Punjabis

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Punjabis
  • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
  • پنجابی
Total population
dialects
L2: Urdu (in Pakistan) and Hindi and other Indian languages (in India)
Religion
Majority
Islam
Minority
Sikhism Hinduism (incl. Nanakpanthis) • Christianity

Pakistani Punjab:
Majority
Islam (97%)
Minority
Christianity (2%) • Hinduism (0.2%) • Sikhism

Indian Punjab:
Majority
Sikhism (57.7%)
Minority
Hinduism (38.5%) • Islam (1.9%) • Christianity (1.3%)[22][23][24]
Related ethnic groups
Other Indo-Aryan peoples

The Punjabis (

various Punjabi dialects on both sides.[29]

The ethnonym is derived from the term Punjab (Five rivers) in Persian to describe the geographic region of the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, where five rivers Beas, Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, and Sutlej merge into the Indus River,[30][31][32] in addition of the now-vanished Ghaggar.[33]

The coalescence of the various tribes, castes and the inhabitants of the Punjab region into a broader common "Punjabi" identity initiated from the onset of the 18th century CE.

tribes, with each person bound to a clan. With the passage of time, tribal structures became replaced with a more cohesive and holistic society, as community building and group cohesiveness form the new pillars of Punjabi society.[36][37]

Traditionally, the Punjabi identity is primarily linguistic, geographical and cultural. Its identity is independent of historical origin or religion and refers to those who reside in the Punjab region or associate with its population and those who consider the Punjabi language their mother tongue.[38] Integration and assimilation are important parts of Punjabi culture, since Punjabi identity is not based solely on tribal connections.[39] While Punjabis share a common territory, ethnicity and language, they are likely to be followers of one of several religions, most often Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism or Christianity.[40]

Etymology

The term "Punjab" came into currency during the reign of

Greeks referred to the region as Pentapotamía (Greek: Πενταποταμία),[47][48][49]
which has the same meaning as the Persian word.

Geographic distribution

Punjab is a geopolitical, cultural, and

Punjab region
, with its rivers.

Pakistan

While the total population of

ethnic Punjabis comprise approximately 44.7% of the national population.[5][6] With an estimated national population of 243 million in 2022,[5] ethnic Punjabis thus number approximately 108.5 million in Pakistan;[a][52] this makes Punjabis the largest ethnic group in Pakistan by population.[5][6]

Religious homogeneity remains elusive as a predominant

Shia, Ahmadiyya and Christian minorities.[53]

India

The Punjabi-speaking people make up 2.74% of India's population as of 2011.[54] The total number of Indian Punjabis is unknown due to the fact that ethnicity is not recorded in the Census of India. Sikhs are largely concentrated in the modern-day state of Punjab forming 57.7% of the population with Hindus forming 38.5%.[55] Ethnic Punjabis are believed to account for at least 40% of Delhi's total population and are predominantly Hindi-speaking Punjabi Hindus.[56][57][58] The Indian censuses record the native languages, but not the descent of the citizens. Thus, there is no concrete official data on the ethnic makeup of Delhi and other Indian states.[58]: 8–10 

Indian Punjab is also home to small groups of Muslims and Christians. Most of the East Punjab's Muslims left for West Punjab in 1947.[59] However, a small community still exists today, mainly in Qadian, and Malerkotla.[60]

Punjabi diaspora

The Punjabi people have emigrated in large numbers to many parts of the world. In the early 20th century, many Punjabis began settling in the

Ghadar Party. The United Kingdom has a significant number of Punjabis from both Pakistan and India. The most populous areas being London, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow. In Canada (specifically Vancouver,[61] Toronto,[62] and Calgary[63]) and the United States, (specifically California's Central Valley as well as the New York and New Jersey region). In the 1970s, a large wave of emigration of Punjabis (predominately from Pakistan) began to the Middle East, in places such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. There are also large communities in East Africa including the countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Punjabis have also emigrated to Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. Of recent times many Punjabis have also moved to Italy.[citation needed
]

Demography

Castes and tribes

Among the major castes and tribes of

Jats, Rajputs, Arains, Gujjars and Awans.[64] Prior to the partition in 1947, major communities of West Punjab also included the Khatris, Aroras and Brahmins.[65][66][67]

