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Punjab and Haryana
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Information about Haryana and Punjab
Punjab, once, extended from Attock in the
north-western part of India to Yamuna River in
Delhi. The state of Punjab derives its name from
five rivers that once flowed in Punjab. The five
rivers of Punjab were Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas
and Sutlej. Punjab is the homeland of the Sikhs,
one of India’s most distinctive regional and
religious groups. Haryana and Punjab are one of
India’s most important agricultural regions. It is
here that you can see the Indian tradition being
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out in
many aspects of daily life, festivals, building styles
and house decoration, the regional handicrafts and the
cuisine. The region has few truly great monuments. There
are not many tourist attractions in Haryana, but, the
Haryana Tourism has worked hard to appreciate travellers
requirements and has developed an extensive chain of
tourist complexes with lakes, restaurants, motels and
shopping centres. In the last decade it has been
difficult to travel around Punjab. Due to the continuous
violence in the state, the permits are required to visit
the state. Chandigarh is the capital of Punjab. Hindi,
Punjabi and English are the main languages which are
spoken here.
History of Haryana and Punjab
The land of Punjab was fertile which always attracted
the invaders from Afghanistan and Central Asian
Republics. It was on the banks of the Punjab rivers that
ancient Hindu sages had sung the Vedic hymns and
authored the Vedas. The Ghaggar Valley, running from the
Siwaliks to the Rajasthan desert, was the home of
fortified urban settlements before the rise of the
Harappan civilization and go back before 3000 BC. It
also had been a battleground for various years. In
Panipat, in 1526, Babur defeated Ibraham Lodhi, the
Sultan of Delhi, and founded the Mughal empire, Later,
the Maathas who had succeeded the Mughals were defeated
by the Afghan forces of Ahmed Shah Durrani. In
Kurukshetra, the epic struggle between the Pandavas and
Kauravas took place and Karnal is the site of a number
of episodes in the Mahabharata, including that where
Krishna is believed to have given Arjuna lessons in
moral welfare. After 1700 BC, it came under the
influence of Aryan invaders. The territory became the
region in which many of the fundamental beliefs and
ideas of the Vedas took shape. Punjab was inhabited by
Rajputs, the brave warriors of India. This region was
incorporated into the Mauryan Empire during the 3rd
century BC. Towards the middle of the 11th century, the
Muslims were able to overcome the resistance of the
Rajputs and Punjab came under their rule. The Mughals
came to Punjab in the 16th century and took over the
region and since then Punjab never rested in peace. The
community of Sikhs began preaching the Hindu ascetic
Nanak who lived in the Punjab from 1469 to 1539. Nanak
taught that God is one and accessible to all and before
his death chose one of his disciples to be his
successor. He was followed by 9 Gurus. Aurangzeb tried
to put down Sikhism by force, encouraging the Sikhs to
become militant. Two centuries later, the Sikhs under
Maharaja Ranjit Singh defeated the Mughals and took over
the entire state to Afghanistan. In 1799 Ranjit Singh
set up a sikh confederacy which governed until the late
1830. After the death of Ranjit Singh, the Sikhs were
defeated by the British in 1846 and 1849 and this
resulted in annexation of Punjab by the British. The
Punjab which had supplied 60% of Indian troops in the
First World War was hit economically in 1918. The
feeling the British were not doing enough prompted
demonstrations throughout the country and some of the
most energetic were in the Punjab. Here, the Lieutenant
governor and some of the provinces decided on a ‘fist
force’ to repulse the essentially non-violent and
vigorous demonstrations. They came under the control of
General Dyer. The General Dyer ban all meetings but in
spite of this thousands of pilgrims gathered in Amritsar
in the Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919 to celebrate
Baisakhi, a holy day in the Sikh calendar. Dyer
personally led some troops to the place, and simply
ordered his men to open fire. About 379 people died and
1200 were wounded. During partition in 1947, the Muslim
League demanded for a separate state for Muslims and
Sikhs. In the event it was clear that the overwhelming
majority of Sikhs would opt to be with India. The
Redcliffe commission was set up to draw a boundary
separating those districts with a Muslim majority from
the remainder. The result was that the Punjab was
divided into two, leaving as many as 5 million Sikhs and
Hindus in the west Pakistan and as many Muslims in
India. Many of these groups, terrified by the prospect
of losing all that they had worked for, turned on each
other in frenzied rage. During Partition, there was a
movement of 11 million people across the new borders of
India and Pakistan. In 1947, after the India's
independence, Punjab were divided into two parts on the
basis of the predominant religion in each district. The
districts where Muslims were in majority went to
Pakistan while those with Hindu and Sikh majority came
to India. It was assumed that the people of both the
religions would be allowed to stay where they were. But,
it did not happen and the atmosphere became so tense
that the movement of people took place in both
directions. In the process, atrocities were committed on
both sides of the border and at least a million people
died. The Akalis, a dominant section of the Sikhs felt
that they were losing their identity in the sea of Hindu
majority and demanded a separate province where Sikhs
would be in majority. In 1966, the Indian part of Punjab
was once again divided and the Punjabi speaking areas
were separated and the Hindi-speaking part of Punjab
became Haryana. Hilly areas of Punjab like Kangra and
Shimla went to Himachal Pradesh as these areas were
non-Punjabi speaking.
