The word "Punjab" is made up of two Persian words 'Panj' and 'Aab'. Panj means five and Aab means water. This name was probably  given to this land possibly in an era when this region came into close contact with Persia. The Punjab was known as land of five rivers because of the five rivers that ran through it. They are Indus, Ravi, Beas, Sutlaj and Ghaggar. Prior to Persian period this region was known by different names at different times. Probably, at the height of its glory it was known as Sapta Sindhu, land of the seven rivers, namely Sindhu (Indus), Vitasta (Jehlum), Asuhi (chenab), Purshin (Ravi), Vipasa (Beas), Satadru (Sutleg) and Saruri (Saraswati). The last one is a dried up stream now and its traces are found in the present seasonal streams that flow near Pehowa in Haryana. During Greek occupation, the territory had shrunk into the area covering the five rivers.

In 1947 when India was partitioned, the larger half of Punjab went to Pakistan. In 1966 the Indian smaller half was further divided into three: Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

According to 1991 census, its population came to 20.19 million. Punjab, thus represents about 1.6 percent of the area and 2.39 percent of the population of the country. The latitudinal and longitudinal extends the Punjab are from 29 o 32' to 32 o 32'N and 73 o 55' to 76 o 50'E. Punjab is bounded  on the west by Pakistan, on the North by Jammu and Kashmir, on the north east by Himachal Pradesh and on the south by Haryana and Rajasthan. Physically, the state may be divided into two parts; sub-Shivalik Strip and Sutlebj- Ghaggar Plain. The Sub Shivalik strip covers the upper portion of Ropar, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur districts. The Sutlej- Ghaggar plain embraces the other districts of the Punjab. For administrative purposes it is divided into three division and 45 sub-division. There are 12,342 villages and 134 towns in the state.

PHYSICAL FEATURES

From the geographical and physiographic point of view, Punjab falls into two regions: the Shivaliks and the Plain.

THE SHIVALIK

This region covers the outer range of the Shivalik Hills and is approximately 6 to10kms in width. Their height ranges between 400 and 700 metres above sea level. It consists of conglomerates, clays and silts-all having the character of fluviatile deposits of rivers and stream.

The origin of the Shivalik Hills has been explained differently by different geologists. One view advanced is that the present Shivalik Range is the flood plain of a big river to whom pilgrims gave the name Indo-Brahm and Pascoe- Shivalik. According to another view the basin of deposition was a continuous lagoon or fore-deep formed in front of the Himalayan Range.

The low range of the Shivalik Hills separates the Himalayas from the plains. The Shivalik region covers the eastern most areas of Ropar, Hoshiarpur and Gudaspur districts and runs like a wall, north-west to south-east, separating the Sirsa and Una valleys of Himachal Pradesh from the plain areas towards the west.

THE PLAINS

The Punjab plain is a part of the great Indo-Gangetic plain which is a synclinal basin formed by the elevation of the Himalayas. One group of geologists hold this area to be afore-deep formed in front of the stable peninsular India at a time when the Tethyan Sediments were thrust southwards and compressed against that stable block. Another group assumes the Indo-Gangetic plain to be the site of a rift valley. The rivers of the region indicate that the plain is the result of recent deposition and these very rivers have formed the plain.

The Punjab plain lies between 180 and 300 meters above sea level. It is higher near the Shivalik Hills but slopes away from them. The tract covering central Punjab ranges between 230 and 270 metres above sea level while western Bhatinda and Ferozepur districts lie below 230 metres above sea level. The land slopes from east to west. The gradient is much more in the east than in the west.

The work of the two important agents of mechanical weathering, wind and running water, is well exemplified  in this area. The action of wind in the western side and the action of running water near the Shivalik Range have modified the face of this region to impart to the different tracts a contrasting  look.

Agriculture
Punjab is one of the most prosperous and successful states in the country. Its prosperity is largely due to its development in the field of agriculture. A portion of 75% of the total population depends on agriculture. The development of the state largely depends on its agricultural productivity. The state led the country’s Green Revolution of the 1960s and earned for itself the distinction of becoming India’s ‘bread basket’. The Green Revolution introduced a new technology of production in agriculture.

A large portion of the land of the state is under cultivation because the Punjab plain is free from physical handicaps. The deficiency of rainfall has been made up by irrigation facilities. It is only the districts of Ropar and Hoshiarpur that the cultivated area is less than 60 per cent of the total. It is in these districts that considerable land is covered by Shivalik Hills and the beds of seasonal streams that cannot be brought under cultivation.

The major crops grown in this state include wheat, rice, sugarcane, cotton, maize, bajra etc. Minor crops like millet, barley and fruit and vegetables are also produced in some area.

The soil of the state is very fertile and it is formed by the deposition of alluvium. From geographical point of view the state is divided into two parts i.e. plain region and hilly region. Irrigation in the state is mainly dependent on canals. Some people use Persian wheels to draw water from the wells.

