The Punjabi people (}} (Shahmukhi), ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Gurmukhi)), also Panjabi people and people from the land of five-rivers (Persian: panj-āb; "five waters") Punjab (also known as bread basket of India and Pakistan) , are a distinct ethnic group primarily of North Indian Origin among other North Indian ethnic groups which in modern day constitutes some parts of Kashmir, Indian Punjab, ,majority regions of Pakistani Punjab, Rajasthan and some other North Indian states. Punjabis mostly live in the Punjab region, which has been the location of some of the oldest civilizations in the world like the Indus Valley Civilization. Punjabis have very strong cultural background. Traditionally, Punjabi identity was primarily cultural and linguistic, with Punjabis being those for whom the Punjabi language was their first language. However, in recent times, the definition has been broadened to include emigrants from other regions who maintain Punjabi cultural traditions, even when they no longer speak the language.

The recent definition of Punjabi after the creation of Pakistan in Punjab Pakistan is not based on racial classification, common ansectory or endogamy and even unique language but based on geographical and cultural basis and thus makes it a unique definition. In Pakistani Punjab the emphasis on language is not given and Pakistani Punjabis speak many distinct dialects and according to some linguists languages which include Hindko, Seraiki, Potohari or Pahari and many other Punjabi dialects but still they identify themselves as Punjabis. This unique definition of Punjabi in recent times have led to the social and racial integration in Punjab and led to the cultural assimilation that led to the more vibrant Punjabi society. People from almost all provinces of Pakistan and even from neighboring Afghanistan have made Punjab their home in recent times and now their consecutive generations identify themselves as Punjabis. The largest community to assimilate in Punjabi culture and now identify themselves as Punjabis are Kashmiris which include noted personalities like Nawaz Sharif, Sheikh Rasheed, Hamid Mir and the most noted poet Muhammad Iqbal to name a few. The second largest community after Kashmiris are people of North West Pakistan and Afghanistan and know identify themselves as Punjabis or sometimes as Punjabi Pathans. The other communities to assimilate in Punjabis include Baloch who can be found throughout Punjab, Baltis and many other ethnic groups. The welcoming nature of Punjab have led to successful integration of almost all ethnic groups in Punjab over time. The Urdu, Punjabi and other language speakers migrants who arrived in Punjab in 1947 are now assimilated and their second and third generations identify themselves as Punjabis even tough it is not the same in Sindh Pakistan where they form distinct ethnic group.

Punjabis are primarily found in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, which forms the present Indian state of Punjab and Pakistan province of Punjab. Following independence from Britain, the Punjab region was divided between the two nations. In Pakistan, Punjabis are the largest ethnic group, comprising roughly 40% of the total population of the country. They reside predominantly in the province of Punjab and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. In India, Punjabis represent about 2.5% of the population. The majority of Punjabi-speaking people in India can be found in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, as well as in Delhi and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Large communities of Punjabis are also found in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and the states of Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Punjabi with its many dialects is the dominant language in Pakistan, and fourth most common language in India. According to the Ethnologue 2005 estimate, there are 88 million native speakers of the Punjabi language, which makes it the twelfth most widely spoken language in the world. According to the 2008 Census of Pakistan, there are approximately 76,335,300 native speakers of Punjabi in Pakistan, and according to the Census of India, there are over 29,102,477 Punjabi speakers in India. Punjabi is also spoken as a minority language in several other countries where Punjabis have emigrated in large numbers, such as the United Kingdom (where it is the second most commonly used language) and Canada, in which Punjabi has now become the fourth most spoken language after English, French and Chinese, due to the rapid growth of immigrants from Pakistan and India. There are also sizable communities in the United States, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Persian Gulf countries, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.

Punjabis are linguistically and culturally related to the other Indo-Aryan peoples of South Asia. There are an estimated 120 million Punjabis around the world. If regarded as an ethnic group, they are among the worlds' largest. In South Asia, they are the second largest ethnic group after the Bengali People.

