Punjab the land of five rivers and integrated cultural history is a treasure trove for an avid tourist. For this land of the great Gurus not only boasts old ancient monuments but throbs with historical embodiments. It is no secret that whoever comes to this land of yellow fields with blue mountains providing the romantic and picturesque backdrops has never gone back without imbibing the essences of Punjab. There is no dearth of breathtaking palaces. Since this state borders
Pakistan, there are two main posts from which you can peep into the land that was once an integral part of
Punjab and experience the feelings of the people separated by a line.
The much truncated
India’s portion of present
Punjab is divided into three natural regions: the Majha, the Doaba and the Malwa.
MALWA REGION
Malwa is a region of Punjab and parts of Haryana between the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers. This Malwa should not be confused with the Malwa Plateau region of Madhya Pradesh, Central India. Sikhs of Malwa are known for being great fighters and warriors during the era of Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Malwa area makes up majority of the Punjab region consisting 11 districts, and has the most fertile land. Cities such as Ludhiana, and Mohali located in the Malwa region are the richest cities, and are the most expensive places to live in the Punjab State. Ludhiana is the business centre of Punjab and is also referred as the Manchester of Punjab. Also the city is home to Punjab Agricultural University the best in all of Asia. Malwa is also home to many NRI residents mostly from the Ludhiana, Sangrur, Moga, Barnala, and Bathinda districts. Ferozepur, which was the biggest district and a metro city before the division of India and Pakistan, also comes in Malwa region which is famous for its Patriotism as well as Martyrdom and also for the yield of best quality of wheat and paddy in the world. The Malwa region has been controlling the political power in Punjab for decades.
Malwa comprises 10(parts of some) of the twenty districts of Punjab. Districts in Malwa include:
Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Mansa, Moga, Muktsar, Patiala, Ropar, and Sangrur.
The people of the region are known as Malwais. The dialect of Punjabi spoken in Malwa is called Malwais. During the Mughal era, Malwa was known as Sirhind, since it consisted of the city by that name. Sirhind was the headquarters or the Mughal administration in Eastern Punjab. The city was also the headquarters of the Mujaddidiya branch of the Naqshbandiyya Order of Sufism. Malwa, like the rest of the province, was also the scene of many clashes between the Mughals, the Sikhs, the Afghans, the Marathas and the British.
DOABA REGION
Doaba is the region of Indian Punjab surrounded by the rivers Beas and Sutlej. The name "Doaba" literally translates to "land of two rivers" ("Do" two, "Ab" river; Punjabi). It is one of the most fertile regions of the world, and was the centre of the Green Revolution in India. Scheduled castes form more than 35% of the population in Doaba. This area is also called the NRI (Non Resident Indians) Hub of the Punjab as many people from this region reside outside India. Historically Doaba has been the residence of 'Sanadh' and 'Sodhi' communities. Guru [Govind Singh] Ji during his visit to Sanadh region got favorable adds by Sanadh community.
The biggest cities in Doaba are Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr, Desha, Phagwara, Banga and Nakodar.
MAJHA REGION
Majha is a historical region of the Punjab comprising the modern districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran in the Indian State of Punjab and the districts of Lahore and Kasur in the Pakistani Province of Pakistan. Historically, Majha comprised the older settled parts of the Bari Doab (in particular Sheikhupura) and the Rechna Doab (in particular, Gujranwala), the newer settled parts belonging to the canal colonies. Major towns in the region include Amritsar, Batala, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Kasur, Sheikhupura and Tarn Taran Sahib. The largest part of Majha called the Bari Doab. It lies between two of the five great rivers of the Punjab: the Ravi and the Sutlej. As such, Majha lies in the heart of the ancient Punjab region. No wonder then, that one meaning of Majha is 'the central plains' or 'the central country'. The people of Majha are known as 'Majhis' or 'Majhis'. The Majhi dialect of Punjabi is the basis of standard Punjabi.
