The
history of Punjab dates back to 7000 B.C. The earliest human
civilization known as the Indus valley civilization is believed to have
been established in this region. The earliest signs of human activity were also started in this period. The Indus valley civilization grew from small village and settlements to highly refined urban life. At its height, around 3000 B.C., it boasted the splendid cities of Harappa (Near present Day Sahiwal in West Punjab) and Mohenjo Daro in the lower Indus valley. It was in about 900B.C that the battle of
Kurukshetra mentioned in the Epic Mahabharata was believed to have
taken place in Kurukshetra. During this period the region formed small
principalities ruled by chieftains.
In 321 B.C. Alexander
invaded this region and asked all the chieftains to surrender their
power. The next was the reign of Chandragupta Maurya that lasted till
about 1st century A.D. By 318 A.D. the Gupta dynasty exercised their
influence. They were followed by the Huns in about 500A.D.
By
1000A.D the Muslims invaded Punjab led by Mahmud of Ghazni. In 1030 A.D.
the Rajputs gained control of this territory. In about 1192A.D the
Ghoris defeated the Chauhans and ruled till the establishment of the Mughal rule, a spirit of religious liberation led to the rise of the Militant Sikh power.
Punjab
subsequently came under the reign of various Muslim rulers until the
victorious entry of the Mughals in 1526. Under the Mughals the province
enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity for more than 200 years. Punjab
came under British occupation in 1849, after the British victory over
the Sikhs. When the Indian subcontinent received its independence in
1947, Punjab was divided into two parts, i.e. Pakistan and India, with
the larger western portion becoming part of Pakistan. In 1966 the Indian
smaller half was further divided into three: Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The present provincial boundaries were established in 1970.