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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2018
The historic region of the Punjab dominates the north-western portion of the contemporary subcontinent. It is divided into the province of Punjab in Pakistan and the states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh in India. The region itself has many natural boundaries, with the Himalayas in the north, the Rajputana Desert in the south of the Indian Punjab (hereafter East Punjab), and the Cholistan Desert in the south-east of Pakistan Punjab (hereafter West Punjab) leading to the international boundary with India. The region takes its name from the five rivers that join to form the mighty Indus, which flows from the Kashmir region right through the heart of Punjab and into the Arabian Sea. It is therefore often referred to as ‘the land of five rivers’ – Punjab is derived from the Persian words of Punj (five) and aab (water). The melting snow from the bordering mountain range and heavy summer rainfall from the monsoon provide the water for the five great rivers.
These five great rivers have dominated the geography, inspired literature, fed the people of this fertile land and, within their flows, carried the tales of love and poetry that feed the emotional and aesthetic needs of the people. Like the land, the rivers were also divided and since partition, only the Sutlej and the Beas flow through East Punjab, while West Punjab has the five rivers flowing through the province, namely the Jhelum, the Chenab, the Ravi and the Sutlej, all tributaries of the Indus. Historically the rivers of Punjab have played an important part in the development of the region under colonial rule and form the backbone of the region.
As a region, Punjab has been home to the first known Indian civilisation in Harappa and many other empires. Punjab formed the main invasion route to the Indus plains. Consequently, the people of Punjab are mainly descendants of Aryan tribes that invaded India from the north-west. This led to an assimilation of different tribes and many of the great Punjabi castes such as the Jats and Rajputs are a product of the movements and amalgamation of Iranians, Turks, Afghans, Arabs and the indigenous population.
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