Punjab Province (British India)
Province of the Punjab | |
|---|---|
| 1849–1947 | |
| Motto: Crescat e Fluviis (Latin) "Let it grow from the rivers" | |
| Anthem: "God Save the King" | |
| Status |
|
| Capital | Lahore |
| Summer capital | Murree (1873–1876) Simla (1876–1947) |
| Official languages | |
| Native languages | |
| Religion (1941) |
|
| Demonym(s) | Punjabi |
| Head of Province | |
• 1849–1853 | Henry Montgomery Lawrence (first) |
• 1946–1947 | Evan Meredith Jenkins (last) |
| Premier | |
• 1937–1942 | Sikandar Hayat Khan (first) |
• 1942–1947 | Malik Khizar Hayat Tiwana (last) |
| Legislature | Punjab Legislative Council (1921–1936) Punjab Provincial Assembly (1937–1947) |
| Historical era | New Imperialism |
| 21 February 1849 | |
| 29 March 1849 | |
| 1858 | |
| 9 November 1901 | |
| 1911 | |
| 14–15 August 1947 | |
| 17 August 1947 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 458,354 km2 (176,971 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 1941 census | 34,309,861 |
| Currency | British Indian rupee |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 |
| Date format |
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| Today part of | Pakistan India |
The Punjab Province, officially the Province of the Punjab, was a province of British India, with its capital in Lahore and summer capitals in Murree and Simla. At its greatest extent, it stretched from the Khyber Pass to Delhi; and from the Babusar Pass and the borders of Tibet to the borders of Sind. Established in 1849 following Punjab's annexation, the province was partitioned in 1947 into West and East Punjab; and incorporated into Pakistan and India, respectively.
Most of the Punjab region was annexed by the East India Company on 29 March 1849 following the company's victory at the battle of Gujrat in northern Punjab, a month prior. The Punjab was the last major region of the Indian subcontinent to fall to British imperialism.
Immediately following its annexation, the Punjab was annexed into the Bengal Presidency and administered separately by a board of administration led by the head of province.: 54 After 1853, the board was replaced by a chief commissioner as the Punjab was separated from the Bengal Presidency and established as a Chief Commissioner's Province.: 54 In 1858, the Punjab, along with the rest of British India, came under the rule of the British crown. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the Punjab became a lieutenant-governor's province under the Bengal Presidency.: 54 After the Government of India Act 1919, Punjab was turned into a governor's province.: 55 It had a land area of 358,355 square kilometers.
The province comprised four natural geographic regions – Indo-Gangetic Plain West, Himalayan, Sub-Himalayan, and the North-West Dry Area – along with five administrative divisions – Delhi, Jullundur, Lahore, Multan, and Rawalpindi – and a number of princely states. In 1947, the Partition of India led to the province's division into East Punjab and West Punjab, in the newly independent dominions of the Indian Union and Pakistan respectively.
During the colonial-period, the appellation "province" was used somewhat indiscriminately but usually referred to lieutenant-governor provinces (which Punjab was after 1859) but also to chief-commissioner provinces (which Punjab was from 1853–1859).: 54–55