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153-756: North India , also called Northern India , is a geographical and broad cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent ) wherein Indo-Aryans form the prominent majority population. It extends from the Himalayan mountain range in the north to the Indo-Gangetic plains , the Thar Desert , the Central Highlands and the northwestern part of

306-785: A Field Marshal or General of the Army (US five stars), or Generalissimo (Soviet Union); and in the US Armed Forces an Admiral (typically four stars) may also command a region. Due to the large size of this formation, its use is rarely employed. Some of the very few examples of an Army Region are each of the Eastern, Western, and southern (mostly in Italy) fronts in Europe during World War II . The military map unit symbol for this echelon of formation (see Military organization and APP-6A )

459-625: A clear definition of Sikh identity and tried to purify Sikh belief and practice. The later years of British colonial rule saw the emergence of the Akali movement to bring reform in the gurdwaras during the early 1920s. The movement led to the introduction of Sikh Gurdwara Bill in 1925, which placed all the historical Sikh shrines in India under the control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee . At

612-665: A cultural region. Examples of natural resource regions are the Rumaila Field , the oil field that lies along the border or Iraq and Kuwait and played a role in the Gulf War ; the Coal Region of Pennsylvania, which is a historical region as well as a cultural, physical, and natural resource region; the South Wales Coalfield , which like Pennsylvania's coal region is a historical, cultural, and natural region;

765-823: A feudal safeguard against future unrest. In 1861, a supreme legislature for India was established — the Imperial Legislative Council of India . Further reforms also created a unified bank — the Imperial Bank of India , a police force — the Indian Imperial Police and a unified army — the Imperial Indian Army . In 1876, the Crown-ruled India and the numerous Indian states under the Crown's suzerainty formed

918-416: A functional region. Nodal regions, functional urban regions, daily urban systems, local labour-market areas (LLMAs), or travel-to-work areas (TTWAs) are considered to be special instances of a general functional region that need to fulfil some specific conditions regarding, for instance, the character of the region-organising interaction or the presence of urban cores, (Halas et al., 2015 ). In military usage,

1071-484: A geographical dividing line in the country. Indian states that are entirely above the Tropic of Cancer are Himachal Pradesh , Punjab , Haryana , Delhi , Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and most of North East Indian states. However that definition would also include major parts of Rajasthan , Madhya Pradesh , Jharkhand and West Bengal and minor regions of Chhattisgarh and Gujarat . In Maharashtra ,

1224-476: A hierarchy of priests ( Brahmins ), warriors Kshatriyas , and commoners and peasants ( Vaishyas and Shudras ), and but which excluded certain peoples whose occupations were considered impure, arose during this period. On the Deccan Plateau , archaeological evidence from this period suggests the existence of a chiefdom stage of political organisation. In the late Vedic period, around the 6th century BCE,

1377-618: A large urban middle class, transformed India into one of the world's fastest-growing economies , and increased its geopolitical clout. Yet, India is also shaped by seemingly unyielding poverty, both rural and urban; by religious and caste-related violence ; by Maoist-inspired Naxalite insurgencies ; and by separatism in Jammu and Kashmir and in Northeast India . It has unresolved territorial disputes with China and with Pakistan . India's sustained democratic freedoms are unique among

1530-536: A lesser degree, regions in the sphere of influence of Greater New England, "Acadia" (Nova Scotia), "Newfoundland and The Fishery/The Banks". Other examples of historical regions are Iroquoia, Ohio Country , Illinois Country , and Rupert's Land . In Russia , historical regions include Siberia and the Russian North , as well as the Ural Mountains . These regions had an identity that developed from

1683-639: A loose political union called the Indian Empire , and Queen Victoria was crowned the Empress of India in 1877. In the decades following, public life gradually emerged all over India, leading eventually to the founding of the Indian National Congress in 1885. The rush of technology and the commercialisation of agriculture in the second half of the 19th century was marked by economic setbacks, and many small farmers became dependent on