Geography of Haryana and Punjab
Haryana covers an area of 44,222 square km and
triangular in shape. It is bordered by Rajasthan and
Punjab in the west and noth-west, Himachal Pradesh and
Uttar Pradesh in the north and east and Delhi in the
east. Apart from a small portion of the state which lies
in the Siwalik Hills, the rest of the part lies on the
Gangetic plain and is unrelentingly flat, lying at a
height of between 220 to 270 m. The Yamuna river forms
the eastern boundary of Haryana and its waters feed the
extensive irrigation network. A number of small rivers,
including the Ghaggar, flows in the south across it from
the foothills of the Himalayas.
Punjab occupies a strategic position on India’s border
with Pakistan on the west. It shares borders with
Rajasthan and Haryana in the south, and Himachal Pradesh
and Jammu & Kashmir in the north. The state covers an
area of 50,362 square km. Nearly all of the Punjab is a
gently sloping plain. There are three regions. The
Siwalik Hills in the north-east varies in altitude from
275 m to 915 metres and occupy only a very small part of
the state. Between the hills and the plain is a narrow
transitional zone of gently undulating foothills, broken
up in places by seasonal streams. Most of the state is
on the low-lying well watered and highly fertile
alluvial soils which make up the plains. There are one
or two distinguishable upland areas between the main
watercourse. The two major rivers are the Sutlej and the
Beas which rise in the Himalaya. In the south-west, lies
the sand dunes. |
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Economy of Haryana and Punjab
Agriculture is the main economic activity in
Haryana and the state government has invested
heavily in developing farming. The canal
irrigation network has been increased and the
rapid increase in the use of deep wells, has
encouraged the rapid adoption of modern crop
technologies. Now 91% of the total area is
cultivated, with wheat, gram, barley and mustard
grown in the rabi season and rice, millet, maize,
sugarcane and cotton grown in the Kharif season.
The state is also |
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known
for the quality of its bullocks and dairy cattle. Cotton
and sugar processing have developed into important
agro–industries. Haryana has no heavy industry but
around Faridabad, a major light industrial zone has been
established and it is the largest producer of automobile
spare parts in India. Other products include paper,
cement and bicycles. As a result of these developments
in both agriculture and industry Haryana is one of
India’s fastest growing states.
About 85% of the total area of Punjab
is under cultivation and 70% of the population are
engaged in agriculture. The state produces a surplus of
food grains, mainly wheat and rice. The other main food
grains are maize, gram, barley and pulses. Some of the
major cash crops grown here are oilseeds, sugar cane,
cotton and potatoes. Agricultural conditions have
improved greatly in Punjab with the development of canal
and tube well irrigation, and the promotion of modern
crop technologies. Some of the important irrigation
works implemented in Punjab include the Bhakra Nangal
multi–purpose river valley project, the largest of its
kind in Asia and the Madhopur-Beas and the Sutlej–Beas
Links for the redistribution of water. The Green
Revolution introduced in Punjab has turned it into the
breadbasket of India. There are no mineral resources in
Punjab. The industrial development is associated with
agriculture and production of consumer goods. Bicycles
and bicycle parts, sewing machines, machine tools, auto
parts, electronic equipment, surgical goods, leather
goods, hosiery, knitwear and textiles are manufactured
in the state. Ludhiana accounts for 90% of the country’s
woollen hosiery industry. Jalandhar is an important
centre for the production of sports goods and Batala is
known for its manufacture of agricultural implements.
