This land of five rivers, Jhelum, Chanab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej (as it was before the division of India in 1947) has to its west Pakistan, to its north Jammu and Kashmir, to its northeast Himachal Pradesh and to its south Haryana and Rajasthan. The state has an area of 50,302 sq km and a population of (2011 census) 27,743,338.
Since time immemorial Punjab has struggled hard to maintain its pride and personality. Before the Europeans reached India by the sea-route all the raiders entered India through Punjab, since the trans-Himalayan countries found access to it through four passes, the chief of which was the Khyber Pass, now in Pakistan. Darius I of Persia invaded this area in the 6th century BC and made it a province of his empire. In the 4th century BC Alexander the Great invaded Punjab. The Greek viceroy of the province was driven out by Chandragupta Maurya. After the decline of the Maurya Empire, Punjab was successively raided and occupied by the Graeco-Bactrians, Sakas, Kushans and Huns. Mahmud of Ghazni was the first Muslim invader to enter Punjab. That was in-the A.D. 10th century. A number of other Muslim invasions followed until Babar established the Mughal rule in India. Towards the later phase of the decadent Mughal power the two other invaders in whose hands Punjab suffered much were Nadir Shah (1738) and Ahmad Shah Abdali (1748, 1750, and 1751).
Punjab entered a new phase of history with Guru Nank (1469- 1539), with whom began the Sikh faith. He was succeeded by nine Gurus. Guru Nanak Dev ji emphasized Kirtan, Naam Jap & Vrat. By editing the Adi Granth (Guru Granth Sahib), Guru Arjan Dev gave an unprecedented treasure to world literature, in which there is a message of salvation for mankind.
Under historical circumstances, the Sikhs whose basic ideal was universal tolerance, became a militant community. 10th and last guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa sect and rejuvenated the Punjab. Under his guidance and enlightened leadership, Punjab regained its golden days with independent and original identity. The conflict between the Sikhs and the Mughal is a long story in the history of India — marked by amazing sacrifice and valor of the Sikhs. Punjab and the Sikhs were at the height of glory during the reign of King Ranjit Singh (1780-1839). After his death the two wars with the rising British power gave a setback to their strength in Punjab. The British took the province over in 1849.
The whole of Punjab is strewn with monuments and places bearing the memory of struggles. Punjab is also a rich field of study for archaeology. This is a colourful land, humming with prayers and chantings from temples and Gurudwaras. Punjab is affluent both industrially and agriculturally. The Punjabi farmers and workers are known for their hard work, and sincerity. Punjabis are extremely industrious and understand the dignity of labour, making this one of the most prosperous states in India. The resultant affluence is delightfully evident in the vallages- neat roads, brick and mortar ('pucca') houses with TV aerials stuck atop their roofs and cars parked next to the tractors. The women love to dress up in clothes lined with shimmering gold and silver threads (gota). The state produces 10per cent of the milk in the country, though having only 1.5 percent of the land. The robust Punjabi loves milk, butter and giant- sized glass of lassi' (yoghurt churned with water and flavoured with salt, cumin seed powder and coriander leaves). He also loves to eat his 'maa- dee- daal', 'sarson- da -saag' and 'makki- dee- roti'. There is no point in describing these. One has to have them served piping hot at any of the multitude of roadside open- air cafes called 'dhaabas'