Punjab (region)

Punjab

Punjab (" Pyatirechye ", in Sanskrit Panchanada , V.-Panj. ਪੰਜਾਬ ਖੇਤਰ ) - the name of the alluvial plain with an area of ​​100 thousand square meters. km in the floodplains of the Jelam , Chinab , Ravi , Bias and Sutledge rivers . These five rivers, which are especially revered in Hinduism, together with the Indus (Sindhu) and Saraswati make up the Semirechye , mentioned in the Vedas . The main population is Punjabi , the predominant language is Punjabi . In addition to Islam and Hinduism , Sikhism is traditionally widespread in the region.

Punjab is known for its rich history. At the dawn of the history of mankind, Indian civilization formed in the valleys of five rivers. The epos of the Mahabharata (containing the Bhagavad Gita ) places the battle of the Pandavas and the Kauravas on the Punjab plain. Islam finally prevailed in Punjab over Hinduism after the victory of Muhammad Guri over the local ruler of the house of Prhaviraj in 1192.

From Punjab, the spread of Mughal power to all of India began. With them, Lahore becomes the main city of Punjab. After the death of Emperor Aurangzeb , the Sikhs who considered Nanak as their teacher seized power in Punjab. In 1849, the British Governor General Marquis Dalhousie annexed Punjab and transformed it into a British province .

During the division of British India, 40% of the territory of Punjab remained in India and constituted the state of the same name as part of the Indian Union . The capital of the state of Chandigarh was designed by the architect Le Corbusier, invited from Europe. The western regions of Punjab and Lahore became part of the state of Pakistan , where a separate province was formed from them.