Hinduism in Punjab

Hinduism In Punjab

Punjabi Hindus are a group of people that follow the Hindu religion and have their roots and origin in the joint ancient Panjab region. In India, most Punjabi Hindus are concentrated in the states of Punjab and Haryana and the national capital territory of Delhi. There has also been a continuous migration of Punjabi Hindus to major world countries like the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand and Dubai.

The oldest Hindu texts such as the Vedas, Upanishads and the Mahabharata were composed in Punjab. The Hindus of Punjab have been there for millenia before Muslims and Sikhs. Some of the greatest and most powerful kings such as Prithviraj Chauhan, Raja Porus, influential Sikh figures such as Banda Singh Bahadur, Bhai Mati Das, all originated from Hindu families of Punjab. 13 of the 15 Sikh bhagats who had their writings included in the SGGS were Hindu. Later the vast majority of Punjab's Hindus converted to Sikhism found by Guru Nanak Dev, whose family hailed from the Hindu Khatri Bedi clan. In fact, Punjabi Hindus can trace their roots from the time of the Vedas. Many modern day cities in Indian Punjab and Pakistani Punjab are still named from that period like Lahore, Jalandhar, Chandigarh and so on. Examples of Punjabi Hindus include the former Prime ministers of India I.K. Gujral and Gulzari Lal Nanda and former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev and scientist Hargobind Khorana.

Punjabi Hindus have a unique culture which, in some ways, very closely resembles that of the Sikhs and also differs from theirs in many other ways. They usually have a very liberal lifestyle and are famous for their lavish wedding parties. They are mostly employed in trade and commerce though Hindu Jats work as farmers in the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana. Like other Hindus, they are also divided into castes. The most common castes are Khatri (Kshatriya in Sanskrit), Arora, Brahmin, Baniya, Rajput and Saini. In Haryana, once a part of the Greater Punjab region, Hindu Jat are predominant.