jalandhar is at a distance of 369 Km.
Chandigarh - The capital of Punjab
Chandigarh, also known as City Beautiful, is the capital of Punjab. It is one of the most beautiful and well planned cities of India. The layout plan of Chandigarh was build by famous french architect Le Corbusier and his team. The city is famous for its reputed educational institues like Panjab University, Punjab Engineering College etc.
The city is also known for its tourist attractions. There are many tourist places in Chandigarh like Rose Garden, Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake etc. The city also has a large number of spacious and well planned gardens like Valley of Animals, Valley of Shrubs, Japanese Garden, Terrace Garden, Leisure Valley etc.