PUNJAB

Punjab, also spelt Panjab, is a state in the northwest of the Republic

of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region.The state is
bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east,
Haryana to the south and southeast, Rajasthan to the southwest, and
the Pakistani province of Punjab to the west. To the north it is
bounded by the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The state
capital is located in Chandigarh, a Union Territory and also the
capital of the neighbouring state of Haryana.
After the partition of India in 1947, the Punjab province of British
India was divided between India and Pakistan. The Indian Punjab
was divided in 1966 with the formation of the new states of Haryana
and Himachal Pradesh alongside the current state of Punjab.

LOCATION

CLIMATE
Climate of Punjab is tropical , semi arid, hot and subtropical monsoon type
with cold winter and hot summer. State experience four seasons Cold Season
from November to March, hot season from April to June, Monsoon season from
last week of June to the first week of September and post monsoon or transition
season from Sept till beginning of November. Temperature: Day temperature are
more less uniform over the plains except during winter and monsoon season.
In general the night temperature are lower in higher latitudes except during the
post monsoon when they are more or less uniform.
Humidity:- The average humidity remains about 32 % in May and 73% during
August.
Cloudiness :- Period from October to November , May to June is generally
cloudless or lightly clouded. July and August are two months when sky remain
clouded/overcast for more days.
Rainfall:- State received about 648.8 mm of average Annual rainfall.

CAPITAL OF PUNJAB
Chandigarh, also known as The City Beautiful, is a city and a union
territory in the northern part of India that serves as the capital of the
states of Haryana and Punjab. As a union territory, the city is ruled
directly by the Union Government of India and is not part of either
state.
The city of Chandigarh was the first planned city in India postindependence in 1947 and is known internationally for its architecture
and urban design. The master plan of the city was prepared by Le
Corbusier, transformed from an earlier plan by the American planner
Albert Mayer. Most of the government buildings and housing in the
city, however, were designed by the Chandigarh Capital Project Team
headed by Pierre Jeanneret, Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry.

FAMOUS PERSONALITIES OF
PUNJAB
Raj Kapoor Film

Har Gobind Khorana

Nobel Prize Winner

PEOPLE
Punjabi people also spelled Panjabi people; are a clan of
Indo-Aryan peoples, originating from the Punjab, found
between eastern Pakistan and northern India. Punjab
literally means the land of five waters
The coalescence of the various tribes, castes and the
inhabitants of the Punjab into a broader common "Punjabi"
identity initiated from the onset of the 18th century CE.
Prior to that the sense and perception of a common
"Punjabi" ethno-cultural identity and community did not
exist, even though the majority of the various communities
of the Punjab had long shared linguistic, cultural and racial
commonalities.

LARGEST CITIES

TEXTILE MILLS IN PUNJAB

PHULKARI WORK
Phulkari literally means flower working, which was
at one time used as the word for embroidery, but in
time the word Phulkari became restricted to
embroidered shawls and head scarfs. Simple and
sparsely embroidered odini (head scarfs), dupatta and
shawls, made for everyday use, are called Phulkaris,
whereas garments that cover the entire body, made
for special and ceremonial occasions like weddings
and birth of a son, fully covered fabric is called
Baghs ("garden") and scattered work on the fabric is
called "adha bagh" (half garden). this whole work is
done with white or yellow silk floss on cotton
khaddarh and starts from the center on the fabric
called "chashm-e-bulbul" and spreads to the whole
fabric.

INDUSTRY TOWN
The state has essentially an agrarian economy with a
lower industrial output as compared to other states of
India. A prominent feature of the industrial scenario
of the Punjab is its small sized industrial units. There
are nearly 194,000 small scale industrial units in the
state in addition to 586 large and medium units.
Ludhiana is an important centre for industry. In the
1980s there was a chance of a Hero Honda and
Maruti Suzuki plant to be set up in Ludhiana but due
to some circumstances of terrorism it was cancelled.

