Punjab Tourism

Punjab is a state in northwest India. Punjab (India) borders Punjab (Pakistan) to the west, Jammu and Kashmir to the north, Himachal Pradesh to the northeast, Haryana to the south and southeast, Chandigarh to the southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest. The total area of the state is 50,362 square kilometres (19,445 square miles). The population is 24,289,296 (2000). Punjab's capital is Chandigarh, which is administered separately as a Union Territory since it is also the capital of neighbouring Haryana. Other major cities of Punjab include Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala. The state is the location of one of the world's first and oldest civilizations, the Indus Valley Civilization, India's first civilization.

Punjab (India) historically forms a part of the larger Punjab region, which also includes the province of Punjab (Pakistan), the Indian states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and Delhi and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Indian Punjab was trifurcated in the year 1966 leading to the formation of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

The word "Punjab" is a combination of the Persian words 'panj' (پنج) Five, and 'āb' (آب) Water, giving the literal meaning of the Land of the Five Rivers. The five rivers, after which Punjab is named are the Jhelum; the Chenab; the Ravi; the Beas and the Sutlej - all of them are the tributaries of the Indus river.

Agriculture is the largest occupation in Punjab. In addition to agriculture, other major industries include the manufacture of scientific instruments, electrical goods, machine tools, textiles, sewing machines, sports goods, starch, tourism, fertilizers, bicycles, garments, hosiery, and the processing of pine oil and sugar. Punjab is considered to have the best infrastructure in India, this includes road, rail, air and river transport links that are extensive throughout the region.

Religion

Sikhism is the main religion of Indian Punjab, and is the persuasion of about 60% of the population ^[2] . Hinduism forms the prevalent minority religion. The holiest of Sikh shrines, the Harmandir Sahib, popularly known as the Golden Temple, is located in the city of Amritsar which is considered to be the holiest city in Sikhism. Amritsar is also a place of religious significance for Jains. Punjab is one of the six states in India that does not have a Hindu majority.

The language of the people of Punjab, on both sides of the international border, is Punjabi; however, the script used is different (Gurmukhi on the Indian side and Shahmukhi on Pakistani side).

Agriculture

Historically, Punjab (the five rivers region) has been one of the most fertile regions on earth. The region is ideal for wheat-growing. Rice, sugar cane, fruits and vegetables are also grown. Indian Punjab is called the "Granary of India" or "India's bread-basket." It produces 60% of India's wheat, and 40% of India's rice. In worldwide terms, this represents 1/30th or 3% of the world's production of these crops, so Indian Punjab produces 2% of the world's cotton, 2% of its wheat and 1% of the world's rice. The largest grown crop is wheat other important crops are rice, cotton, sugarcane, millet, maize, barley and fruit.