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Majha (romanized:Mājhā; Punjabi pronunciation: [mäˑ˩˥.dʒˑäː] ; from "mañjhlā" lit. 'middle') [note 1] [1] is a region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab region, currently split between the republics of Pakistan and India. [2] It extends north from the right banks [note 2] of the river Beas, and reaches as far north as left bank of the river Ravi, constituting upper half of the Bari Doab. [2]
The Majha region was partitioned between India and Pakistan in 1947. It includes four districts of Indian state of Punjab — Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, and Pathankot. In the Pakistani province of Punjab, the Majha region proper includes Lahore and Kasur districts. However, it is not uncommon to include the districts of Gujranwala (including Hafizabad and Wazirabad), Sialkot (including Narowal) and Sheikhupura (including Nankana Sahib) — located in the Upper Rachna Doab — in the Majha area as well. [1] [3]
People of the Majha region are given the demonym "Mājhī" or "Majhail". Most inhabitants of the region speak the Majhi dialect, which is the basis of the standard register of the Punjabi language in Indian Punjab. [4] The most populous city in the area is Lahore on the Pakistani side, and Amritsar on the Indian side of the border. Majha is also the birthplace of Sikhism. [1]
The Majha region is called the "Sword Arm of the Country", due to it contributing disproportionately to the Officer as well as Orderly ranks of the Armies of both India and Pakistan. [5] The Sikh Empire was founded in the Majha region, and so the region is also sometimes referred to as "the cradle of the brave Sikhs". [6]
The following districts are classified as Majha.
Majha districts of Punjab, Pakistan | Majha districts of Punjab, India |
---|---|
Lahore | Amritsar |
Kasur | Gurdaspur |
Sialkot | Tarn Taran |
Gujranwala | Pathankot |
Narowal | |
Sheikhupura | |
Nankana Sahib | |
Hafizabad | |
Wazirabad |
A gurdwara or gurudwara is a place of assembly and worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "Home of guru". Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as Gurdwara Sahib. People from all faiths and religions are welcomed in gurdwaras. Each gurdwara has a Darbar Sahib where the Guru Granth Sahib is placed on a takht in a prominent central position. Any congregant may recite, sing, and explain the verses from the Guru Granth Sahib, in the presence of the rest of the congregation.
Ranjit Singh was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839.
The Samadhi of Ranjit Singh is a 19th-century building in Lahore, Pakistan that houses the funerary urns of the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It is located adjacent the Lahore Fort and Badshahi Mosque, as well as the Gurdwara Dera Sahib, which marks the spot where the fifth guru of Sikhism, Guru Arjan, died. Its construction was started by his son and successor, Maharaja Kharak Singh, after the ruler's death in 1839, and completed nine years later. It overlooks the Hazuri Bagh, built by Ranjit Singh, to its south.
Majhi, also known as Central Punjabi, is the most widely-spoken dialect of the Punjabi language, natively spoken in the Majha region of Punjab in present-day Pakistan and India. The dialect forms the basis of Standard Punjabi.
Gurdwara Sri Tarn Taran Sahib, officially Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib, is a gurdwara established by the fifth guru, Guru Arjan Dev, in the city of Tarn Taran Sahib, Punjab, India. The site has the distinction of having the largest sarovar of all the gurdwaras. It is famous for the monthly gathering of pilgrims on the day of Amavas. It is near Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar.
Tarn Taran Sahib is a city in the Majha region of the state of Punjab, in northern India. It is the district headquarters and hosts the municipal council of Tarn Taran district. Gurdwara Sri Tarn Taran Sahib, a prominent Sikh shrine, is located in the central part of the city.
Gurdaspur district is a district in the Majha region of the state of Punjab, India. Gurdaspur is the district headquarters. It internationally borders Narowal District of Pakistani Punjab, and the districts of Amritsar, Pathankot, Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur. Two main rivers Beas and Ravi passes through the district. The Mughal emperor Akbar is said to have been enthroned in a garden near Kalanaur, a historically important town in the district. The district is at the foothills of the Himalayas.
