Punjab, State, northwestern India. Area: 19,445 sq mi (50,362 sq km). Pop.: (2011) 27,704,236. Capital: Chandigarh. It is bordered by Pakistan and by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Rajasthan and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Chandigarh is the joint administrative capital of Punjab and Haryana. In the 18th century the Sikhs 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. Amritsar, in the northwest, is noted for the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), the central house of worship of Sikhism.
