Punjab province lies in the northeastern part of the Indian sub-continent,
in the foothills of the Himalayas. The region derives its name from five great rivers - Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej & Beas -
that flow through it. Divided into Pakistani and Indian Punjab in 1947 (after the partition of India), both the provinces play
a dominant role in the political and socio-economic status in their respective countries. Punjabi is the mother tongue in
both the provinces. 'Bhangra' is a popular traditional music comprised of Punjabi folk rhythms and melodies.
Nowadays, 'Bhangra' is getting worldwide recognition.
Major cities include Chandigarh (capital), Amritsar, Ludhiana & Jalandhar in India, and Lahore (capital), Multan &
Rawalpindi in Pakistan. The economy is mostly agriculture based - wheat, rice, cotton, sugar cane & pulses being the main crops.
Industries include the manufacture of textiles, fertilizer, sewing machines, sporting goods, machine tools, electrical goods & communication equipment, etc. Now a days Punjab is attracting investment from information techonolgy industry also.
Punjab's climate is extremely hot in the summer with temperatures as high as 49 Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit). Winters are cold with some frost. Night temperature
drops as low as -4 Celsius (25 degrees Fahrenheit). Most of the rainfall occurs
during the Monsoon season which lasts from July to September. The annual rainfall averages 40 inches.
The majority of the 21 million population in Indian Punjab is comprised of Sikhs and Hindus. Muslim, Christians, Jains and Buddhists comprise less than 3%.
The Pakistani portion of Punjab has a 97 percent Muslim population.
Sikhism, the main religion in Indian Punjab, is a monotheistic religion founded by Guru Nanak Dev Ji (1469-1539). Sikhs believe in a universal acceptance of all humanity and
that there is only One Creator of this world. Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the 10th Sikh guru, formed 'Khalsa Panth' on April 13, 1699. 'Amritdhari' (baptised) Sikhs are called 'Khalsa' (pure) and take the surname
'Singh' (lion) for men and 'Kaur' (princess) for females. Sikhs are distinctly recognized by their turban and uncut hair.
In Sikhism, smoking and intoxicants are forbidden. The Sikh place of worship is called 'Gurudwara' in which the sacred scripture
of Sikhism, 'Guru Granth Sahib', is installed. Worshippers remove their shoes and cover their heads as a sign of respect.
'Langar' is a tradition during which meals are served to all the people visiting the 'Gurudwara', regardless of their caste,
class or religion.
There are more than 20 million followers of the Sikh religion and it is the 5th largest religion in the world.
Following are the links to Sikh and other sites.
