Punjab Province (British India)
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| Punjab پنجاب पंजाब ਪੰਜਾਬ |
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| Capital | Lahore * Murree 1873-1875 (Summer) * Shimla 1876-1947 (Summer) |
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| Historical era | New Imperialism | |||||
| • | Established | 2 April 1849 | ||||
| • | Partition of India | 14–15 August 1947 | ||||
| Today part of |  India Pakistan |
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Punjab, also spelled Panjab, was a province of British India. Most of the Punjab region was annexed by the East India Company in 1849, and was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British control. It comprised five administrative divisions — Delhi, Jullunder, Lahore, Multan and Rawalpindi — and a number of princely states.
The partition of India led to the province being divided into East Punjab and West Punjab, belonging to the newly created Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan respectively.
Contents
Etymology
The Punjab is named for the five rivers by which it is watered, from the Persian words "Punj" (Panch in Hindi) (five) and "Ab" (Aab means water in Arabic). The rivers are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej, all tributaries of the Indus.
Geography
Geographically, the province was a triangular tract of country of which the Indus River and its tributary the Sutlej formed the two sides up to their confluence, the base of the triangle in the north being the Lower Himalayan Range between those two rivers. Moreover, the province as constituted under British rule also included a large tract outside these boundaries. Along the northern border, Himalayan ranges divided it from Kashmir and Tibet. On the west it was separated from the North-West Frontier Province by the Indus, until it reached the border of Dera Ghazi Khan District, which was divided from Baluchistan by the Sulaiman Range. To the south lay Sindh and Rajputana, while on the east the rivers Jumna and Tons separated it from the United Provinces.[1]
In present-day India, it included the regions of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh (but excluding the former princely states which were later combined into the Patiala and East Punjab States Union)
In present-day Pakistan, it included the regions of Punjab, Islamabad Capital Territory and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (until 1901)
History
On 21 February 1849, the Sikhs were defeated at the Battle of Gujrat by the British. Following the victory the British East India Company (EIC) annexed Punjab on 2 April 1849 when it became part of the British Raj, at that time administered by the EIC. Lord Dalhousie constituted the Board of Administration by inducting into it the most experienced and seasoned British officers. The members include Sir Henry Lawrence, who had previously worked as British Resident at the Lahore Durbar. Sir Colin Campbell, who had previously commanded the garrison at Lahore, was moved to Peshawar to guard the Khyber Pass. Henceforth the Punjab would provide Sikh and Punjabi sepoy regiments to the EIC's armies in India. These soldiers would later help the British to put down the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Delhi was transferred from the North-Western Provinces (later the United Provinces) to Punjab in 1859. The British colonial government took this action partly to punish the city for the important role that the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah II and the city as a whole played in the 1857 Rebellion.[2] Sir John Lawrence, then Chief Commissioner, was appointed the first Lieutenant-Governor on 1 January 1859. The territory under the Lieutenant consisted of 29 Districts, grouped under 5 Divisions, and 43 Princely States. Each District was under a Deputy-Commissioner, who reported to the Commissioner of the Division. Each District was subdivided into between three and seven tehsils, each under a tahsildar, assisted by a naib (deputy) tahsildar.[3]
In 1866, the Judicial Commissioner was replaced by a Chief Court. The direct administrative functions of the Government were carried out through the Lieutinent-Governor through the Secretariat, comprising a Chief Secretary, a Secretary and two Under-Secretaries. They were usually members of the Indian Civil Service.[4]
By the late 19th century, however, the Indian nationalist movement took hold in the province. One of the most significant events associated with the movement was the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919, which resulted from an order given by British colonel Reginald Dyer to fire on a group of some 10,000 unarmed Indians who had convened to protest new anti-subversion regulations.[5]
In 1901 the frontier districts beyond the Indus were separated from Punjab and made into a new province - the North-West Frontier Province.
Administrative divisions
| Division | Districts in British Territory / Princely States |
|---|---|
| Delhi Division | |
| Jullunder Division | |
| Lahore Division | |
| Rawalpindi Division | |
| Multan Division | |
| Total area, British Territory | 97,209 square miles |
| Native States |
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| Total area, Native States | 36,532 square miles |
| Total area, Punjab | 133,741 square miles |
Lyallpur and Sheikhupura districts.
Lieutenant-Governors
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The following is a chronological list of Lieutenant-Governors of Punjab Province under British rule.[4]
| Incumbent | Date appointed |
|---|---|
| Sir John Lawrence | January 1, 1859 |
| Sir Robert Montgomery | 1859 |
| Sir Donald McLeod | 1865 |
| Sir Henry Durand | 1870 |
| Sir Henry Davies | 1871 |
| Sir Robert Egerton | 1877 |
| Sir Charles Aitchison | 1882 |
| Sir James Lyall | 1887 |
| Sir Dennis Fitzpatrick | 1892 |
| Sir Macworth Young | 1897 |
| Sir Charles Rivaz | 1902 |
| Sir Denzil Ibbetson | 1907 |
| Sir Louis Dane | 1908 |
Coat of arms
Crescat e Fluviis was the motto used in the Coat of arms for Punjab Province, British India. The language used is Latin.
Meaning
As per the book History of the Sikhs written by Khushwant Singh, it means Strength from the Rivers. As per the English translation from Google Translate, it means Grow out of the river.
See also
References
- ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica article on Punjab
- ↑ Gupta, Narayani. 1981. Delhi Between Two Empires, 1803-1931. Oxford University Press, p.26
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Further Reading
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External links