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1836-508: A number of countries have borrowed the term as the formal name for a type of subnational entity (e.g., the región , used in Chile ). In English, the word is also used as the conventional translation for equivalent terms in other languages (e.g., the область ( oblast ), used in Russia alongside a broader term регион ). The following countries use the term "region" (or its cognate ) as

1989-418: A region is shorthand for the name of a military formation larger than an Army Group and smaller than a Theater . The full name of the military formation is Army Region. The size of an Army Region can vary widely but is generally somewhere between about 1 million and 3 million soldiers. Two or more Army Regions could make up a Theater. An Army Region is typically commanded by a full General (US four stars),

2142-676: A regional headquarters in Lucknow . The Hindu newspaper puts Bihar, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh related articles on its North pages. Articles in the Indian press have included the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal in North as well. The Tropic of Cancer , which divides the temperate zone from the tropical zone in the Northern Hemisphere , runs through India, and could theoretically be regarded as

2295-907: 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 Sikh has its origin in the Sanskrit word śiṣya , meaning 'seeker', ' disciple ' or ' student ' . According to Article I of Chapter 1 of the Sikh Rehat Maryada ( ' code of conduct ' ), the definition of Sikh is: Any human being who faithfully believes in Male Sikhs generally have Singh ( ' lion ' ) as their last name, though not all Singhs are necessarily Sikhs; likewise, female Sikhs have Kaur ( ' princess ' ) as their last name. These unique last names were given by

2448-583: A resolution ( gurmattā ) favouring the creation of Khalistan. Subsequently, a number of rebel militant groups in favour of Khalistan waged a major insurgency against the government of India. Indian security forces suppressed the insurgency in the early 1990s, but Sikh political groups such as the Khalsa Raj Party and SAD (A) continued to pursue an independent Khalistan through non-violent means. Pro-Khalistan organisations such as Dal Khalsa (International) are also active outside India, supported by

2601-627: A section of the Sikh diaspora. In the 1990s, the insurgency abated, and the movement failed to reach its objective due to multiple reasons including a heavy police crackdown on separatists, divisions among the Sikhs and loss of support from the Sikh population. However, various pro-Khalistan groups, both political and militant, remain committed to the separatist movement. There are claims of funding from Sikhs outside India to attract young people into militant groups. There have also been multiple claims that

2754-492: A section of the Sikh population, widening the scope of the conflict by the use of violence of the state on its own people. A "state of chaos and repressive police methods" combined to create "a mood of overwhelming anger and resentment in the Sikh masses against the authorities." Leading to Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale gaining prominence and demands of independence gain currency, even amongst moderates and Sikh intellectuals. In 1982 and early 1983, extrajudicial killings by

2907-529: A significant percentage of their respective continental land area. To a large extent, major continental regions are mental constructs created by considering an efficient way to define large areas of the continents. For the most part, the images of the world are derived as much from academic studies, from all types of media, or from personal experience of global exploration . They are a matter of collective human knowledge of their own planet and are attempts to better understand their environments. Regional geography

3060-658: A similar way, as does Romania and Venezuela . The government of Singapore makes use of the term " region " for its own administrative purposes. The following countries use an administrative subdivision conventionally referred to as a region in English: China has five 自治区 ( zìzhìqū ) and two 特別行政區 (or 特别行政区; tèbiéxíngzhèngqū ), which are translated as " autonomous region " and " special administrative region ", respectively. There are many relatively small regions based on local government agencies such as districts, agencies, or regions. In general, they are all regions in

3213-625: A sort of social and political polity . The term Muslim world is sometimes used to refer to the region of the world where Islam is dominant. These broad terms are somewhat vague when used to describe regions. Within some religions there are clearly defined regions. The Roman Catholic Church , the Church of England , the Eastern Orthodox Church , and others, define ecclesiastical regions with names such as diocese , eparchy , ecclesiastical provinces , and parish . For example,