While in East Punjab (India), Jats are almost 20 per cent of East Punjab's population. The Scheduled Castes constitute almost 32 per cent of its total population and 4.3 per cent of the SCs nationally, official data show. Of more than 35 designated Scheduled Castes in the state, the Mazhabis, the Ravidasias/Ramdasias, the Ad Dharmis, the Valmikis, and the Bazigars together make up around 87 per cent of East Punjab's total Scheduled Caste population. The Ravidasia Hindus and the Ramdasia Sikhs together constitute 26.2 per cent of East Punjab's total Scheduled Caste population. Both Ramdasias and Ravidasias are subgroups of the Chamar[68] and are traditionally linked to leather-related occupations.[69]

Religions in Punjab

Rig Veda
 is the oldest Hindu text that originated in the Punjab region.

Proto-Hinduism is the oldest of the religions practised by the Punjabi people.[30] The historical Vedic religion constituted the religious ideas and practices in the Punjab during the Vedic period (1500–500 BCE), centered primarily in the worship of Indra.[70][71][72][note 1] The bulk of the Rigveda was composed in the Punjab region between circa 1500 and 1200 BC,[73] while later Vedic scriptures were composed more eastwards, between the Yamuna and Ganges rivers. An ancient Indian law book called the Manusmriti, developed by Brahmin Hindu priests, shaped Punjabi religious life from 200 BC onward.[74]

Later, the

Sufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of the Punjab region.[79]

The rise of Sikhism in the 1700s saw some Punjabis, both Hindu and Muslim, accepting the new Sikh faith.[74][80] A number of Punjabis during the colonial period of India became Christians, with all of these religions characterising the religious diversity now found in the Punjab region.[74]

Modern era

Due to religious tensions, emigration between Punjabi people started far before the partition and dependable records.

Muslim population at about 53.2% in 1941, which was an increase from the previous years.[83]

Due to the

population exchange but also caused by large-scale religious cleansing riots that occurred across the region at the time.[84][85] According to historical demographer Tim Dyson, in the eastern regions of Punjab that ultimately became Indian Punjab following independence, districts that were 66% Hindu in 1941 became 80% Hindu in 1951; those that were 20% Sikh became 50% Sikh in 1951. Conversely, in the western regions of Punjab that ultimately became Pakistani Punjab, all districts became almost exclusively Muslim by 1951.[86]

As a result of the population exchanges during partition, both parts of Punjab are now relatively homogeneous, as far as religion is concerned. Today the majority of Pakistani Punjabis follow

Muslim minority. Punjab is also the birthplace of Sikhism and the movement Ahmadiyya.[87]

Punjabi Muslims

Punjabi Muslims are found almost exclusively in Pakistan with 97% of Punjabis who live in Pakistan following Islam, in contrast to Punjabi Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus who predominantly live in India.[23]

Forming the majority of the Punjabi ethnicity in the greater

ethnic group in Pakistan and the world's third-largest Islam-adhering ethnicity[90] after Arabs[91] and Bengalis.[92] The majority of Punjabi Muslims are adherents of Sunni Islam, while a minority adhere to Shia Islam and other sects, including the Ahmadiyya community which originated in Punjab during the British Raj
.

  • A Punjabi Muslim of the Ghakkar tribe
    A Punjabi Muslim of the
    Ghakkar
    tribe
  • Punjabi Muslim of the Tanoli tribe
    Punjabi Muslim of the Tanoli tribe
  • Punjabi Muslim of Kharal tribe from Multan
    Punjabi Muslim of Kharal tribe from Multan
  • Pothwari Muslim
    Pothwari Muslim
  • Punjabi Muslim, Firuzpur
    Punjabi Muslim, Firuzpur

Punjabi Hindus

In the Indian state of Punjab, Punjabi Hindus make up approximately 38.5% of the state's population; numbering 10.7 million and are a majority in the Doaba region. Punjabi Hindus form a majority in five districts of Punjab, namely, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Fazilka and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar districts.[93]

Punjabi Hindus also form around 32 percent of Indian State Haryana's population and are very much influential in the state politics.[94]

