The Indian Punjab region came into existence after independence on 15 Aug 1947. Punjab in its present form was created on 31 Oct 1966 after the separation of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.
The faith of the Sikh originated in the Punjab region during the 15th and 16th centuries. Guru Nanak founded a new religion followed by the 9 Gurus.
Guru Ram Das laid the foundation of the present city Amritsar.
Guru Arjun Dev co-founded Adi Granth. His son Guru Har Gobind trained his followers in martial arts.
The Sikh empire (1801 – 1849) was formed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Local facts about Punjab
Punjab borders 4 regions – Jammu and Kashmir in the north, Himachal Pradesh in the northeast, Haryana in the south, and Rajasthan in the southwest.
Punjab shares its international border with western Pakistan. The length of the international border with Pakistan is 425 Km.
The land is very fertile as it is irrigated by Indus, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, and Ghaggar (literal description of Punjab’s 5 rivers).
The word Punjab is made up of two words – “Punj” means five and “ab” means water.
The Amritsar region of Punjab is large in size and population.
The Sikh shrine, Harminder sahib (Temple of Gold) is located in the city of Amritsar. The city of Amritsar was founded by Sikh Guru Ram Das IV and the temple was designed by Guru Arjan VIII. The temple in its original condition was rebuilt by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia in 1764. The gold cover was placed over the mill by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Of the five Takht of Sikhism, three of Punjab – are the Sri Akal Thakt Sahib, Damdama Sahib, and Anandpur Sahib.
Punjab’s literacy rate is 76.6% higher than India’s literacy average of 74.04%. Punjab is the 14th literate district in India.
Bhangra and Giddha are traditional dance styles to celebrate the Lohri harvest season.
Amritsar is one of the major tourist destinations not only in Punjab but also in India which attracts more tourists than the Taj Mahal.
Economic Facts about Punjab
Punjab is considered one of the most fertile areas in the world and is also known as the “Granary of India” or “basket of Indian bread”.
Punjab provides 43 percent wheat and 25% rice in a central lake that ensures national food security. Punjab produces 17% of Indian wheat and 11% of Indian rice (2013 annual data).
Agriculture is the largest industry in the province. 84% of the land is cultivated.
Punjab produces 70% of the best quality cotton in India. However, the state capacity of cotton spans age is not good and only works for 1.5% of the total energy in the country.
Processed for milk in Moga, Amritsar is the largest Punjab plant with 435,000 gallons of processing capacity.
The main agricultural products of Punjab – Wheat, Rice, Maize, Bajra, jowar, barley, oilseeds, sugarcane, potatoes, cotton, pulses, and tobacco.
Dera Bassi, Ludhiana is a large industrial city and is also known as Manchester of India.
Batala is known for Cast Iron (broadcasting) and mechanical engineering. Batala was also nicknamed the Iron Bird of India due to the large volume of CI production.
It also has a large number of wrought iron plants found in the “Iron City” in Mandi Gobindgarh in the Fatehgarh Sahib region.
Other industries in the Punjab region are machinery, textiles, sewing machines, sports, and fertilizers. Punjab and Haryana are the leading provinces with a scientific metal industry.
Famous people from Punjab
Aroon Purie – a well-known businessman, CEO of India Today Group, and Editor of India Today Magazine was born in Lahore in the pre-independence Punjab.
Sunil Mittal – is a well-known businessman and CEO of Bharti Telecom. He was born in Ludhiana, Punjab.
Sabeer Bhatia – the founder of HotMail, graduated from BITS Pilani and was born in Chandigarh.
Naresh Goyal – Chairman of Jet Airways was born in Sangrur of Punjab in 1949.
Amrita Sher Gil – a famous painter born in Budapest (Hungary) to his Punjabi Sikh father. She is also known as the most expensive Indian female artist.
Har Govind Khurana – was a scientist who received the Nobel Prize in 1968. He later became a US citizen. He was born in Raipur of Punjab (present-day Punjab province in Pakistan).
Dharmendra – a famous Hindi film actor was born in the Ludhiana region of Punjab.
Jeetendra – a famous Hindi film actress whose real name is Ravi Kapoor was born in Amritsar.
Scores of Bollywood actors were born or a genealogy related to the undivided Punjab of British India. Bango-Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Balraj Sahni, Rajendra Kumar, Amrish Puri, Rajesh Khanna, Vinod Khanna, Pankaj Kapoor, Veeru Devgan, Gufi Paintal, Anand Bakshi, Yash Chopra.