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3366-808: A wide variety of birds, including peafowl , parrots , and thousands of immigrant birds, such as the Siberian crane . Other birds include pheasants , geese , ducks , mynahs , parakeets , pigeons , cranes (including the celebrated sarus crane ), and hornbills . great pied hornbill , Pallas's fishing eagle , grey-headed fishing eagle , red-thighed falconet are found in the Himalayan areas. Other birds found here are tawny fish owl , scale-bellied woodpecker, red-breasted parakeet , Himalayan swiftlet , stork-billed kingfisher and Himalayan or white-tailed rubythroat . Important national parks and tiger reserves of North India include: Corbett National Park : It

3519-569: A wide variety of fish, amphibians and reptiles in the region. Animal species in North India include elephant , bengal tiger , indian leopard , snow leopard , sambar (Asiatic stag) , chital (spotted deer) , hangul (red deer) , hog deer , chinkara (Indian gazelle) , blackbuck , nilgai (blue bull antelope) , porcupine , wild boar , Indian fox , Tibetan sand fox , rhesus monkey , langur , jungle cat , striped hyena , golden jackal , black bear , Himalayan brown bear , sloth bear , and

3672-623: Is Harmandir Sahib (also known as the Golden Temple) in Amritsar . Sikh culture is influenced by militaristic motifs (with the Khanda the most obvious) and most Sikh artifacts—except for the relics of the Gurus—have a military theme. This theme is evident in the Sikh festivals of Hola Mohalla and Vaisakhi , which feature marching and displays of valor. Although the art and culture of

3825-454: Is a branch of geography that studies regions of all sizes across the Earth . It has a prevailing descriptive character. The main aim is to understand or define the uniqueness or character of a particular region, which consists of natural as well as human elements. Attention is paid also to regionalization, which covers the proper techniques of space delimitation into regions. Regional geography

3978-655: Is a term used in environmental geography , cultural region in cultural geography , bioregion in biogeography , and so on. The field of geography that studies regions themselves is called regional geography . Regions are an area or division, especially part of a country or the world having definable characteristics but not always fixed boundaries. In the fields of physical geography , ecology , biogeography , zoogeography , and environmental geography , regions tend to be based on natural features such as ecosystems or biotopes , biomes , drainage basins , natural regions , mountain ranges , soil types . Where human geography

4131-436: Is also a Hindu majority state but has a large aboriginal minority. The union territories of Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim majority territories while Ladakh has a Muslim plurality with minority Hindus and Buddhists. The state of Punjab has a Sikh majority of 60% and is the homeland of Sikh religion. Linguistically, North India is dominated by Indo-Aryan languages . It is in this region, or its proximity, that Sanskrit and

4284-477: Is also considered as a certain approach to study in geographical sciences (similar to quantitative or critical geographies ; for more information, see history of geography ). Human geography is a branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with various discrete environments. It encompasses human , political , cultural , social , and economic aspects among others that are often clearly delineated. While

4437-564: Is also notorious for heavy fog during the winters. Extreme temperatures among inhabited regions have ranged from −45 °C (−49 °F) in Dras , Ladakh to 50.6 °C (123 °F) in Alwar , Rajasthan. Dras is claimed to be the second-coldest inhabited place on the planet (after Siberia ), with a recorded low of −60 °C. The region receives heavy rain in plains and light snow on Himalayas precipitation through two primary weather patterns:

4590-742: Is an old Sikh shrine called 'Prachin Guru Nanak Math', which lies at a small hill, just next to Bishnumati bridge at Balaju. Guru Nanak is said to have visited Nepal during his third Udasi while returning from Mount Kailash in Tibet. Nanak is said to have stayed at Balaju and Thapathali in Kathmandu . The Nanak Math shrine at Balaju is managed by the Guru-Ji and the Udasin Akardha, a sect developed by Guru Nanak's son, Sri Chandra. From