The agricultural industries in the state include mainly cotton textile, sugar and diary industry. The state is the major producer of milk in the country. It has got highest per capita availability of milk. Operation Flood was launched in the year 1969 – 70 to increase the production of milk in the country.

The government of Punjab has set up various departments to support agricultural development in the state. The Department of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, the Punjab Agriculture University which provides a base for education, research and extension; and theCooperative Department which provides credit to the farmers.

It was a region that formed parts of the Indus Valley civilization. The Aryans settled in this region in about 1500B.C. It was in about 900B.C that the battle of Kurukshetra mentioned in the Epic Mahabharata was believed to have taken place in Kurukshetra. During this period the region formed small principalities ruled by chieftains. In 326BC Alexander the Great of Macedonia invaded Punjab. After this was the rule of Chandragupta Maurya that lasted till about 1st century A.D. By 318A.D the Gupta dynasty exercised their influence. They were followed by the Huns in about 500A.D. By 1000A.D the Muslims invaded Punjab led by Mahmud of Ghazni. In 1030A.D the Rajputs gained control of this territory. In about 1192A.D the Ghoris defeated the Chauhans and ruled till the establishment of the Mughal rule, a spirit of religious liberation led to the rise of the Militant Sikh power. In the early, 19th century the British established their influence. After independence this region witnessed mass migration and distribution of property. In 1947 when India was partitioned, the larger half of Punjab went to Pakistan. In 1966 the Indian smaller half was further divided into three: Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Fairs And Festivals

Punjabi's are very fond of fairs and festivals and almost every fortnight there is a fair or a festival in one part of the state or the other. People come to participate in such functions from far-off places, trudging dusty distances. Many a fair is held in memory of a saint or a pir, and people from all communities living in a village participate in it. Men, women and children of all ages, classes and creeds flock in hundreds and enjoy the numerous fascinating features of the fair : races, singing, wrestling bouts, acrobatics etc. They play on folk instruments, such as Vanjli and Algoza. To a lover of culture, a Punjabi fair is an aesthetic treat. In the life of a Punjabi, fair and festivals are always an occasion to wear new clothes. Both old and young come out in their multi-coloured and smartest best. Some enthusiasts colour and brush up even their cattle and take them along.

Travel Tourism

Punjab is the most affluent state in India. Although the Punjab is pmaroonominantly an agriculture state, supplying a large proportion of India's rice and wheat requirements, it also has a number of thriving industries including Hero Bicycles at Ludhiana -India's (and the world's) biggest bicycle manufacturer.

From the traveller's point of view, each state has just one interesting destination-Amritsar in the Punjab and Chandigarh in Haryana. Apart from these, the states are mainly places of transit to and from Pakistan.

Area: 50, 362 sq kms. The Capital of this state is Chandigarh.

Important Cities and Towns : Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jalandhar.

Places of Tourist Interest :  The Golden Temple, the Jallianwala Bagh where the bloody massacre of innocent Indian men, women and children by the British took place on April 13, 1919; the Central Sikh Museum; and the Durgiana Mandir.

Best Time To Visit : October to March.

Airports: Amritsar, Chandigarh, Ludhiana

Amritsar : There is he temple called the Golden temple developed by the Sikh guru, Ramdas. This Amritsar which is on the border of Pakistan is a very holy place for Sikhs. In the holy temple here there is Sikhs, the holy book of Sikhs, called Guru Grandh Saheb,. On the four sides of this Golden temple, there are 4 entrances.It is called the Golden temple, because, it is covemaroon by a canopy of 400 kg gold.This is also called Darbar Saheb and Hari Mandir.

Jalian wala Bagh : This is a park circular in shape, surrounded by a wall. It was here that Brigadier-General-Dyer opened fire on a multitude engaged in a meeting. This bagh is 2 furlong from the temple.

Gurudwara : There is the tomb of baba, Ala singh here.

Jalandhar: There is the river Beas, which rises in the Himalayas flows here. There is a belief that if a person baths in this river all of her or his sins will be washed away. This Jalandhar is 80 km distant from Amritsar.

Districts

The total number of districts in Punjab is 20. A district of Punjab is headed by a Deputy Commissioner who is over all in-charge of the administration in the particular district. He has to perform triple functions as he holds three positions: at once he is the Deputy Commissioner, the district Magistrate and the Collector. As a Deputy Commissioner he is the executive head of the district with multifarious responsibilities. As the District Magistrate he is responsible for maintaining the law and order situation in the district. As the Collector he is the Chief Revenue Officer of the district, responsible for revenue collection and recovery. The Police administration in the district is under the control of Superintendent of Police (SP).

To decentralize the authority in administrative set up a district is divided into one or more subdivisions, further divided into tehsils and blocks. Here is a list of 20 districts; click on the respective district to get more information.