This article is about a state of India. For the geographical region, see Punjab. For the province of Pakistan, see Punjab, Pakistan. For other uses of the name, see Punjab (disambiguation).
The history of Punjab has witnessed the migration and settlement of different tribes of people with different cultures and ideas, forming a civilisational melting pot. The ancient Indus Valley Civilisation flourished in the region until its decline around 1900 BCE.[14] Punjab was enriched during the height of the Vedic period, but declined in predominance with the rise of the Mahajanapadas.[15] The region formed the frontier of initial empires during antiquity including Alexander's and the Maurya empires.[16][17] It was subsequently conquered by the Kushan Empire, Gupta Empire,[18] and then Harsha's Empire.[19] Punjab continued to be settled by nomadic people; including the Huna, Turkic and the Mongols. Punjab came under Muslim rule c. 1000 CE,[20] and was part of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire.[21]Sikhism, based on the teachings of Sikh Gurus, emerged between the 15th and 17th centuries. Conflicts between the Mughals and the later Sikh Gurus precipitated a militarisation of the Sikhs, resulting in the formation of a confederacy after the weakening of the Mughal Empire, which competed for control with the larger Durrani Empire.[22] This confederacy was united in 1801 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, forming the Sikh Empire.[23]
^ ab"Sub-national HDI – Area Database". Global Data Lab. Institute for Management Research, Radboud University. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
^—Melton, J. G. (2014). Faiths Across Time: 5,000 Years of Religious History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN978-1-61069-026-3.[full citation needed] —Jestice, Phyllis (2004). Holy people of the world : a cross-cultural encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN978-1-57607-355-1. OCLC57407318. —Latif, Syad Muhammad (1964). The History of Punjab from the Remotest Antiquity to the Present Time. Eurasia Publishing House. p. 283. —Bhatia, Sardar Singh (1998). The Encyclopedia of Sikhism, Volume IV. Punjabi University. p. 396.
^—Talbot, Ian (2009). "Partition of India: The Human Dimension". Cultural and Social History. 6 (4): 403–410. doi:10.2752/147800409X466254. S2CID147110854. The number of casualties remains a matter of dispute, with figures being claimed that range from 200,000 to 2 million victims —D'Costa, Bina (2011). Nationbuilding, Gender and War Crimes in South Asia. Routledge. p. 53. ISBN978-0415565660. —Butalia, Urvashi (2000). The Other Side of Silence: Voices From the Partition of India. Duke University Press. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2020. —Sikand, Yoginder (2004). Muslims in India Since 1947: Islamic Perspectives on Inter-Faith Relations. Routledge. p. 5. ISBN978-1134378258. —"A heritage all but erased". The Friday Times. 25 December 2015. Archived from the original on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
^Brass, Paul R. (2005). Language, Religion and Politics in North India. iUniverse. p. 326. ISBN978-0-595-34394-2.