Majha ( ''Mājhā''; ; from "mañjhlā" ) Punjabi: ਮਾਝਾ , is a region located in the central parts of the historical

Punjab region Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, presently split between the republics of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It extends north from the right banksThe left/right bank of a river is determined by looking in the direction of flow of the river (facing downstream). of the river Beas, and reaches as far north as left bank of the river Ravi, constituting upper half of the

Bari Doab ''Doab'' () is a term used in South Asia Quote: "Originally and chiefly in South Asia: (the name of) a strip or narrow tract of land between two rivers; spec. (with) the area between the rivers Ganges and Jumna in northern India." for the tract ...

. The Majha region was partitioned between India and Pakistan in 1947. It includes four districts of Indian state of Punjab —

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

, Tarn Taran,

Gurdaspur Gurdaspur is a city in the Majha region of the Indian state of Punjab, between the rivers Beas and Ravi. It houses the administrative headquarters of Gurdaspur District and is in the geographical centre of the district, which shares a bord ...

, and

Pathankot Pathankot () is a city and the district headquarters of the Pathankot district in Punjab, India. Pathankot is the sixth most populous city of Punjab, after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda. Its local government is a municipal ...

. In the Pakistani province of Punjab, the Majha region proper includes

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

and

Kasur Kasur (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ; also Romanization, romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to the south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. The city s ...

districts. However, it is not uncommon to include the districts of

Gujranwala Gujranwala is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fourth most-populous city in the Pakistani province of Punjab. Located in northern-central Punjab's Rachna Doab, it serves as the headquarters of its Gujranwala District, epony ...

(including Hafizabad and Wazirabad),

Sialkot Sialkot (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the capital of the Sialkot District and the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 12th most populous city in Pakistan. The boundaries of Sialkot are joined ...

(including

Narowal Narowal ( Punjabi / ; ) is a historic a city located on the western bank of river Ravi in Punjab Pakistan. It was found by a Jat named Baba Naro Bajwa many centuries ago. The city is the capital of district Narowal, and a part of the Guj ...

) and

Sheikhupura Sheikhupura (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ) also known as Qila Sheikhupura, is a city and district in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. Founded by the Mughal Empire, Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the List of ...

(including

Nankana Sahib Nankana Sahib (; ) is a city and capital of Nankana Sahib District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is named after the first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak, who was born in the city and first began preaching here. Nankana Sahib is among ...

) — located in the Upper Rachna Doab — in the Majha area as well. Punjabdoabs1

People of the Majha region are given the demonym "Mājhī" or "Majhail". Most inhabitants of the region speak the Majhi dialect, which is the basis of the standard register of the

Punjabi language Punjabi, sometimes spelled Panjabi, is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language native to the Punjab region of Pakistan and India. It is one of the most widely spoken native languages in the world, with approximately 150 million native sp ...

in Indian Punjab. The most populous city in the area is

on the Pakistani side, and

on the Indian side of the border. Majha is also the birthplace of

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

History

The Majha region is called the "Sword Arm of the Country", due to it contributing disproportionately to the Officer as well as Orderly ranks of the Armies of both India and Pakistan. The

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab, Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the East India Company, Br ...

was founded in the Majha region, and so the region is also sometimes referred to as "the cradle of the brave Sikhs".

Districts of Majha

The following districts are classified as Majha.

Tourist attractions

India

* The Golden Temple,

* Gurdwara Sri Tarn Taran Sahib, Tarn Taran * Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar * Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal, Amritsar * Ram Bagh Palace, Amritsar *

Partition Museum The Partition Museum is a public museum located in the town hall of Amritsar, Punjab, India. The museum aims to become the central repository of stories, materials, and documents related to the post-partition riots that followed the division of B ...

, Amritsar * Harike Pattan bird sanctuary, Tarn Taran * Durgiana Temple,

* Gobindgarh Fort,

* Ranjit Sagar Dam, Pathankot * Pul Kanjri,

* Wagah-Attari border ceremony, Attari border between India and Pakistan.

Pakistan

* Akbari Sarai,

* Aiwan-e-Iqbal, Lahore *

Anarkali Bazaar Anarkali Bazaar (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a major bazaar in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Anarkali also serves as a neighbourhood and union council of Data Gunj Buksh Town, Data Gunj Buksh Tehsil of Lahore. It is situated in ...

, Lahore *

Badshahi Mosque The Badshahi Mosque (; ) is a Mughal Empire, Mughal-era congregational mosque, imperial mosque located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It was constructed between 1671 and 1673 during the rule of Aurangzeb, opposite of the Lahore Fort on the north ...

