Location : Remotest in the NorthWest
Terrain : 90% of the land is flat and the soil is very fertile. Climate : Temperature varies between 10 to 35 Degree Celsius Population : as per 1991 Census MajorLanguage : Punjabi, Hindi and English
Punjab, the land of five rivers and integrated cultural history,is a
treasure trove for an avid tourist. For this land of the great gurus not
only boasts of ancient monuments but throbs with historical embodiments.
It is no secret that whoever comes to this land of yellow fields with
Blue Mountains providing the romantic and picturesque backdrop has never
gone back without imbibing the essence of Punjab.
The state Punjab has achieved tremendous growth over the years due to
the success of the Green Revolution in the early 70s. For a major period
in the second half of the 20th century, Punjab led the other states in
India to achieve self-sufficiency in crop production. The other major
reason for the prosperity of the state are the great number of people
who left their home for the countries in Europe and North America and,
after long struggles, achieved successes there.
The most important tourist center in the state of Punjab is Amritsar
with its Golden Temple. This temple is considered to be the holiest of
all the pilgrimages of Sikhism and houses Akal Takht, the supreme
governing body of Sikhism. The Jalianwallah Bagh is a small park in the
city where many pilgrims were massacred by the British police in the
year 1919.
Wagah is the only open land point between India and Pakistan. The
Changing of Guards and the ceremonial lowering of the flags ceremony at
sundown are great tourist attractions and have their own symbolic
importance.
The festivals in Punjab have always been celebrated with much exuberance
and fanfare. For the masses these festivals are popular occasions for
social interaction and enjoyment.
Punjab being a predominantly agricultural state that prides itself on
its food grain production; it is little wonder that its most significant
festival is Baisakhi, which marks the arrival of the harvesting season.
For the Sikhs, Baisakhi has a special significance because on this day
in 1699, their tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh organized the Order of the
Khalsa.
The various cities in the Indian state of Punjab are easily accessible
through air, road and rail. Tourist places in India can arrange for all
local transport during your visit of any of the cities in Punjab.
In order to make the travel tour to Punjab even more joyful you need to
choose just the right kind of accommodation for you and your family or
friends in the various cities of Punjab. The various hotels packages in
Punjab offer the best of facilities. You may take your pick from a range
of luxury and budget hotels in Punjab besides the star categorized
accommodation hotels around the landmarks of Punjab offer excellent view
of the landmarks through their suites. Most of the places to stay in
Punjab are strategically located in the business district or near the
airport and the railway station of the cities.
Capital of Punjab:
Chandigarh is the capital of Punjab and the language spoken is Punjabi.
It is a typically north Indian city with an interest in Delhi: every
family has one family member either working in the capital or atleast a
married daughter staying in Delhi. People in Chandigarh lead disciplined
lives. Unlike its more industrial neighbours like Ludhiana, it's a
service-oriented culture here. Chandigarh, is on the whole, a clean,
educated and corporate place.
The Punjabi People:
The determined industrialization of the state has moved the people from
their farms to businesses of transport and motor accessories. But by and
large Punjab remains a land of large farms, robust food and an animal
zest for life. Even today, the family is the epicenter of their lives,
with generations sitting down together for the evening meal.
Culture of Punjab:
The genius of Punjabis finds expression in love stories, lusty dancing,
and humour. Most popular Punjabi dances are: Bhangra, Giddha, Jhumar,
Luddi, Dankara Julli, Sammi, Dhamal, Jaago, Kikli and Gatka. The mirasis
(professional wits), naqalias (mummers), and domanis (female
singer-actresses) are professional performers belonging to the lower
classes. They exploit all the tricks of exaggeration, absurdity,
malapropism, comic gags, and lewd references.
Occupation in Punjab:
The economy of Punjab is characterized by a productive, increasingly
commercial agriculture, a diversity of small- and medium-scale
industries, and the highest per capita income in the nation. Wheat and
cotton are the principal crops. Live- stock and poultry are also raised
in large numbers. Industries with the largest number of workers include
cotton, woollen and silk textiles, metal products and machinery, food
and beverages, and transport equipment and parts. Others: hosiery,
bicycles, sewing machines, and sporting goods.
Handicrafts from Punjab:
Weaving of durries (cotton bed or floor spreads) in myriad motifs and
designs especially by young girls in the villages has been a long
tradition in Punjab. Needlework of Punjab is unique.Baghs, Phulkaris,
rumals and scarves are intricately designed in rich traditional patterns
and motifs. The woodwork of Punjab has also been traditionally famous.