History

Brief Ancient history

Punjabi identity until the 11th century when Punjab literature made its unique identity was more associated with the North Indian identity. The remains of ancient city Taxila and many ornaments have been found in this region dating back to 4-5 BC and even beyond strongly suggested that this region was inhabited with indigenous people with a developed civilization of that time. The ancient Indus Valley Civilization centered at Harappa in Punjab became a center of early civilization from around 3300 BC. According to Historians this region was ruled by many small kingdoms and tribes around 4th and 5th BC. The earliest known notable local king of this region was known as King Porus and he fought famous Battle of the Hydaspes against Alexander but later surrender. His kingdom known as Pauravas was situated between Hydaspes (modern Jhelum and Acesines (modern day Chenab). These kings fought local battles to gain more ground.Taxiles or Omphis another local North Indian king was ruling and he wanted to defeat his eastern adversary Porus in a turf war and he invited Alexander the great to defeat Porus and this marks the intrusion of West in Indian subcontinent and North India in general. But such was the valor of Porus and his kingdom forces in Punjab that despite being defeated was appreciated by Alexander the Great for his skill and valor and he was granted further territories in North. The other Indian kings did not like that Porus is now an ally of Western forces and the relative of Porus also later named as Porus became the king of Pauravas continue fighting with Macedonian forces and then in less than ten years another Indian king Chandragupta Maurya defeated the forces and conquered regions up to Kabul river. Despite the Greek rule in Northwest India, no trace of either the M170 or the M35 genetic markers associated with Greeks and Macedonians have been found in Punjab and this region show strong peculiar characteristics of North Indians and the reason is that Alexander mostly ruled this land with the help of local allies like Porus. Later own this region was ruled by local Indian kings and then North Indian region and Afghanistan were ruled by Ghaznavids and later on by Mughals. The Mughals were assimilated in local cultures and embrace Islam and all of them married local women. When the Mughals were weakened then under the command of Nader Shah of Persia the regions of North India and Punjab were annexed into the Durrani Empire in 1747. But this rule was challenged by locals and later on all Punjabi Muslims who became the allies of Ahmad Shah Durrani were defected because of his atrocities as he slaughtered thousands of Non-Muslims especially Sikhs and also subjugated Punjabi Muslis as well and as a result Durrani empire was ended in 1772 in less than 40 years.Later on Great warrior of Punjab also known as Lion of Punjab known as Ranjit Singh was born in Gujranwala he started conquests to reclaim the Punjabi lands from invaders and he recruited local Punjabis and established a formidable army and under his command not only Sikhs but Punjabi Muslims were united and he started a conquest of Reclaiming the lands of Punjab and also as a retribution of Afghan Empire he attacked Peshawar and defeated all Pukhtoon tribes up to Khyber Pass and formed the secular Sikh Empire and later as a result of Wars between Sikh Empire and British out of which the most famous were First Anglo-Sikh War and the Second Anglo-Sikh War the Sikh Empire came to an end but until the Britishers came no Pukhtoon tribe was able to recapture Peshawar from Sikh Punjabi forces. The famous Jamrud Fort at the entry of Khyber Pass was built by Ranjit Singh and his forces were never defeated there. The Ranjit Singh reign was the most high time of Punjab and Punjabi prowess was proved during that time and led to the rule of Punjabis in this region.

New Demographics of Punjab

The original Punjab region is now divided into several units: West Punjab (now in Pakistan) including the Gandhara region, the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and the Indian Union territory of Chandigarh. The regions of Azad Kashmir and Jammu have also been historically associated with the Punjab.

Punjab is a Persian term meaning the land of the 5 rivers, the names of these rivers are as follows:

# (Jhelum) # (Chenab), # (Ravi), # (Sutlej), # (Beas),

The modern name of the Vipasa,'Beas' is thought to be a corruption of Veda Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata.

The region came to be known as ''Punjab'' only in the Mughal period. It was one of the cradles of Indian civilization and Hinduism.

Among the classic books that wholly or partly composed in this region are the following.

Rigveda

Grammar of Sakatayana

Ashtadhyayi of Pāṇini

Nirukta of Yaska

Charaka Samhita

Mahabharata along with the Bhagavad Gita

Brihatkatha of Gunadya

The Bakhshali Manuscript

The world's oldest university Takshashila flourished here, even before the Buddha's birth.

Classic cities of the Punjab region

Multan (Mulasthan), Punjab (Pakistan): The first major poet of the Punjabi language also known as father of Punjabi language literature Baba Farid was born in Multan more than 1000 years ago and he pioneered Shahmukhī script for generalized Punjabi language. Rawalpindi, Punjab (Pakistan): A city in Northern Punjab named after the Rawal Jogis

Sialkot, Punjab (Pakistan): city founded by Sul (Shalya), emperor of Madradesa and brother of Madri, second wife of emperor Pandu and mother to Nakul and Sahadeva

Kasur, Punjab (Pakistan): city founded by Kusha, son of Sri Rama according to the Bichitra Natak written by Guru Gobind Singh.

Lahore,Punjab (Pakistan): city founded by Lava(Loh), son of Sri Rama according to the Bichitra Natak. Lahore is associated with many prominenet personalities. Shah Hussain and legendary Punjabi Poet Ustad Daman were also born here.

Dipalpur, Punjab (Pakistan): The original name of this city was Siri Puria or Siri Nagar after the elder brother of Raja Salvahan of Sialkot (who was the explorer of Sialkot) Raja Depa Chand renamed Depalpur after his beloved son Raja Depa.

Jhang, Punjab (Pakistan): city where lovely Chenab and Jhelum rivers meet founded in era of Sri Rama then remodeled by Sial chief. Famous Punjabi love stories of Heer Ranjha and Mirza Sahiba belong to the soil of this particular city. That is why city is also referred to as "Land of Love" and "City of Bhangra". Jhang is the birthplace of famous revolutionary of Punjab known as Dulla Bhatti. Gujrat Known for its unique Clay Art and Pot industry. Also Battle of Gujrat was fought here. According to historians King Porus belonged from that City.

Faisalabad, Punjab (Pakistan): Faisalabad is the birthplace of famous Indian revolutionary Bhagat Singh.