, Lahore * Bagh-e-Jinnah, Lahore * Begum Shahi Mosque, Lahore * Chauburji, Lahore *

Data Darbar Data Darbar () is an Islamic shrine located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the largest Sufi shrine in South Asia. It was built to house the remains of al-Hujwiri, commonly known as ''Data Ganj Baksh'' or more colloquially as ''Data Sahab'', ...

, Lahore * Fakir Khana, Lahore *

Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, also called Kartarpur Sahib, is a gurdwara (Sikh temple) in Kartarpur, Pakistan, Kartarpur, Shakargarh Tehsil, Narowal District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is built on the very historic site where the f ...

, Kartarpur * Gurdwara Dera Sahib, Lahore * Gurdwara Janam Asthan,

* Gurdwara Janam Asthan Guru Ram Das, Lahore * Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh, Lahore * Hazuri Bagh, Lahore * Hiran Minar,

* Lahore Fort, Lahore * Lahore Museum, Lahore * Lahore Zoo, Lahore * Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore * Moti Masjid, Lahore * Neevin Mosque, Lahore * Oonchi Mosque, Lahore * Sacred Heart Cathedral, Lahore * Samadhi of Ranjit Singh, Lahore *

Shahi Hammam The Shahi Hammam (; ; ), also known as the Wazir Khan Hammam, is a Turkish bath which was built in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, in 1635 Common era, C.E. during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. It was built by chief physician to the Mughal Court, Ilam ...

, Lahore * Shalimar Gardens, Lahore * Sheesh Mahal, Lahore * Sunehri Mosque, Lahore * Tomb of Asif Khan, Lahore *

Tomb of Jahangir The Mughal Empire, Mughal emperor Jahangir is buried in a mausoleum dating from 1637, located in Shahdara Bagh near city of Lahore, along the banks of River Ravi, in Punjab, Pakistan. The site is famous for its interiors that are extensively embe ...

, Lahore * Tomb of Allama Iqbal, Lahore * Tomb of Nur Jahan, Lahore * Wagah-Attari border ceremony, Attari border between India and Pakistan. *

Walled City of Lahore The Walled City of Lahore, also known as the Old City or Inner Lahore, refers to the historic core of Lahore, the capital and largest city of Punjab, Pakistan. The early settlements were established between the Origins of Lahore, 1st and 7th ...

, Lahore *

Wazir Khan Mosque The Wazir Khan Mosque (, ''Wazīr Khã Masīt''; Persian language, Persian, ) is a 17th-century Mughal Empire, Mughal masjid located in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The mosque was commissioned by the then governor ...

, Lahore * Zamzama, Lahore *Tomb of

Bulleh Shah Sayyid Abdullāh Shāh Qādrī (; ), popularly known as Baba Bulleh Shah and vocatively as Bulleya, was a Punjabi revolutionary philosopher, reformer and Chishti Sufi poet, regarded the 'Father of Punjabi Enlightenment'; and one of the g ...

, Kasur * Changa Manga forest, Kasur

Notable residents Of Majha

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...

former Prime Minister of India and economist from Gah, located in present-day Pakistan. * Baba Deep Singh Ji (1682–1757). *Nawab

Jassa Singh Ahluwalia Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (3 May 1718 – 23 October 1783) was a Sikh leader during the period of the Sikh Confederacy, being the supreme leader of the Dal Khalsa (Sikh Army), Dal Khalsa. He was also Misldar of the Ahluwalia (misl), Ahluwalia Mi ...

- Sikh Emperor, supreme leader of Dal Khalsa, Chief of Budha Dal, Jathedar Akal Takhat. * Lala Achint Ram - Noted freedom Fighter, Member of the Constitutional Assembly, Later Parliamentarian. *Maharaja

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia M ...

of Punjab (1780–1839), the founder of the

. * Premchand Degra Bodybuilder from Gurdaspur. * Zubair Jhara Pehalwan (1990-1991) Famous Wrestler from Lahore * Krishan Kant - Former Vice President of India *

Hari Singh Nalwa Hari Singh Nalwa (29 April 1791 – 30 April 1837) was the commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army, Sikh Khalsa Fauj, the army of the Sikh Empire. He is known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Attock, Multan, Kashmir, Peshaw ...

(1791–1837), renowned warrior and Commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of the

. * Bhai Bidhi Chand (1640),

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

warrior and religious preacher at the time of Guru Hargobind. * Akali Phula Singh Ji (1761 – 1823), Akali Nihang

general and Jathedar of the

Khalsa Panth The term ''Khalsa'' refers to both a community that follows Sikhism as its religion,Khalsa: Sikhism< ...