4743-401: Is concerned, the regions and subregions are described by the discipline of ethnography . Global regions are distinguishable from space, and are therefore clearly distinguished by the two basic terrestrial environments, land and water . However, they have been generally recognized as such much earlier by terrestrial cartography because of their impact on human geography. They are divided into

North India - Misplaced Pages Continue

4896-570: Is core reserve. This park is known not only for its rich and varied wildlife but also for its scenic beauty. Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers National Park : Located in West Himalaya, in the state of Uttarakhand, these two national parks constitute a biosphere reserve that is in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004. The Valley of Flowers is known for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and

5049-714: Is currently a controversial proposal to divide the rest of Sweden into large regions , replacing the current counties. The government of the Philippines uses the term "region" (in Filipino , rehiyon ) when it is necessary to group provinces, the primary administrative subdivision of the country. This is also the case in Brazil , which groups its primary administrative divisions ( estados ; "states") into grandes regiões ( greater regions ) for statistical purposes, while Russia uses экономические районы ( economic regions ) in

5202-761: Is defined by regional kingdoms and cultural diversity. When Harsha of Kannauj , who ruled much of the Indo-Gangetic Plain from 606 to 647  CE , attempted to expand southwards, he was defeated by the Chalukya ruler of the Deccan. When his successor attempted to expand eastwards, he was defeated by the Pala king of Bengal . No ruler of this period was able to create an empire and consistently control lands much beyond their core region. During this time, pastoral peoples, whose land had been cleared to make way for

5355-655: Is giving spatial understanding of mediated image. [REDACTED] Africa [REDACTED] Antarctica [REDACTED] Asia [REDACTED] Australia [REDACTED] Europe [REDACTED] North America [REDACTED] South America [REDACTED] Afro-Eurasia [REDACTED] Americas [REDACTED] Eurasia [REDACTED] Oceania Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh : / s ɪ k / SIK or / s iː k / SEEK ; Punjabi : ਸਿੱਖ , romanized:  sikkh , IPA: [sɪkkʰ] ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism ,

5508-643: Is highly important and Sikh communities continue to push for census inclusion in many countries where they are still not counted. Sikh migration from British India began in earnest during the second half of the 19th century, when the British completed their annexation of the Punjab, which led to Sikh migration throughout India and the British Empire . During the Raj, semiskilled Sikh artisans were transported from

5661-495: Is home to the largest national Sikh proportion (2.1 percent of the total population) in the world. A substantial community of Sikhs exist in the western province of British Columbia , numbering nearly 300,000 persons and forming approximately 5.9 percent of the total population. This represents the third-largest Sikh proportion amongst all global administrative divisions , behind only Punjab and Chandigarh in India. Furthermore, British Columbia, Manitoba and Yukon hold

5814-421: Is identified with six Xs. Media geography is a spatio-temporal understanding, brought through different gadgets of media, nowadays, media became inevitable at different proportions and everyone supposed to consumed at different gravity. The spatial attributes are studied with the help of media outputs in shape of images which are contested in nature and pattern as well where politics is inseparable. Media geography

5967-474: Is not a Sikh institution but a Punjabi one"). Sikh painting is a direct offshoot of the Kangra school of painting. In 1810, Ranjeet Singh (1780–1839) occupied Kangra Fort and appointed Sardar Desa Singh Majithia his governor of the Punjab hills. In 1813, the Sikh army occupied Guler State and Raja Bhup Singh became a vassal of the Sikhs. With the Sikh kingdom of Lahore becoming the paramount power, some of

6120-432: Is not an abstract spatial concept, but to a certain extent it can be regarded as a reflection of the spatial behaviour of individuals in a geographic space. The functional region is conceived as a general concept while its inner structure, inner spatial flows, and interactions need not necessarily show any regular pattern, only selfcontainment. The concept of self-containment remains the only crucial defining characteristic of