Amritsar district is one of the twenty three districts that make up the Indian state of Punjab. Located in the Majha region of Punjab, the city of Amritsar is the headquarters of this district.
Batala is the eighth largest city in the state of Punjab, India in terms of population after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda, Mohali and Hoshiarpur. Batala ranks as the second-oldest city after Bathinda. It is a municipal corporation in Gurdaspur district in the Majha region of the state of Punjab. It is located from holy city Amritsar 39 km and about 32km from Gurdaspur, the headquarters of the district. It is also a Police district. Batala holds the status of the most populated town of the district with 31% of the district's total population. It is the biggest industrial town in the district.
Doaba, also known as Bist Doab or the Jalandhar Doab, is the region of Punjab, India that lies between the Beas River and the Sutlej River. People of this region are given the demonym "Doabia". The dialect of Punjabi spoken in Doaba is called "Doabi". The term "Doaba" or "Doab" is derived from Persian دو آب meaning "land of two rivers". The river Sutlej separates Doaba from the Malwa region to its south and the river Beas separates Doaba from the Majha region to its north.
Malwa is a geographical region in the south of Punjab state in India. It is located between south of the Sutlej river, north of the Ghaggar river, east of Pakistan, and west of the Sivalik Hills.
Tarn Taran district is one of the districts in the Majha region of Punjab, India. The main cities are Tarn Taran Sahib, Bhikhiwind, Khadur Sahib and Patti. The City of Tarn Taran Sahib is a holy place for Sikhs. Tarn Taran's Sikh population makes it the most heavily concentrated administrative district of Sikhs in India and the world.
The Chief Khalsa Diwan or Chief Khalsa Diwan Charitable Society is a Sikh organisation that is the central organization of various Singh Sabhas spread across Punjab, India. Unlike the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee, the C.K.D. is an apolitical body and only concerns itself with religious, educational and cultural issues. The organization originally controlled Sikh religious and educational concerns and was an advocate of Sikh political rights, though it presently is mostly limited to educational spheres. It was the main council of Sikhs until the birth of more radical organizations, such as the Central Sikh League, the S.G.P.C., and the Akali Dal.
Attari, also spelled Atari, is a village of Amritsar district in the Punjab state of India, 3 km from the Indo-Pakistani border at Wagah. It is situated 25 km west of the Sikh holy city of Amritsar, and is the last Indian station on the rail route connecting Lahore, Pakistan with the Indian capital Delhi. Attari village was the native village of Sardar Sham Singh Attariwala, one of the generals in the Army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Kartar Singh Jhabbar was a Sikh leader known for his role in the Gurdwara Reform Movement of the 1920s.
Chabhal Kalan is a town in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab, India and is located 13 miles (21 km) away from Amritsar city.
Gurdwara Dera Sahib is a gurudwara in Lahore, Pakistan, which commemorates the spot where the 5th guru of Sikhism, Guru Arjan Dev, was martyred in 1606.
Madhopur Headworks is a barrage on the Ravi River in Madhopur, just 14 km from Pathankot city in Pathankot district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is located on the border with Jammu and Kashmir. The Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) off-taking from Madhopur irrigates agricultural lands in Punjab and provides water to the cities of Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala and Amritsar.
Bedian, also spelled Badian, is a village in the Kasur District of Punjab, Pakistan, close to the India-Pakistan border. The village was founded by the Sikh preacher Baba Sahib Singh Bedi during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. After the partition of India, Pakistan built the Bambawali-Ravi-Bedian Canal, bringing waters from the Chenab River to the Upper Bari Doab Canal, as a replacement for the canal waters lost to the Indian Punjab.
Majha is the region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab and is split between India and Pakistan. It is situated between the right bank of the river Beas and left bank of the river Ravi. Majha Region in Indian Punjab has four districts, viz., Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, and Pathankot.