. * Sham Singh Atariwala (1790 - 1846), the general of the

. * Allama Iqbal, Pakistan's national poet. * Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Urdu poet. * Sohail Ahmed, Pakistani Comedian *Captain Arun Singh Jasrotia, Indian military officer. *

Musarrat Nazir Musarrat Nazir Khawaja (; born 13 October 1940) is a Pakistani singer and film actress, who acted in many Urdu and Punjabi language, Punjabi films. She is also known as ''The Silver Screen's Sparkling Star'' and is recognized for her role in Ci ...

, Pakistani Punjabi folk singer of Kashmiri descent. * Saifuddin Kitchlew, Indian freedom fighter of Kashmiri descent. *Baba Baghel Singh, who occupied

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Akshay Kumar Akshay Hari Om Bhatia (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia; 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian actor and film producer working in Hindi cinema. Referred to in the media as "Khiladi Kumar", through his career span ...

* Baba Gurdit Singh, SS Komagata Maru * Satyavati Devi (born 1905) * Raza Saqib Mustafai, Islamic Scholar * Bhai Maha Singh * Kapil Sharma *

Sunanda Sharma Sunanda Sharma (born 30 January 1992) is an Indian people, Indian singer and film actress. She made her debut with the song "Billi Akh". Sharma began her acting career with the film ''Sajjan Singh Rangroot'' with co-stars Diljit Dosanjh and Yog ...

, Famous Female-Punjabi Singer * Dara Singh wrestler * Gurdial Singh Dhillon, ex-

speaker of Lok Sabha The Speaker of the Lok Sabha (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ) is the Chairperson, presiding officer and the highest authority of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India. The speaker is elected gener ...

* Jagbir Singh Chhina, freedom fighter. * Gurpreet Singh (shooter), winner of two medals in

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

* M. S. Gill, former

chief Election Commissioner of India The Chief Election Commissioner of India (CEC) heads the Election Commission of India, a body constitutionally empowered to conduct free and fair elections. An election commissioner is appointed by the President of India on the recommendatio ...

and former sports Minister of

* Mai Bhago * Pratap Singh Kairon, ex-

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union ter ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

* Surender Mohan Pathak,

Novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

* Teja Singh Samundri, founder of SGPC * Bharti Singh *

Amrinder Gill Amrinder Singh Gill (; born 11 May 1976) is an Indian actor, singer, songwriter and film producer who makes Punjabi language, Punjabi-language films and music. He has been nominated for twenty-four PTC Punjabi Film Awards, winning seven includ ...

* Sardar Baj Singh, Sikh general and governor.Singh, Raj Pal (1998). ''Banda Bahadur and His Times'' p. 22. Harman Pub. House, 1 Aug 1998. * Sardar Chhajja Singh Dhillon, Sikh warrior of the early 18th century. *

Prem Dhillon Premjeet Singh Dhillon (born 4 January 1995) is an Indian singer and songwriter associated with Music of Punjab, Punjabi music. Dhillon is best known for singles "Boot Cut", "Old Skool" and "Majha Block". Personal life Premjeet Singh Dhillon w ...

* Jordan Sandhu * AP Dhillon * Gurinder Gill * Nimrat Khaira * Ravi Thakur * Bhagat Singh, (September 1907 – 23 March 1931)

Photo gallery

Image:Ranjit Sagar Dam 1.jpg, Ranjit Sagar Dam, Shahpur Kandi Image:RaviRiver-Chamba.JPG, Ravi River Image:Emperor Akbar crowning platform.jpg, Emperor Akbar crowning platform, Kalanaur-Gurdaspur, India Image:Akal Takht and Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar, Punjab, India.jpg, Golden Temple and the Akal Takht, Amritsar Image:Badshahi Mosque July 1 2005 pic32 by Ali Imran (1).jpg, Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Image:Lahore Fort.jpg, Lahore Fort, Lahore Image:Lahore_Museum,_Lahore.jpg, Lahore Museum, Lahore Image:Shalamar Garden July 14 2005-South wall pavilion with fountains.jpg, Shalimar Gardens Image:Jahangir's_tomb-6.JPG, Jahangir's Tomb, Lahore

Notes

References

{{Authority control Regions of Punjab, India Regions of Punjab, Pakistan Plains of India Plains of Pakistan Landforms of Punjab, India Landforms of Punjab (Pakistan)