Gujranwala, Punjab (Pakistan): Known as City of Wrestlers or Pehelwans. Famous warrior Ranjit Singh was born in Gujranwala as well. Gujranwala is also a birthplace of renowned women Punjabi poet Amrita Pritam.

Hasan Abdal, Punjab (Pakistan): Hasan Abdal is famous for Gurdwara Sri Panja Sahib, one of the most sacred places of Sikhism.

Bahawalpur: located near two important cities of Indus Valley Civilization. Bahawalpur was an autonomous princely state and still people pride themselves in princely state of Bahawalpur.

Amritsar, Punjab (India): Founded by the fourth Sikh guru Ram Das ji in 1574, it has two of the holiest places of worship for Sikhs, the Akal Takht Sahib and the Shri Harmandir Sahib.

Jalandhar, Punjab (India): A historic city mentioned in the Puranas.

Phagwara,Punjab (India): City of Hearts.

Chandigarh,Punjab (India): The City beautiful.

Kaithal, Haryana, (India): Historically, it was known as Kapisthal, meaning "Abode of ''Kapi''", another name of Lord Hanuman, and it is said to have been founded by the Pandava Emperor, Yudhisthira of Mahabharata. It is traditionally connected with Hanuman, and has a temple dedicated to Anjani, the mother of Hanuman.

Kurukshetra, Haryana, (India): The site of the Mahabharata war.

Karnal, Haryana, (India): city founded by Karna.

Katasraj temple, Punjab (Pakistan): Classic temple complex in the Chakwal district, site of the 'enchanted pool' episode in the Mahabharata, where Yudhishtira is tested by his father Lord Yama/Dharma.

The historic Vedic religion had a great impact on the regions religions followed by modern Hinduism and Buddhism which influenced the entire region including modern day Afghanistan,Usbekistan,Tajikistan and the Balochistan region in Iran and Pakistan. Islam reached the region following the arrival of Arabs in 711 AD and Turkic tribes in the 11th century during this period of Islamic invasions some Hindu's clans converted to Islam.

thumb|upright|Mature Harappan "Priest King" statue, Mohenjo-daro, wearing Sindhi Ajrak, late Mature Harappan period, National Museum, Karachi, PakistanThe tribes present in the NWFP of Pakistan and Afghanistan are most probably descended from Huna, Kushans etc. They could be the modern day Hazaras, Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks and Nuristani and many more. The other theory is that, after the Islamic invasion of Sindh, all the tribes there broke off and came down lower into India and established their kingdoms; hence the name ''Rajput'' (son of a king). The Huna were defeated in 528 AD by Yasodharman and in 532 a coalition of Hindu kings drove the Huna out of Northern India. Genetic analysis of Rajput clans found a close connection with the Punjabi Khatri/Arora clans, indicating that the Rajputs are not outsiders as most tend to believe.

Following the independence of Pakistan and the subsequent partition of British India, a process of population exchange took place in 1947 as Muslims left East Punjab and headed to the newly created Pakistan, and Hindus and Sikhs left West Punjab for the newly created state of India. As a result of these population exchanges, both parts are now relatively homogeneous, where religion is concerned.

Influence

Due to its location, the Punjab region came under constant attack and influence from the east and the west. Invaded by the Mauryan Empire, Persians, Greeks, Kushans, Scythians, Turks, and Afghans. Its legacy is a unique culture that combines Hindu, Buddhist, Greek, Persian, Islamic, and Sikhs, and lastly British elements were also adopted during colonial rule. The city of Taxila was founded by the son of Taksh, who was the son of Bharat and who, in turn, was the brother of Ram. It was reputed to house the oldest university in the world, Takshashila University; one of the teachers was the great Vedic thinker and politician Chanakya. Taxila was a great centre of learning and intellectual discussion during the Maurya Empire. It is a UN World Heritage site, and revered for its archaeological and religious history. A legend based on oral traditions holds that Lahore, known in ancient times as Lavapuri (City of Lava in Sanskrit), was founded by Prince Lava, the son of Rama, while Kasur was founded by his twin brother Prince Kusha. To this day, Lahore Fort has a vacant temple dedicated to Lava (also pronounced Loh, hence Loh-awar or "The Fort of Loh").

Unique to central and western regions of Punjab (which form Pakistan's Punjab province) was that this area was incorporated into various central Asian, Greek and Persian empires; the area witnessed invasions by Alexander the Great, Mahmud of Ghazni and Tamerlane, to name a few. These were periods of contact between this region of Pakistan, the Persian Empire, and for a time this extended all the way to Greece. In later centuries, when Persian was the language of the Mughal government by force, Mughal architecture, poetry, art and music were an integral part of the region's culture. The official language of Punjab remained Persian until the arrival of the British in the mid 19th century, where it was finally abolished and the administrative language was changed to Urdu written in the Perso-Arabic script, which was only adopted by the Muslims as Hindus retained their Devanagari script and the Sikhs Gurmukhi; both are members of the Brahmi script and native to India.