Artistic beds with comfortable, skillfully made back rests fitted with
mirrors and carved colourful legs called Pawas, low seats called Peeras,
Peerian were made by the carpenters in almost every village. Furniture
designed with inlay ivory work, coloured mirror and engraved woodwork is
also exported to different countries.
Climate of Punjab:
Climatically the state has three major seasons. Hot weather ( April to
June) when the mercury shoots up to as high as 110 F. Rainy season is
from July to September. The average rainfall annual ranges between 96
cms in the sub-mountain region and 58 cms in the plains. Winter months
are October to March when the temperature dips to as low as 40F. October
to March is the best season to visit.
Population of Punjab: 22 million Festivals:
Holla Mohalla during March-April at Anandpur Sahib; Bawan Doadsi is
celebrated 18 days after Krishna Janmastami at Patiala; Jor Mela at
Sirhind; Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan is organised every year in last
week of December at Jalandhar; Baisakhi in April; Lohri, another
seasonal festival in mid-January. Other feasts to mark anniversaries of
the 10 Gurus are also observed.
Geography of Punjab
General Information about Punjab
Location : Remotest in the NorthWest Terrain : 90% of the land is flat and the soil is very fertile . Climate : Temperature varies between 10 to 35 Degree Celsius Population : as per 1991 Census MajorLanguage : Punjabi , Hindi and English
CLIMATE OF PUNJAB: Climatically the state has three major
seasons:
Hot weather is from April to June when the climate of the plains is
excessively hot and dry with temperatures as high as 49° C (120° F).
Rainy season is from July to September. The average rainfall annual
ranges between 96 cms in the sub-mountain region and 58 cms in the
plains. More than 70 percent of the annual rainfall occurs during this
monsoon season.
Winter are cool with some frosts. Annual rainfall ranges from about 915
mm (about 36 in) in the north to 102 mm (4 in) in the south. The average
temperature in January is 13° C (55° F), although at night the
temperature sometimes lowers to freezing. Winter months are October to
March with cool and pleasant weather.
Best season is October to March. Cotton clothing are apt for the summer months and woolens are
required for the winter months.
State : Punjab
Family : Indo-Aryan
Main Language : Punjabi
Languages spoken : Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu
Some Facts
An ancient language, but like Marathi, started its literary career
pretty late. The script is Gurmukhi based on Devanagri
Language(Punjabi) :
The language of Punjab
Punjabi is a intercontinental language. Its speakers are spread all over
the world. The natives of Punjab region of India and Pakistan speak this
language. Basically the Punjabi is the language of Punjab. The word
Punjab is made up of two words Panj and Aab. Panj means five and Aab
means water, the land of five rivers. This name was probably given to
this land of five rivers possibly in an era when this region came into
close contact with persia. Prior to that period this region was known by
different names at different times. Probably when at the height of its
glory it was known as Sapta Sindhu, the land of seven rivers. Punjab
lies in the North West of India. Being in the way of invaders from the
North, Punjab has had to take a lot of bottle ring from the invaders.
The vowels in Punjabi
So there are ten vowels in Punjabi. These pure vowels also get nasalised.
Nasilisation of final long vowels is extremely common, especially in
dialects. Punjabi has a number of diphthongs. The first member of a
diphthong is always a short and the second one is a long vowel. Ia, Io,
Ic, ei, ee, eu, ua are the diphthongs in Punjabi.
The stress is an important feature of Punjabi. In general the number and
distribution of long and short syllables determine the position of the
stress in a word.
Gemination is also an important feature of Punjabi. All consonants
except / n, r, r, l, h, y & v / occur as geminates. Geminates are
preceded by short vowels. Gemination of consonants is phonemic
HOW TO REACH
PUNJAB
The airports of Chandigarh and Amritsar are well connected to other
cities in India by regular flights. Punjab is extensively linked to the
other parts of the country by rail network. Chandigarh, Amritsar,
Ludhiana, Pathankot, and Jalandhar are the major railway hubs in the
state having trains for most parts of the country.
BY AIR - Chandigarh and Amritsar both have airports are connected
to other cities in India by regular flights. Indian airlines do have
regular flights from Chandigarh to Delhi, Lucknow, Leh, and Amritsar.
Jet air also has regular flights to Chandigarh.
BY RAIL - Punjab is extensively linked to the other parts of the
country by rail. Chandigarh, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Pathankot, and
Jalandhar are the major railway hubs in the state from where one can
take trains for most parts of the country.
BY ROAD - The entire state is connected through an extensive
network of medalled roads. State Highways connect major cities to the
state capital. NH 1 or the Grand Trunk Road connects the state with most
of the north as well as east India.
Location : Remotest in the NorthWest
