Punjabis

The Punjabis, (Panjabi: پنجابی, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ), are an ethnic group native to the Punjab region, where Punjabi, an Indo-Aryan language, is spoken. The name Punjab means land of five waters (panj (five) āb (water)) in Persian. The name was introduced by the Turkic Persian conquerors of South Asia. Punjab is often referred to as the bread basket of India and Pakistan respectively.

The coalescence of the various tribes and castes in Punjab into a common "Punjabi" identity began with the beginning of the 18th century. Prior to this, there was no common identity, although most of the communities of Punjab shared a common language, culture and genetic origin.

Punjabi identity is defined primarily by language, geography and culture. These are more important than historical origin or religion. Integration and assimilation are an important part of Punjabi culture. However, the Punjabi cultural background is relatively similar.

Historically, Punjabi people have high heterogeneity and divided into clans called biradari (brotherhoods) or tribes. Each person was a member of a clan. With the passage of time, this tribal society was abandoned and replaced by a unitary society based on group cohesion. At the present time they are divided into Punjabi Muslims, Punjabi Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus.

Geographical distribution

Sikh era Punjab

In the 19th century, Ranjit Singh founded the Sikh Empire, which encompassed Punjab. This empire extended from Punjab in the west to the Chaiber Pass in the east and from Kashmir and Tibet in the north to Sindh in the south. In terms of religious demography, the population of about 3.5 million belonged to the following religions: Islam (70%), Sikhism (17%), and Hinduism (13%). In 1799, Ranjit Singh moved the capital from Gujranwala to Lahore, which was founded by his grandfather Charat Singh in 1763.

Punjab was a region between India and the Afghan Durrani Empire. The following modern political subdivisions formed the kingdom:

• Punjab to Multan in the south
• Punjab (Pakistan), Pakistan, with the capital Lahaur (Lahore)
• Parts of Punjab, India
• Parts of Himachal Pradesh, India
• Jammu, India, annexed 1808 - June 17, 1822
• Kashmir, conquered 5 July 1819 - 15 March 1846, India/Pakistan/China
• Gilgit, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. (occupied from 1842 to 1846)
• Ladakh, India
• Chaiber Pass, Afghanistan/Pakistan
• Peshawar, Pakistan (occupied 1818, released 1834)
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Tribal Areas under Federal Administration, Pakistan (documented from Hazara (occupied 1818, released 1836) to Bannu).

After Ranjit Singh's death in 1839, the empire was weakened by internal tension and misrule. The British East India Company took advantage of this opportunity to launch the First Sikh War. After the Second Sikh War, in 1849, the empire was divided into princely state and the British province of Punjab. Eventually, a Lieutenant Governor was installed in Lahore to represent the British Crown.

Punjab Partition

The independence of India and Pakistan with the partition of Punjab is seen by some historians as the beginning of the end of the British Empire. According to UNHCR estimates, 14 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims became refugees as a result of the partitions. To this day, this is considered the largest mass immigration in human history.

Until 1947, the province was ruled by a coalition of the Indian National Congress, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Unionist Muslim League. However, in the 1946 election, the Muslim League became the leading party. This led to local violence and hundreds of thousands of deaths just before partition. In West Punjabwas, most of the Hindu and Sikh population was displaced to India. In East Punjab, the Muslims were removed.

In the 1960s, a Punjabi-speaking state was created in connection with the States Reorganisation Act. The Hindi-speaking areas were granted to Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Indian Punjab is still one of the richest Indian states.

After partition, West Punjabis form a major part of Pakistan's population and accounted for forty percent of the land area. Nowadays, Punjabis live in Punjab Asad Jammu and Kashmir province and Islamabad Capital Territory. Similarly, they are also found a community in Karachi.

Punjabis are found in the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Larger communities are found in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Punjabis in Pakistan

There are over 110 million Punjabis in Pakistan, making up about 55% of Pakistan's population. Punjab is a multi-ethnic state. They belong to the group of Biradaris. Additionally, they are divided into two groups. The Zamindar or Qoums are traditionally farmers and the Moeens are usually craftsmen. The different tribes of the Zamindars are Jats, Shaikhs, Muslim Khatris, Gujjars, Awans, Arains and Sayyid. People from neighbouring regions like Kashmiris, Pashtuns and Baluchis also form a sizeable part of the population. A large number of Punjabis belong to groups related to handicrafts: Sunar, Lohar, Kumhar, Tarkhan, Julaha, Mochi, Hajjam, Chhimba Darzi, Teli, Lalari, Qassab, Mallaah, Dhobi, Mirasi etc.

Punjabis in India

2.8% of Indians speak Punjabi in 2001. The total number was not recorded in the census. The Sikhs are concentrated in the state of Punjab and constitute sixty percent of the population. Hindus make up thirty-nine percent of the population. Ethnic Punjabis are estimated to constitute 35% of the population of Delhi and consists of Hindi speaking Hindus. In Chandigarh, 80.78% of the population is Hindus, 13.11% are Sikhs, 4.87% are Muslims and a minority are Christians, Buddhists and Jains.

Punjabi in the diaspora

The Punjabis are scattered in many parts of the world. In the early 20th century, many migrated to the USA. A larger number can also be found in the UK and Canada. In the 1970s, many migrated to Middle Eastern countries (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait). Larger communities are found in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong. More recently, many have also migrated to Italy.

Punjabi as home

After the partition of India, the sense of Punjabi nationhood receded into the background. Since the mid-1980s, the sense of nation became a sense of culture.

Map the Punjabi Sikh Empire


The Punjab region with rivers

See also

• Punjabi dhaba