During the 1947 partition, millions of Punjabi Hindus (including Hindkowan Hindus and Saraiki Hindus[95][96]) migrated from West Punjab and North-West Frontier Province, of which many ultimately settled in Delhi. Determined from 1991 and 2015 estimates, Punjabi Hindus form approximately 24 to 35 per cent of Delhi's population;[e][f] based on 2011 official census counts, this amounts to between 4,029,106 and 5,875,779 people.[98]

Following the large scale exodus that took place during the 1947 partition, there remains a small Punjabi Hindu community in Pakistan today. According to the

2017 Census, there are about 200,000 Hindus in Punjab province, forming approximately 0.2% of the total population.[99] Much of the community resides in the primarily rural South Punjab districts of Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur where they form 3.12% and 1.12% of the population respectively,[100][101] while the rest are concentrated in urban centres such as Lahore.[102][103] Punjabi Hindus in India use Nāgarī script to write the Hindi and Punjabi languages.[104]

  • A Hindu Khatri Trader of Hazara, ca. 1868-1872
    A Hindu Khatri Trader of Hazara, ca. 1868-1872
  • Hindu Tarkhan Carpenters of Lahore, ca.1862-72
    Hindu Tarkhan Carpenters of Lahore, ca.1862-72
  • Hindu Kamboj of Multan, ca.1862-72
    Hindu Kamboj of Multan, ca.1862-72
  • A Hindu Arora Trader of Lahore, ca.1862-72
    A Hindu Arora Trader of Lahore, ca.1862-72
  • A Hindu Kalal of Lahore, ca.1862-72
    A Hindu
    Kalal
    of Lahore, ca.1862-72

Punjabi Sikhs

Photograph of Sikh girls enrolled in a school run by the Church Missionary School, Amritsar, 1875

selfless service, striving for social justice for the benefit and prosperity of all, and honest conduct and livelihood while living a householder's life.[107][108][109] Being one of the youngest amongst the major world religions, with 25-28 million adherents worldwide, Sikhism is the fifth- largest religion in the world
.

The Sikhs form a majority of close to 58% in the modern day Punjab, India.

Gurmukhi is the writing script used by Sikhs and for scriptures of Sikhism. It is used in official documents in parts of India and elsewhere.[104] The tenth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh (1666 – 1708) established the Khalsa Brotherhood, and set for them a code of conduct.[110][111]

Punjabi Christians

Most of the modern Punjabi Christians are descended from converts during British rule; initially, conversions to Christianity came from the "upper levels of Punjab society, from the privileged and prestigious", including "high caste" Hindu families, as well as Muslim families.

Methodist Church.[116] Sikh organisations became alarmed at the rate of conversions among high caste Sikh families, and as a result, they responded by immediately dispatching Sikh missionaries to counteract the conversions.[117]

History

Culture

Photograph of a group of Punjabi women, 1905

Punjabi culture grew out of the settlements along the five rivers, which served as an important route to the

Indus Valley civilisation, dating back to 3000 BCE.[30] Agriculture has been the major economic feature of the Punjab and has therefore formed the foundation of Punjabi culture, with one's social status being determined by landownership.[30] The Punjab emerged as an important agricultural region, especially following the Green Revolution during the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, has been described as the "breadbasket of both India and Pakistan".[30] Besides being known for agriculture and trade, the Punjab is also a region that over the centuries has experienced many foreign invasions and consequently has a long-standing history of warfare, as the Punjab is situated on the principal route of invasions through the northwestern frontier of the Indian subcontinent, which promoted to adopt a lifestyle that entailed engaging in warfare to protect the land.[30] Warrior culture typically elevates the value of the community's honour (izzat), which is highly esteemed by Punjabis.[30]

Language

Punjabi, sometimes spelled Panjabi,[g] is an Indo-Aryan language natively spoken by the Punjabi people.

Punjabi is the most popular first language in Pakistan, with 80.5 million native speakers as per the

2011 census
.