Punjabi Hindus

Punjabi Hindus are a group of people that follow the Hindu religion and have their roots in the erstwhile joint Punjab of greater Panjab (West Punjab/East Punjab).

In India, most Punjabi Hindus are concentrated in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. Some Punjabis can also be found in the surrounding areas as well as the recent cosmopolitan migrants in big cities like Mumbai. There has also been continuous migration of Punjabi Hindus to western world countries like USA, Canada and UK.

Punjabi Hindus have their unique culture which resembles in some ways very closely the culture of Sikhs, differing in lot of other ways. Punjabi Hindus usually have a relatively liberal lifestyle and are famous for their lavish wedding parties. Like other Hindus they are also divided into castes. The most common are Scheduled Castes such Chamar (12% of Indian Punjab population) & Balmiki (10% of Indian Punjab population) and other SC's (11% of Indian Punjab population), Khatris, Sainis, Rajputs, Brahmans, Baniyas etc. Tyipical Punjabi Hindu surnames include Anand, Awal, Bachewal, Badhwar, Baijal, Bagga, Bajaj, Bakshi, Batta, Bedi, Behal (Behl), Bhalla, Bhola, Bhasin, Bhandari, Bhandula, Bindra, Birghi, Chadha, Chandok, Charan,Chawla, Chona, Chopra, Choudhary,Chetal, Dhall, Dhawan, Dhingra, Dhir, Dua, Duggal, Dhupar, Dumra, Gambhir, Gandhi, Gandhoke, Gadok, Gadhiok, Ghai, Gujral, Gulati, Gulla, Handa, Jerath, Jairath, Jaggi, Jalota, Jolly, Kakkar (Kacker) ,Kapoor (Kapur), Katyal, Keer, Khanna, Kehar, Khosla, Khullar, Kohli, Koshal, Lala, Lamba, Loomba, Madhok, Mahendru, Maini, Malhotra, Malik, Mangal, Mankhand, Manraj, Mehra, Mehrotra, Midha, Modi (Awal) , Monga, Nair(Nayyar), Nagpal, Nakra, Nayer, Nehra, Nijhawan, Nikhanj, Oberoi, Ohri, Parwanda, Passi, Phull, Phul, Phool, Puri, Rai, Rehan, Roshan, Sabharwal, Sablok, Sadana, Saggar (Sagar), Saggi, Sahi (Shahi), Sahni(Sawhney), Sami, Sarin(Sareen), Sarna, Sehgal (Sahgal), Sekhri, Sethi, Seth, Sial (Syal), Sibal, Sikka, Singh, Sobti, Sodhi, Sondhi, Soni, Suri, Talwar, Tandan (Tandon), Tehim, Tuli, Thapar, Trehan, Uberoi, Uppal, Vadehra, Vasudeva, Ved, Verma, Vig, Vij, Vinaik (Vinayak), Vohra, Wadhawan, Wahi (Wahie), Walia, Wassan(Wasan/Wason). etc. Punjabi Hindus go to Hindu temples for worship but will also visit Sikh Gurudwara. In many Punjabi Hindu families, the eldest born is raised as a Sikh. Marriages between Hindus and Sikhs is possible and is normal in Punjab, if both boy and girl are from same caste. For example, a Saini Hindu can easily marry to a Saini Sikh, a Khatri Hindu can easily marry to Khatri Sikh. Therefore within one family both Hindus and Sikhs can be found among Indian Punjabis.

Arrival of Islam - Punjabi Muslims

The Punjabis were mainly Hindus with Buddhist and Zoroastrian minorities when the Umayyad Muslim Arab army led by Muhammad bin Qasim conquered the Punjab and Sindh in 711. Bin Qasim recorded that he so was overwhelmed by the gold in the Aditya Temple in the thriving trading city of Multan (known as ''Mulasthana'' then), that he recovered the expenses for his entire invasion.

During the reign of Mahmud of Ghazni, non-Muslims were ordered to pay the jaziya tax under Islamic law. The province became an important centre and Lahore was made into a second capital of the Turk Ghaznavid Empire based out of Ghazni.

The Mughals controlled the region from 1524 until 1739 and would also lavish the province with building projects such as the Shalimar Gardens and the Badshahi Mosque, both situated in Lahore. Muslim soldiers, traders, architects, theologians and Sufis flocked from the rest of the Muslim world to the Islamic Sultanate in South Asia and some may have settled in the Punjab. Following the decline of the Mughals, the Shah of Iran and founder of the Afsharid dynasty in Persia, Nader Shah crossed the Indus and sacked the province in 1739. Later, the Afghan conqueror Ahmad Shah Durrani, incidentally born in Punjab, in the city of Multan made the Punjab a part of his Durrani Empire lasting until 1762.

Creation of Sikh religion - Punjabi Sikhs

At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the religion of Sikhism was born, and during the Mughal period its Misls gradually emerged as a formidable military force until assimilated under the expanding Sikh Empire. After fighting Ahmad Shah Durrani, the Sikhs wrested control of the Punjab from his descendants and ruled in a confederacy, which later became the Sikh Empire of the Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. A denizen of the city of Gujranwala, the capital of Ranjit Singh's empire was Lahore. The Sikhs made architectural contributions to the city and the Lahore Fort. The Sikh empire was the first local power to rule the region since Muhammed Ghori's defeat of Prithvi Raj Chauhan in 1192.

