The Apeiron Legacy of Punjab traces its roots back to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Having passed through numerous epochs, it has finally evolved into its present form — The Punjab. It is fascinating to journey through this rich historical evolution spanning countless eras and generations. Originally known as “Sapta Sindhu” during the Rig Vedic Period (1500-1000 BCE), the term means “the land of seven rivers.” These rivers were the Sindhu, Vitasta (Jhelum), Asikni (Chenab), Parusani (Ravi), Vipasa (Beas), Shatudari (Satluj), and Saraswati. It is believed that during the Later Vedic Period (1000-500 BCE), the Saraswati River — flowing between the Yamuna and Satluj — began to dry up and eventually disappeared. Simultaneously, the Indus River became geographically delinked. Consequently, the Sapta Sindhu, now left with five rivers, came to be known as “Panchnaad” (land of five rivers) during the Puraatan Kaal Period (500-300 BCE).
The earliest evidence of a spoken language emerged during the Middle Indo-Aryan Period (600 BCE-1000 CE), known as Prakrit. Over time, through successive refinements, an evolved form called Apabhramsa (“mixed”) developed. Historical records suggest that by the end of the 10th century CE, Apabhramsa gave rise to Hindi, Panchnaad (Punjabi), and various South Asian dialects. Around the 8th-9th centuries CE, the Sharada script—the mother of many later scripts — was developed. It derived its name from the ancient University and Centre of Learning at Sharda Shakti Peeth (located in Kashmir’s Keran sector near the LoC in PoK), which played a pivotal role in its creation and popularisation.
From this base evolved a variety of derivative scripts, one of which was Landa, primarily known as the merchants’ script. It was widely used for literary and administrative purposes and was soon adopted by the Panchnaad language. Around the same period, Saint Matsyendranath (Machhindernath) founded the Nath Yogi sect. His disciple, Yogi Gorakhnath, propagated his teachings and spiritual disciplines in the Panchnaad language, further strengthening its cultural roots.
In the 14th century, two landmark developments took place. First, the Sufi poet Amir Khusro, seeking to bridge the linguistic gap between Sanskrit-influenced Hindi and Persian, created a new hybrid lexicon known as “Zuban-e-Urdu” (Urdu), written in the Perso-Arabic script. It soon gained widespread acceptance and was referred to as the Shahmukhi Script in northern and north-western regions, eventually becoming the primary script of the Panchnaad language.
The second milestone was marked by Ibn Battuta, the Maghrebi explorer and polymath from Morocco. Between 1325 and 1354, he travelled over 73,000 miles across Asia, Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula. He arrived in India in 1334 and stayed until 1342. During his travels, he is believed to have renamed Panchnaad with the Persian term “Punjab”, as documented in his travelogue Rihla. Consequently, the region’s language came to be known as Punjabi.
Concurrently, the Sufi movement, led by Sheikh Farid, flourished in Punjab and was later carried forward by Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Shah Muhammad, Shah Hussain, and Damodar Das Arora (the original author of Heer-Ranjha). Their poetry and philosophy, expressed in Punjabi, deeply enriched the spiritual and cultural fabric of the newly named Punjab.
A monumental chapter followed — the emergence of Sikhism between the 15th and 18th centuries. This era ushered in profound spiritualism, consecration, and social unity among Punjabis. During this time, the Punjabi language acquired its distinct script — Gurmukhi — devised by the Second Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Angad Dev Ji.
During the Mughal era, significant administrative reforms were introduced. Among these, Raja Todar Mal, the financial genius in Emperor Akbar’s court, reorganised Punjab into five Doabs (lands between two rivers), naming them after the rivers that bounded each. From east to west: The area between Satluj and Beas was called Bist Doab (Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur).
Between Beas and Ravi lay Bari Doab (Majha, including Amritsar and Lahore).
Between Ravi and Chenab was Rachna Doab (Faisalabad-Sialkot).
Between Chenab and Jhelum lay Chaj Doab (Sargodha-Gujarat).
The westernmost region between Jhelum and the Indus was Sind Sagar Doab (Rawalpindi-Chakwal).
The rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1801-1839) is remembered for his social, political, and egalitarian reforms. The decline of the Sikh Empire followed the Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848-49), culminating in Punjab’s annexation by the British in April 1849.
Under British rule, efforts were made to enhance irrigation and agriculture. Until 1875, only one major canal existed - the Bari Doab Canal in the Majha region. Vast fertile lands, known locally as Baar regions, remained uncultivated due to the lack of irrigation. These included the Ganji and Neeli Baar (in Bari Doab) and the Saandal and Kirana Baar (in Rachna and Chaj Doabs).
To stimulate economic development, the British launched a massive canal colonisation project between 1880 and 1940, constructing nine major canals and settling nearly one million people, primarily from the Majha and Bist Doab regions. This system became one of the largest canal networks in the world and laid the foundation for Punjab’s later Green Revolution.
Punjab underwent three major partitions: first in 1901, when the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) was carved out; then in 1911, when Delhi became a separate capital territory; and finally, the tragic Partition of 1947, which divided the land into East and West Punjab — a watershed moment that forever changed the course of its history.
The writer is retired Colonel