The language is spoken among a significant overseas diaspora, particularly in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

In Pakistan, Punjabi is written using the

Shahmukhi alphabet, based on the Perso-Arabic script; in India, it is written using the Gurmukhi alphabet, based on the Indic scripts. Punjabi is unusual among the Indo-Aryan languages and the broader Indo-European language family in its usage of lexical tone.[118]

Punjabi developed from

Sanskrit: अपभ्रंश, 'deviated' or 'non-grammatical speech')[119] From 600 BCE, Sanskrit was advocated as official language and Prakrit gave birth to many regional languages in different parts of India. All these languages are called Prakrit (Sanskrit: प्राकृत, prākṛta) collectively. Paishachi, Shauraseni and Gandhari
were Prakrit languages, which were spoken in north and north-western India and Punjabi developed from one of these Prakrits. Later in northern India, these Prakrits gave rise to their own
Muslim conquests on the Indian subcontinent.[123] Many Persian and Arabic words were incorporated in Punjabi.[124][125] So Punjabi relies heavily on Persian and Arabic words which are used with a liberal approach to language. After the fall of the Sikh empire, Urdu was made the official language of Punjab (in Pakistani Punjab, it is still the primary official language), and influenced the language as well.[126]

Punjabis also speak several languages and dialects related to Punjabi, such as the Pothwari spoken in the Pothohar region of Northern Pakistani Punjab[127]

Traditional dress

Phulkari

A traditional element of Punjabi clothing has been the Phulkari. The phulkari is folk embroidery that was typically inclusive of work in floral patterns but has taken on a larger aspect of including geometrical shapes, symbols and motifs relevant to the culture. This pattern has been worn by women for hundreds of years in very vibrant colours. The pattern is typically stitched with woven silk and colourful thread. The phulkari pattern is adorned onto dupattas/chunis, better known as a decorative scarf. Over time the phulkari pattern has taken onto embellishments onto suits, dresses, accessories and more. You will see women wearing phulkari during important religious and cultural folk celebrations (i.e.: Vaisakhi, Lohri) and then in wedding celebrations such as the Jago.


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Snehi, Y. (2013). Book review: Punjab reconsidered: History, culture and practice. Studies in History, 29(1), 155–

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Dastar

A

Five Ks, wear the turban to cover their long, uncut hair (kesh). The Sikhs regard the dastār as an important part of the unique Sikh identity. After the ninth Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur, was sentenced to death by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru created the Khalsa and gave five articles of faith, one of which is unshorn hair, which the dastār covers.[128] Prior to Sikhi, only kings, royalty, and those of high stature wore turbans, but Sikh Gurus adopted the practice to assert equality and sovereignty among people.[129]

Punjabi suit
national dress,[140] of Pakistan. When women wear the shalwar-kameez in some regions, they usually wear a long scarf or shawl called a dupatta around the head or neck.[141] The dupatta is also employed as a form of modesty—although it is made of delicate material, it obscures the upper body's contours by passing over the shoulders. For Muslim women, the dupatta is a less stringent alternative to the chador or burqa (see hijab and purdah); for Sikh and Hindu women, the dupatta is useful when the head must be covered, as in a temple or the presence of elders.[142] Everywhere in South Asia, modern versions of the attire have evolved; the shalwars are worn lower down on the waist, the kameez have shorter length, with higher splits, lower necklines and backlines, and with cropped sleeves or without sleeves.[143]

Music

Qawali, commonly practised in Punjab, Pakistan; are other important genres in the Punjab region.[144][145]

Dance

Punjabi dances are performed either by men or by women. The dances range from solo to group dances and also sometimes dances are done along with traditional musical instruments. Bhangra is one of the most famous dances originating in the Punjab by farmers during the harvesting season. It was mainly performed while farmers did agricultural chores. As they did each farming activity they would perform bhangra moves on the spot.[146] This allowed them to finish their job in a pleasurable way. For many years, farmers performed bhangra to showcase a sense of accomplishment and to welcome the new harvesting season.[147] Traditional bhangra is performed in a circle[148] and is performed using traditional dance steps. Traditional bhangra is now also performed on occasions other than during the harvest season.[149][150]

Folk tales

The folk tales of Punjab include Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sahiban, Sohni Mahiwal.[151][152]

Festivals