British

The Maharaja's death in the summer of 1839 brought political chaos and the subsequent battles of succession and the bloody infighting between the factions at court weakened the state. Relationships with neighbouring British territories then broke down, starting the First Anglo-Sikh War; this led to a British official being resident in Lahore and the annexation of territory south of the Satluj to British India.

Independence and its aftermath

In 1947 the Punjab province of British India was divided along religious lines into West Punjab and East Punjab. The western Punjabis voted to join the new country of Pakistan while the easterners joined India. This led to massive rioting as both sides committed atrocities against fleeing refugees.

The undivided Punjab, of which Punjab (Pakistan) forms a major region today, was home to a large minority population of Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus unto 1947 apart from the Muslim majority.

Geographic distribution

Pakistani Punjabis

Punjabis make up almost 40% of the population of Pakistan. The Punjabis found in Pakistan belong to groups known as biradaris, which descend from a common male ancestor. In addition, Punjabi society is divided into two divisions, the zamindar groups or qoums, traditionally associated with farming and the moeens, who are traditionally artisans. Zamindars are further divided into qoups such as the Rajput, Aheers, Harals, Ghosi (tribe), Jat, Shaikhs or (Muslim Khatri), Kambohs, Gujjars, Dogars and Rahmani (Muslim Labana). Zamindar groups claiming Central Asian or Middle Eastern ancestry include the Gakhars, Khattar, Awan, Mughal and Arain, comprising the main tribes in the north of the province, while Khagga, Bodla, Jhandir, Daudpota, Gardezi, Syed and Quraishi are found in the south, all of whom claim Arab ancestry. Immigrants from neighbouring regions, such as the Kashmiri, Pashtun and Baluch, also form important element in the Punjabi population. Pashtun tribes like the Niazis and the Khakwanis, are integrated into Punjabi village life. Especially the members of the Niazi tribe, who see themselves as Punjabis first. They have big communities in Mianwali, Bakkar, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sahiwal and Toba Tek Singh. Major Moeen groups include the Lohar, Khateek, Rawal, Chhimba Darzi, Teli, Julaha, Mallaah, Mirasi, who are associated with a particular crafts or occupation.

Punjabis have traditionally and historically been farmers and soldiers, which has transferred into modern times with their dominance of agriculture and military fields in Pakistan. In addition, Punjabis in Pakistan have been quite prominent politically, having had many elected Members of Parliament. As the most ardent supporters of a Pakistani state, the Punjabis in Pakistan have shown a strong predilection towards the adoption of the Urdu language but nearly all speak Punjabi, and still identify themselves as ethnic Punjabis for the most part. Religious homogeneity remains elusive as a predominant Islamic Sunni-Shia population and a Christian minority have not completely wiped out diversity since the partition of British India. A variety of related sub-groups exist in Pakistan and are often considered by many Pakistani Punjabis to be simply regional Punjabis including the Seraikis (who overlap and are often considered transitional with the Sindhis) and Punjabi Pathans (which publications like ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' consider a transitional group between Punjabis and Pathans.

State PakistanPunjab (Pakistan)SindhIslamabadKhyber PakhtunkhwaBalochistan (Pakistan)Federally Administered Tribal Areas

Rank	|	Punjabi speakers	Percentage
—	|	76,335,300	44.15
1	Punjab ||	70,671,704	75.23
2	|	3,592,261	6.99
3	|	1,343,625	71.66
4	NWFP ||	396,085	0.97
5	Balochistan ||	318,745	2.52
6	Fata ||	12,880	0.23

Indian Punjabis

The population of Indian Punjab is divided into two major religious groups, the Sikhs and Hindus. It is further sub-divided into various tribal groups, social groups (caste) and economic groups. Major sub-groups in India include the Khatris, Kalals/Ahluwalias, Bania, Saini Sikhs, Saini Hindus, Brahmin, Chamar, Chhimba, Chura, Jatts, Kamboj, Khatri, Labanas, Lohar, Mahtam, Mazhabi, Nais, Rajput, Ramgarhia, Ramdasia, Soods and Tarkhans etc. All these subgroups are hardworking and well educated and living with unity, peace and harmony with each other.

Like Punjabi Muslim society, these various castes are associated with particular occupations or crafts. Communities such as the Jatt, Kamboj Sikh and Saini Sikh are essentially farmers, while the Arora, Bania, Bhatia are associated to trade. Other groups are associated with particular crafts, include Lohar who were historically ironsmiths, while Tarkhans were carpenters and the Nai were barbers.

Indian Punjab is also home to small groups of Muslims and Christian. Most of the East Punjab's Muslims ''(in today's states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh)'' left for West Punjab in 1947. However, a small community still exists today, mainly in Malerkotla which was spared during partition, the only Muslim princely state among the seven that formed the erstwhile Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU). The other six ''(mostly Sikh)'' states were: Patiala, Nabha, Jind, Faridkot, Kapurthala and Kalsia.