6273-405: Is predominantly Tropical evergreen and Montane . Of the evergreen trees sal , teak , Mahogany, sheesham (Indian rosewood) and poplar are some which are important commercially. The Western Himalayan region abounds in chir , pine , deodar (Himalayan cedar), blue pine , spruce , various firs , birch and junipers . The birch, especially, has historical significance in Indian culture due to

North India - Misplaced Pages Continue

6426-460: The Akal Takht and Golden Temple , volunteer protestors and even cooks of the temple's langar . The Guru Ram Das Serai and Shiromani Akali Dal offices were also raided and batons used and tear gas and shells were fired to disperse the protestors gathered on the periphery of the temple, damaging the periphery and Sarovar, or pool, of the temple. The government stopped volunteers on the way to

6579-623: The Anti-Sikh Pogroms . As proponents were able to generate funding from a grieving diaspora. In June 1985, Air India Flight 182 was bombed by Babbar Khalsa , a pro-Khalistani terrorist organization. In January 1986, the Golden Temple was occupied by militants belonging to All India Sikh Students Federation and Damdami Taksal . On January 26, 1986, a gathering known as the Sarbat Khalsa (a de facto parliament) passed

6732-534: The Aravalli Range , beyond which lies the state of Gujarat . The Vindhya mountains are, in some interpretations, taken to be the southern boundary of North India. The predominant geographical features of North India are: The states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir also have a large forest coverage. North India lies mainly in the north temperate zone of the Earth . Though cool or cold winters, hot summers, and moderate monsoons are

6885-685: The Bactria-Margiana Culture into this region between 2000 BC and 1500 BC after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation . There was a slow migration of Indo-Iranian peoples through the northwest leading to the development of the Indo-Aryan languages from Proto-Indo-Iranian and minor vocal synthesis with the Dravidian languages. North India was the historical centre of the ancient Vedic culture ,

7038-604: The Deccan plateau . It occupies nearly three-quarters of the area and population of India and includes all of the three mega cities of India : Mumbai , Delhi and Kolkata . In a more specific and administrative sense, North India can also be used to denote the Indo-Gangetic Plain within this broader expanse, stretching from the Ganga-Yamuna Doab to the Thar Desert . Several major rivers flow through

7191-826: The Grand Banks . He rejects regions traditionally used in describing American history, like New France , "West Indies", the Middle Colonies , and the individual colonies themselves ( Province of Maryland , for example). Instead he writes of "discrete colonization areas", which may be named after colonies but rarely adhere strictly to political boundaries. Among other historic regions of this type, he writes about "Greater New England" and its major sub-regions of "Plymouth", "New Haven shores" (including parts of Long Island), "Rhode Island" (or "Narragansett Bay"), "the Piscataqua", "Massachusetts Bay", "Connecticut Valley", and to

7344-758: The Guru Granth Sahib : One who calls themself a Sikh of the Guru, the True Guru, shall rise in the early morning hours and meditate on the Lord's Name. Upon arising early in the morning, he is to bathe and cleanse himself in the pool of nectar (metaphor for "Naam Jaap"). Following the Instructions of the Guru, he is to chant the Name of the Lord. All sins, misdeeds, and negativity shall be then erased. Then, at

7497-540: The Indus Valley Civilisation , the first urban culture in South Asia, which flourished during 2500–1900 BC north-western Indian subcontinent. Centred around cities such as Mohenjo-daro , Harappa , Dholavira , and Kalibangan , and relying on varied forms of subsistence, the civilisation engaged robustly in crafts production and wide-ranging trade. Between 2000 BC and 1500 BC, several waves of Indo-Aryan migrations from Central Asia occurred and these migrants settled in

7650-407: The Khalsa ' ) in the Punjab state of India to serve as a homeland for Sikhs. The territorial definition of the proposed country Khalistan consists of the Punjab, India and includes Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan . Khalistan movement began as an expatriate venture. In 1971, the first explicit call for Khalistan was made in an advertisement published in