CULTURE
Dance and songs are very much compulsory during get togethers and festivals.
The festivals of Punjab makes the culture more interesting. Bhangra is one of
the most famous dance forms of Punjab. With the loud drumming of the
dholak, people dance with zeal to the tunes of the music. Giddha is another
important variant of dance practiced by Punjabi women. Bolis are lyrically
sung and danced by women. Other popular dance forms are Jhumar, Dhankara
and Gatka. Irrespective of age or religion, Punjabis love to dance and enjoy
themselves to mark festivity. Folk music is the soul of Punjabi culture. Folk
music comprises of simple musical instruments like dholak and dhol drum.
Punjabi music relates to the zestful people of Punjab. Bhangra is a popular
music form of Punjab. Boliyas are sung and music is played in tune with the
lyrics. Punjabi songsat the wedding range from emotional interludes to very
peppy beats, where there is a constant chiding of the bride and groom. A sense
of humor is essential to enjoy the wedding songs.

FESTIVALS

Hola Mohalla Feb-Mar

Basant Panchami -February
Baisakhi Mar-Apr
Rakhri Aug-Sep
Diwali Oct-Nov
Lohri January
Maghi-January
Teeans(or Teej)- July
Dussehra- Oct-Nov

BAISAKHI

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.
Baisakhi is New Year's Day in Punjab. It falls on the month of Vaisakh.

COSTUME
The traditional attire of people is Kurta-pyjama with
turban for men. Women prefer Patiala suits as part of
their traditional attire. However, the younger
generation prefers trendy attire as per the fashion
scenario. The NRI population has been a major
influece regarding attire of the Punjabis. There is a
riot of colors in the pagdi-turban and phulkari
dupattas, that comes out during the Baisakhi festival.
The traditional dress of the Punjabis comprising of
the salwar-kameez for women and lehenga-kurta
with a waistcoast has many colors and styling.
Turban styles can be explored and is compulsory for
all Sikhs.Duppatta-a part of Punjabi dress- has very
much importance in the life of Punjabi girls.

FOOD
The cuisine of Punjab has an enormous variety
of mouth-watering vegetarian as well as non
vegetarian dishes. The spice content ranges
from minimal to pleasant to high. Punjabi food is
usually relished by people of all communities. In
Punjab, home cooking differs from the
restaurant cooking style. At the restaurants, the
chefs make a liberal use of desi ghee, butter
and cream to make the food lip smacking and
finger licking. On the other hand, at home,
people prefer using sunflower oil or some other
refined oil for cooking, with the basic idea of
making the food low in fat content.

DANCE COSUME
Punjabi dances are an array of
folk and religious dances of the
Punjabi people indigenous to the
Punjab region, straddling the
border of India and Pakistan.
The style of Punjabi dances
ranges from very high energy to
slow and reserved, and there are
specific styles for men and
women. Some of the dances are
secular while others are
presented in religious contexts.

ORNAMENTS

HEAD ORNAMENTS
Mens
Sarpesh the jeweled aigrette worn in front of the turban,
Kutbiladar an oval pendant worn over the forehead,
Kalgi Plume in jeweled setting,
Mukat or Mutakh a head dress worn by Hindus at weddings,
Turah-I-marwarid tassels of pearls worn on the turban

Womens
Sisphul, chaunk or choti phul a round boss worn on the hair over the forehead, it
is cut or indented so as to resemble a gold flower like chrysanthemum.
Mauli a long chain made of rows of pearls separated by jeweled studs, about 8
inches long hanging from the head on one side.
Sir mang a pendant worn on the head by Hindus.

 EAR AND NOSE ORNAMENTS

Mens
Bala very large ring worn by Khatris, Sikhs and Dogras, they have a
pearl strung on the gold wire of which they are made.
Murki - smaller earrings of the same shape.
Dur a small earring with three studs.
Birbali a broad earring with three studs.
Durichah an ear-ring with pendant tassel
Womens
Bali or Goshwara a set of rings worn on the edge of the ear.
Bali Bahaduri it has a large pointed stud in the center.
Karnphul, Dhedu and Jhumka all forms of tassel like ornaments,
made with silver chains and little balls.
Pipal-watta, or Pipal Pata like a murki, but has a drop or pendant to
it ending in a fringe of little gold pipal leaves.

PUNJABI FOOTWARE
The jutti or Punjabi Jutti is a type of
footwear common in North India and
neighboring
regions.
They
are
traditionally made up of leather and with
extensive embroidery, in real gold and
silver thread in olden days, though now
with changing times different juti with
rubber soles are made available. Besides
Punjabi jutti, there are various local styles
as well. Today Amritsar and Patiala ("tilla
jutti") are important trade centers for
handcrafted juttis, from where they are
exported all over the world to Punjabi
diaspora. Closely related to mojaris.