The Punjab region within India maintains a strong influence on the perceived culture of India towards the rest of the world. Numerous Bollywood film productions use the Punjabi language in their songs and dialogue as well as traditional dances such as bhangra. Bollywood has been dominated by Punjabi artists including Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Vinod Khanna, Dharmendra, Shammi Kappoor, Rishi Kapoor, Lara Dutta, Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. Prime Ministers of India including Gulzarilal Nanda and Inder Kumar Gujral in the past, and Dr. Manmohan Singh at present, are Punjabis, as are numerous players in the Indian cricket team both past and present including Bishen Singh Bedi, Kapil Dev, Mohinder Amarnath, Navjot Sidhu, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Yograj Singh.

The Punjabi diaspora

The Punjabi people have emigrated in large numbers to many parts of the world. The United Kingdom has a significant number of Punjabis from both Pakistan and India as does Canada (specifically Vancouver and Toronto) and the United States, (specifically California's Central Valley). The Middle East has a large immigrant community of Punjabis, in places such as the UAE and Kuwait. There are large communities in East Africa including the countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Punjabis have also emigrated to Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Punjabis by country

Rank !! Country !! First language
1		76,335,300
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26

Diversity

The Punjab region is diverse, due to its location near Central Asia. It has been prone to numerous migrations and the resulting settlers have left imprints upon the local Punjabi population that remain present in the numerous sub-groups. The Punjabi people are a heterogeneous group and can be subdivided into a number of ethnic clan groups in both the East and West Punjab called ''biradri'' (literally meaning a tribe), each having their own subtle differences.

Genetics

The majority of Punjabi population share similar genes with other northern Indian populations, but also show a significant relationship with west Eurasian groups. In a 2004 Stanford study conducted with a wide sampling from India, including 112 Punjabis, and selected other countries, displayed the following:

:Results show that Indian tribal and caste populations derive largely from the same genetic heritage of Pleistocene southern and western Asians and have received limited gene flow from external regions since the Holocene.

This study also found that roughly 42% of genetic markers in the Punjab were of West Asian origin, the highest amongst the sampled group of South Asians. Another study also showed that there has been limited gene flow in and out of north India, but the highest amount of genetic inflow from the west showed up in the Punjab region:

:Broadly, the average proportion of mtDNAs from West Eurasia among Indian caste populations is 17% (Table 2). In the northern States of India their share is greater, reaching over 30% in Kashmir and Gujarat, nearly 43% in Indian Punjab.

Some preliminary conclusions from these varying tests support a largely north Indian genetic base for most Punjabis accompanied by some of the highest degrees of west Asian admixture found in north India.

Culture and society

Punjabi culture is the culture of the Punjab region. It is one of the oldest and richest cultures in world history, dating from ancient antiquity to the modern era. The Punjabi culture is the culture of the Punjabi people who are now distributed throughout the world. The scope, history, sophistication and complexity of the culture are vast. Some of the main areas include Punjabi Philosophy, poetry, spirituality, education, artistry, dance, music, cuisine, science, technology, military warfare, architecture, traditions, values and history.

Religion

Punjab is one of the most tolerant and diverse in terms of reglion in South Asia. Also many prominent scholars in the past have made inroads in Punjabi population who not only stressed the need of organized religion like Islam and Sikhism but also talked about wisdom, knowledge and science and other Theists ideologies at the same time. For this reason Punjabis are diverse in their religious thoughts and many religious and philosophical movements initiated here in the past.The majority of Punjabis in Pakistan are Muslims and majority of Indian Punjabis are Hindus and Sikhs. Punjab is the birthplace of Sikhism which have its adherents in India, Pakistan and in many parts of the world. The Ahmediyya Community which is the most persecuted community in the Muslim world was also founded in Punjab and their founder was born here. In Pakistani Punjab more than 3 percent of the population are Christians and churches could be found in almost every city. Also Punjabis follow Sufism, Ahmeddiyat, Quranism and some do follow Deism and a small minority is Atheist and Agnostic as well.

Language

The main language of the Punjabi people is Punjabi and its associated dialects, which differ depending on the region of Punjab the speaker is from; there are notable differences in the Lahnda languages, spoken in the Pakistani Punjab. In the Pakistani Punjab Urdu is spoken by many, but nearly all speak Punjabi. In the Indian Punjab, most people speak Punjabi. English is sometimes used, and people may also speak Hindi and older people who lived in the undivided Punjab may be able to speak and write in Urdu. There is a significant Persian influence found in certain Punjabi dialects; this is more pronounced in the Pakistani Punjab region, due to the region's proximity to the Iranian plateau. The Punjabi languages have absorbed numerous loanwords from surrounding areas and provinces (and from English).

Cuisine

Punjabi cuisine has an immense range of dishes and has become world-leader in the field; so much so that many entrepreneurs that have invested in the sector have built large personal fortunes due to the popularity of Punjabi cuisine throughout the world.