Climate of Haryana and Punjab
Punjab and Haryana have an inland continental climate.
The winters are quite cold, where the temperatures
ranges from 5 to 9 degree Celsius between November and
February. Occasionally it reaches freezing point.
Humidity at this time is usually low, but depressions
moving in from the west sometimes bring rain and a chill
dampness to the air. The summers are hot. In May and
June the temperature ranges from 40 to 45 degree
Celsius. Amritsar is situated near the border with
Pakistan and receives 650 mm rainfall per annum, out of
which 70% is received during the monsoon from July to
September. The Shiwaliks receive the higher rainfall.
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Flora and Fauna in Haryana and Punjab
The tropical deciduous forests of Shisham, peepal,
jujube, kikar were found in Shiwaliks but they are
now covered in bush and scrub. The animal life is
correspondingly rare and includes Nilgai, wild
boar, rabbit, jackal, fox and various species of
deer. The bird life is rich and includes heron,
cranes and geese. Like Haryana, Punjab also
receives migratory birds from the Northern
hemisphere in the winter. Cobras, vipers and
kraits are the poisonous snakes and are common in
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summer.
People of Haryana and Punjab
About 90% of the people in Haryana are Hindus and the
majority of the people live in rural areas. There are no
large cities in Haryana and various small towns have
grown rapidly. Hindi is the main language which is
spoken here. Urdu and Punjabi are spoken by Muslims and
Sikhs. Various Hindu festivals are also celebrated in
this region. The inhabitants of the Haryana and Punjab
mainly descended from the Aryan tribes that invaded
north-west India from around 1500 BC. Successive
invaders became assimilated with the early Aryans. The
Jats, Rajputs and Punjabis are a product of this
movement of people. Two–thirds of the people in Punjab
speak Punjabi, an Indo – Aryan language which is a close
relative of Hindi. The rest of the people speak Hindi.
Punjab is the homeland of the Sikhs and it is the only
state where they form the majority. In dress, the
Punjabi Salwar kamiz, a long kurta (shirt) and baggy
trousers drawn in at the ankle are traditional and
popular forms of dress with men and women alike. Women
usually have a dupatta (long scarf or shawl) with it.
The males have turbans and beard.
Culture of Haryana and Punjab
The Punjabi culture is strongly influenced by Hinduism
and Islam and also displays a distinctive character of
its own. Its literature has strong connections with
Sufism. Guru Nanak used the Punjabi language as a medium
for poetic expression. The Sikh music is also popular
like the Mughal ghazal and qawwali. Various people also
believe that the Sikhs are endowed with an almost
mystical affinity with machines. The Sikhs were among
the first in India to use and understand various
machines ranging from tractors to tube-wells, threshing
machines to grinders. Sikhs are now found driving buses,
taxis, hire cars and tanks.
Festivals of Haryana and Punjab
Punjab and Haryana have always been known and identified
as a land of celebrations. The festivals are celebrated
with much fanfare and occasions for social gathering and
enjoyment. Some of the festivals which are celebrated in
Punjab and Haryana are Baisakhi, Guruparb, Lohri, Holla
Mohalla, Tika, Teej, Sanjhi and Gita Jayanti. The Hindu
festivals such as Dussehra and Diwali and the birth and
death anniversaries of the gurus and saints are also
also observed in the state.
More....
How to reach Haryana and Punjab
The state of Punjab and Haryana are well served with
roads and railways. The remotest parts of the state are
incorporated into the road network, thus facilitating
the collection and distribution of agriculture produce
as well as promoting social mobility. Amritsar is well
connected with Delhi and other North Indian centres.
There is also a rail link with Pakistan which is 24 km
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