7803-424: The Kuznetsk Basin , a similarly important coal mining region in Russia; Kryvbas , the economic and iron ore mining region of Ukraine; and the James Bay Project , a large region of Quebec where one of the largest hydroelectric systems in the world has been developed. Sometimes a region associated with a religion is given a name, like Christendom , a term with medieval and renaissance connotations of Christianity as

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7956-454: The Mahajanapadas , and Magadha Empire, the medieval Delhi Sultanate and the modern Mughal India and the Indian Empire , among many others. It has a diverse culture, and includes the Hindu pilgrimage centres of Char Dham , Haridwar , Varanasi , Ayodhya , Mathura , Prayagraj , Vaishno Devi and Pushkar , the Buddhist pilgrimage centres of Sarnath and Kushinagar , the Sikh Golden Temple as well as world heritage sites such as

8109-497: The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago , the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District , the Metropolitan Police Service of Greater London , as well as other local districts like the York Rural Sanitary District , the Delaware River Port Authority , the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District , and C-TRAN . The traditional territorial divisions of some countries are also commonly rendered in English as "regions". These informal divisions do not form

8262-404: The Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve , Khajuraho temples , Hill Forts of Rajasthan , Jantar Mantar (Jaipur) , Qutb Minar , Red Fort , Agra Fort , Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal . North India's culture developed as a result of interaction between these Hindu and Muslim religious traditions. The terms 'North Zone,' 'North Region,' or 'Northern Cultural Zone' are used by various ministries of

8415-441: The New York Times by an expat ( Jagjit Singh Chohan ). By proclaiming the formation of Khalistan, he was able to collect millions of dollars from the Sikh diaspora . On April 12, 1980, he declared the formation of the "National Council of Khalistan," at Anandpur Sahib . He declared himself as the President of the council and named Balbir Singh Sandhu as its Secretary General. In May 1980, Chohan traveled to London and announced

8568-404: The Northwest European Atlantic Protestant Region , which includes sub-regions such as the "Western Channel Community", which itself is made of sub-regions such as the English West Country of Cornwall , Devon , Somerset , and Dorset . In describing historic regions of America, Meinig writes of "The Great Fishery" off the coast of Newfoundland and New England, an oceanic region that includes

8721-422: The Sultanate of Delhi in 1206. The sultanate was to control much of North India and to make many forays into South India. Although at first disruptive for the Indian elites, the sultanate largely left its vast non-Muslim subject population to its own laws and customs. By repeatedly repulsing Mongol raiders in the 13th century, the sultanate saved India from the devastation visited on West and Central Asia, setting

8874-419: The U.S. census as well, arguing that Sikhs "self-identify as an ethnic minority" and believe "that they are more than just a religion." During the Mughal and Afghan persecution of the Sikhs during the 17th and 18th centuries, the latter were concerned with preserving their religion and gave little thought to art and culture. With the rise of Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Raj in Lahore and Delhi , there

9027-452: The United Kingdom 's Lake District and California's Wine Country . great plains region Natural resources often occur in distinct regions. Natural resource regions can be a topic of physical geography or environmental geography, but also have a strong element of human geography and economic geography. A coal region, for example, is a physical or geomorphological region, but its development and exploitation can make it into an economic and

9180-452: The ambrosial hours of the morning (three hours before the dawn) before eating. In his 52 Hukams , Guru Gobind Singh orders his followers to arise during Amritvela (about 3 hours before sunrise) and to recite the late evening prayer " Sohila " and the verse "Pavan guru pani pita..." before sleeping. The five Ks ( panj kakaar ) are five articles of faith which all initiated ( Amritdhari ) Sikhs are obliged to wear. The symbols represent