Music

Bhangra is one of the many Punjabi musical art forms that is increasingly being listened to in the west and is making inroad in mainstream music scene. Punjabi music is being used by western musicians, in many ways, such as mixing it with other compositions to produce award-winning music. In addition, Punjabi classical music is increasingly becoming popular in the west due to the popular admiration of sounds of the Punjabi language and its composition. The most common local instruments used in both India and Pakistan Punjab are Dhol, Dhadd, Alghoza, Dafli, Damru, Rubab, Sarangi, Ghalar, Supp., Harmonium, Sitar, Bulbul tarang and Chimta.Along with local musical instrument Bhangra music is played with almost every music system imaginable weather it is classical or electronic music.

Punjabi dances

Owing to the long history of the Punjabi culture and of the Punjabi people, there are a large number of dances normally performed at times of celebration,the time of festivals known as Melas and the most prominent dances are at Punjabi weddings, where the elation is usually particularly intense. Punjabi dances are performed either by men or by women. The dances range from solo to group dances and also sometimes dances are done along with musical instruments like Dhol, Flute, Supp, Dhumri, Chimta etc.

Marriage

Punjabi wedding traditions and ceremonies are traditionally conducted in Punjabi and are a strong reflection of Punjabi culture. While the actual religious marriage ceremony among Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, and Jains may be conducted in Arabic, Punjabi, Sanskrit, by the Kazi, Pandit or Granthi, there are commonalities in ritual, song, dance, food, and dress. The Punjabi wedding has many rituals and ceremonies that have evolved since traditional times. Punjabi receptions of all sorts are known to be very energetic, filled with loud Bhangra music, people dancing, and a wide variety of Punjabi food.

Sports

The people of Punjab are known to have keen interest in sports. A variety of indoor and outdoor sports are played in Punjab. The sports been played here include Cricket, Hockey, Kabaddi, Boxing, Basketball Horse racing, Gilli-danda, Kho kho, Naiza Baazi (Tent pegging), Greyhound racing, Bandar Killa, Chuppan Chupai (Hide-and-seek), Stapu (Hopscotch), Bantay (Marbles), pugan pugai, French cricket, Kings (card game), Yassu Panju, Snooker, Pitho Garam, Baraf Paani (Tag (game), Dodgeball, chiri uri kawa ura, Carrom, Ludo (board game) and sometimes one form of martial arts known as Gatka is also taken as a form of sports.

Punjabi folk tales

The folk tales of Punjab include many stories which are passing through generations and includes folk stories like Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sahiban, Sohni Mahiwal etc. to name a few.

Village life in Punjab

The village life of land of five rivers is as entrancing as any other thing of this region. The village life is simple and people usually live in small communities and they live in peace and harmony with each other.

Festivals in Punjab

Traditional dresses wore in Punjab

Prominent Punjabis

See also

Punjab region

Punjabi culture

Punjabi language

Punjabi cuisine

Music of Punjab

Punjabi dance

Punjabi folklore

Punjabi press

History of the Punjab

References

References and further reading

Mohini Gupta, Encyclopaedia of Punjabi Culture & History - Vol. 1 (Window on Punjab) [Hardcover], ISBN 978-8120205079

Iqbal Singh Dhillion, Folk Dances of Punjab ISBN 978-8171162208

Punjabi Culture: Punjabi Language, Bhangra, Punjabi People, Karva Chauth, Kila Raipur Sports Festival, Lohri, Punjabi Dhabha, ISBN 978-1157613923

Kamla C. Aryan , Cultural Heritage of Punjab ISBN 978-8190000291

Shafi Aqeel, Popular Folk Tales from the Punjab ISBN 9780195475791

Online Book of Punjabi Folk Tales, http://archive.org/stream/KamalKahanisaeedBhuttaABookOnPunjabiFolktales/KamalKahaniReviewByHassnainGhayoor#page/n0/mode/2up

Punjabi Wedding Songs http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/boliyan-book/id464162568?mt=8

Colloquial Panjabi: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) ISBN 978-0415101912

A website dedicated to Punjabi Language ( Shahmukhi and Gurmukhi Scripts) http://www.apnaorg.com/

Gilmartin, David. ''Empire and Islam: Punjab and the Making of Pakistan''. Univ of California Press (1988), ISBN 0-520-06249-3.

Grewal, J.S. and Gordon Johnson. ''The Sikhs of the Punjab (The New Cambridge History of India)''. Cambridge University Press; Reprint edition (1998), ISBN 0-521-63764-3.

Punjab Digital Library http://www.panjabdigilib.org

Denzil Ibbetson, ''Punjab Castes: Race, Castes and Tribes of the People of Punjab''. Cosmo Publications, ISBN 81-7020-458-5.

Ibbetson, Denzil, (2002). ''Panjab castes''. Low Price Publications. ISBN 81-7536-290-1.

Latif, Syed. ''History of the Panjab''. Kalyani (1997), ISBN 81-7096-245-5.

Rose, H.A. Denzil Ibbetson, Edward Maclagan (reprint 1990). ''Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North West Frontier Province''. Asian Educational Services, India, ISBN 81-206-0505-5.

