Punjab

State (pop., 2001: 24,358,999), northwestern India. Bordered by Pakistan and the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan, it occupies an area of 19,445 sq mi (50,362 sq km). The city of Chandigarh is the joint administrative capital of Punjab and Haryana.

In the 18th century the Sikhs (&see; Sikhism) built a powerful kingdom in the Punjab region, which came under British rule in 1849. In 1947 the area was split between the new countries of India and Pakistan, the smaller eastern portion going to India. It is the only Indian state with a majority of Sikhs. Hindus make up about one-third of the population, and there are smaller minorities of Christians, Jains, and Muslims. The economy is based on agriculture and small- and medium-scale industry.