![The Punjab Assembly established Punjabi University, Patiala under the Punjab Act No. the responsibility to build a nation most importantly. Our goal is a strong, free and democratic India where every citizen has an equal opportunity and full opportunity to grow. Launched on April 30, 1962, in the former Patiala administration to further the cause of the Punjabi language, arts, and literature, Punjabi University has since transformed into the largest university in the province. Here are some interesting facts about the university- 1. This is the second-largest university in the world to be named after, the first being the Hebrew University of Israel. Its mission is to establish and integrate the University for the development of Punjabi studies and the development of the Punjabi language as a means of instruction or alternative teaching of humanities and sciences and generally for the development of education and research. 2. Initially, the University area was rehabilitated as the 16 km area has only 9 colleges. In 1969, it grew into a unified university, with 43 colleges affiliated with it. The university now addresses the educational needs of the nine Punjab Provinces. In the course of its founding, the University has evolved into a multidisciplinary institution for the furtherance of higher education and research in humanities, arts, sciences, languages of engineering, technology, and much more. Spreading over 600 hectares of land, its 1,500+ teachers provide instruction and guidance to nearly 14,000+ students in a multi-faceted, multi-skilled, and multi-skilled area that includes Teaching and Research Departments / 70+ seats on its campus, 27 regions. Institution / Neighborhood Campuses / Basic Colleges and 274 Associated Colleges. 3. For 8 consecutive years we are holding MARK (Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad). Punjabi University was awarded the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Award for Sport Excellent Sports Records of 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2013-17. 4. The Department of Youth Welfare organizes activities throughout the year. Punjabi University has won various awards at youth events organized by the Association of Indian University of the school in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs, the Indian government, and other events. 5. The University has won a second overall position at the National Inter-University Youth Festival, won the full title at the North Zone Inter-University Youth Festival many times, won the full title at the Punjab State Inter-University Youth Festival many times, and won the full title many times India India- University Punjabi Cultural Festival. Punjabi University students have been granted the right to represent India at Indian ceremonies held in the former USSR, Mauritius, Spain, China, Germany, and the U.A.E. (Dubai). 6. The Department of Youth Welfare organizes mountaineering, hiking, mountaineering, and rock climbing, hosts youth leadership training camps, prepares students for participation in the All India Level Youth Festivals, organizes Rotract Club, Young Cultural Club, Lee Club, and Youth Club. Organizes Yoga Training Camps for the benefit of students in university and college teaching departments. The department publishes Yuvak Sabha Magazine and hosts literary and cultural competitions. 7. The National Service Scheme used by the NSS Department assists students to participate in various social and developmental programs. The university has developed specific techniques in Sikh Studies and Punjabi Historical Studies. A concerted effort is being made to improve the translation program in Punjabi and English. To develop relationships with outstanding Punjabi language scholars, literature, and culture, the university offers Life Fsocis, Senior Fellowships, and Fellowships to leading specialists in these fields. 8. New Arts and Culture talent has been created. Initiation and authenticity in the pursuit of Sikh Studies is another area that receives attention and strength. Balbir Singh Sahitya Kendra Dehradun is being developed as an Advanced Sikh Studies Center. Punjabi University has established the first overseas center to teach Punjabi as a foreign language in Espanola, New Mexico. 9. The University has established its publishing bureau that is busy publishing public research work. More than 2000 articles have been published. 10. All departments are involved in promoting the culture and spirit of research. Most departments have been able to mobilize additional research funding from the UGC, DST, CSIR, Planning Commission, government departments, and other regulatory agencies. Many science departments have been able to develop research and industry links and perform several consultation activities. To ensure educational freedom, departments organize seminars, symposia, conferences, and workshops annually. Teachers are encouraged to participate in national and international seminars through liberal funding. Many teachers are invited to give lectures for the entire conference and preside over sessions at seminars and conferences. 11. Bhai Kahn Singh Nabha Central Library is a center for educational and research activities. It maintains more than 415,000 books and subscribes to several hundred journals. The library is kept open for 360 days a year from 8.15 a.m. to 8.15 p.m. The library has a reading hall, which can accommodate 400 students. A separate hall for personal use and the Reading Room are provided on the ground floor. The one-night reading room remains open from 8.00 p.m. to 6.00 am The Ganda Singh Punjabi Reference Library, an integral part of the library, is being used in a new building connected to a larger building. This section of the library contains 41,548 books in Punjabi Language, Books, Punjab History, and Culture. The University Library has libraries of some of the campus departments, the S.A.S.Nagar Extension Library (Mohali), and the Library at the Bathinda Regional Center. In addition to Balbir Singh Sahitya Kendra, Dehradun has a library containing rare books and manuscripts. 12. The university has also established a facility to develop personalities and student support. [27] An IAS training center has been established at the university, where training for various competitive exams has been offered. The Department of Transport operates several buses to connect the center to various parts of the city of Patiala.](https://www.sikhheros.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/925081552s-150x150.jpg "Interesting Facts About Punjab University")