Sekhon, Iqbal S. ''The Punjabis : The People, Their History, Culture and Enterprise''. Delhi, Cosmo, 2000, 3 Vols., ISBN 81-7755-051-9.

Singh, Gurharpal. ''Ethnic Conflict in India : A Case-Study of Punjab''. Palgrave Macmillan (2000).

Singh, Gurharpal (Editor) and Ian Talbot (Editor). ''Punjabi Identity: Continuity and Change''. South Asia Books (1996), ISBN 81-7304-117-2.

Singh, Khushwant. ''A History of the Sikhs - Volume 1''.Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-562643-5

Steel, Flora Annie. ''Tales of the Punjab : Told by the People (Oxford in Asia Historical Reprints)''. Oxford University Press, USA; New Ed edition (2002), ISBN 0-19-579789-2.

Tandon, Prakash and Maurice Zinkin. ''Punjabi Century 1857-1947'', University of California Press (1968), ISBN 0-520-01253-4.

Pakistan, India

DNA boundaries in South and Southwest Asia, BMC Genetics 2004, 5:26

Ethnologue Eastern Panjabi

Ethnologue Western Panjabi

Indian Census

Pakistan Census

The Genetic Heritage of the Earliest Settlers Persists Both in Indian Tribal and Caste Populations, Am. J. Hum. Genet. 72:313–332, 2003

Online 1 Online 2 Online 3 (A free copy of this book can be read from any 3 of the included "Online Sources" of this free “Online Book”)

The Legacy of The Punjab by R. M. Chopra, 1997, Punjabee Bradree, Calcutta.

http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/2891/11/11_chapter%204.pdf

External links

Peoples and Languages in Pre-Islamic Indus Valley

Free Punjabi (Gurmukhi) Primer - Especially designed for those who know English

Category:Ethnic groups in Pakistan Category:Ethnic groups in India Category:Punjabi culture Category:Muslim communities

ar:بنجاب (عرق) bn:পাঞ্জাবি জাতি bg:Пенджабци fa:مردم پنجابی ko:펀자브인 hi:पंजाबी समुदाय hr:Pandžapci id:Punjabi ka:პენჯაბელები ja:パンジャーブ人 no:Punjabier pa:ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਲੋਕ pnb:پنجابی لوک pl:Pendżabczycy ru:Панджабцы simple:Punjabi people sr:Панџапци sh:Pendžapci ta:பஞ்சாபி மக்கள் zh:旁遮普人

This is an alphabetical list of notable Punjabi Singers and other vocal artists from East & West Punjab.

__NOTOC__

A

Abrar-ul-Haq

Alam Lohar

Amar Singh Chamkila

Anamika

Arif Lohar

Aman Hayer

Apache Indian

Amrinder Gill

Arvind Kumar

Asa Singh Mastana

Attaullah Khan Essa Khailwi

Alfaaz

Anurag Malik

B

Baba Sehgal

Bhagwant Maan

Bikram Singh

Bohemia (musician)

Babbu Mann

Bally Sagoo

Binde Shah

C

Channi Singh

D

Daler Mehndi

Didar Sandhu

Diljit Dosanjh

Dr Madan Gopal Singh

Dev Bhandari(Musician)

F

Foji Gill

G

Gippy Grewal

Gurdas Maan

Gulshan Kumar - Relief

H

H-Dhami

Hadiqa Kiyani

Hans Raj Hans

Harbhajan Maan

Harjit Harman

Harshdeep Kaur

Honey Singh

I

Imran Khan

J

Jagjit Singh

Jaspal Bhatti

Jaspinder Narula

Jasbir Jassi

Jassi Sidhu

Jaswinder Brar

Jawad Ahmad

Jazzy B

Juggy D

Jaz Dhami

JK

JD

K

Kanth Kaler

Kamal Heer

Kiran Ahluwalia

Kuldeep Manak - Relief

Kulwinder Dhillon - Relief

L

Labh Janjua

Lal Chand Yamla Jatt

Lehmber Hussainpuri

M

Manmohan Waris

Mika Singh

Malkit Singh

Mallika Jyoti

Master Saleem

Miss Pooja

Mona Singh

Mansoor Ali Malangi

Karan MC

N

Nachhatar Gill

Noor Jehan

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Nirmal Sidhu

P

Panjabi MC

Pammi Bai

Preet Brar

Prabh Gill

S

Sarbjit Cheema

Sardool Sikander

Satinder Sartaj

[Sazi Judge]]

Satinder Satti

Shamshad Begum

Shazia Manzoor

Shingara Singh

Soni Pabla - Relief

Sukhbir

Sukshinder Shinda

Sukhwinder Singh

Surinder Shinda

Surjit Bindrakhia - Relief

Surinder Kaur

Surj Sahota

Sukhvinder Sukhi

T

Talib Hussain Dard

Taari (East Punjabi)

Tarsame Singh Saini a.k.a. Taz - Stereo Nation

Anurag Malik

S

Sharry Maan

Satwinder Bitti

U

V

W

Y

Yudhvir Manak

Z

References

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