9333-479: The oceans , and discrete climates above the land and water masses of the planet. The land and water global regions are divided into subregions geographically bounded by large geological features that influence large-scale ecologies, such as plains and features. As a way of describing spatial areas, the concept of regions is important and widely used among the many branches of geography, each of which can describe areas in regional terms. For example, ecoregion

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9486-461: The partition of India into two states: India and Pakistan. Vital to India's self-image as an independent nation was its constitution, completed in 1950, which put in place a secular and democratic republic. Per the London Declaration , India retained its membership of the Commonwealth , becoming the first republic within it. Economic liberalisation, which began in the 1980s and the collaboration with Soviet Union for technical know-how, has created

9639-419: The snow leopard , the Himalayan brown bear and the musk deer . Desert National Park : Located in Rajasthan, this national reserve features extensive sand dunes and dry salt lakes. Wildlife unique to the region includes the desert fox and the great Indian bustard . Geographical region Apart from the global continental regions, there are also hydrospheric and atmospheric regions that cover

9792-680: The Buddhist dhamma . In North India, by the 4th and 5th centuries, the House of Gupta of Magadha had created a complex system of administration and taxation in the greater Ganges Plain; this system became a model for later Indian kingdoms. Under the Guptas, a renewed Hinduism based on devotion, rather than the management of ritual, began to assert itself. This renewal was reflected in a flowering of sculpture and architecture , which found patrons among an urban elite. Classical Sanskrit literature flowered as well, and Indian science , astronomy , medicine , and mathematics made significant advances. The Indian early medieval age, from 600 to 1200 AD,

9945-415: The Congress Government arresting as many as 21,000 people. Attempted negotiations with Congress-led the agitation to be adjourned twice, though Jawaharlal Nehru continued to reject the demand. On July 4, 1955, government police forces, led by DIG Ashwini Kumar, forced entry into the Golden Temple premises and heavy-handedly arrested protestors and took them into custody, along with the head granthis of

10098-405: The Golden Temple and troops were ordered to flag-march through the bazaars and streets surrounding the site. Over 200 protestors were killed, thousands arrested, and thousands, including women and children, were injured. The Congress government agreed to the Punjab Suba in 1966 after protests and recommendation of the States Reorganisation Commission. The state of East Punjab was later split into

10251-418: The Government of India to refer to the northernmost administrative division of the country, whether one of four or six. These terms are distinct from 'North India,' which refers to a much larger geo-cultural region. The Northern Zonal Council is one of the advisory councils, created in 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act to foster interstate co-operation under the Ministry of Home Affairs , which included

10404-434: The Government of India. While, Green Revolution in Punjab had several positive impacts, the introduction of the mechanised agricultural techniques led to uneven distribution of wealth. The industrial development was not done at the same pace as agricultural development, the Indian government had been reluctant to set up heavy industries in Punjab due to its status as a high-risk border state with Pakistan. The rapid increase in

10557-417: The Grain Roko morcha in order to remove Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple . This subsequently led to Gandhi's assassination by her Sikh bodyguards. Her assassination was followed by government-sponsored pogroms against Sikh communities across India and the killing of thousands of Sikhs throughout India. These events triggered an Insurgency in Punjab which would consume Punjab until the early 1990s. During

10710-445: The Guru initiated five people from a variety of social backgrounds known as the Panj Piare ( ' beloved five ' ), to form a collective body of initiated Sikhs known as the Khalsa ( ' pure ' ). The early followers of Guru Nanak were Khatris , but later a large number of Jats joined the faith. Khatris and Brahmins opposed "the demand that the Sikhs set aside the distinctive customs of their castes and families, including

10863-432: The Gurus to allow Sikhs to stand out and also as an act of defiance to India's caste system , which the Gurus were always against. Sikhs strongly believe in the idea of sarbat da bhala ( ' welfare of all ' ) and are often seen on the frontline to provide humanitarian aid across the world. Sikhs who have undergone the Amrit Sanchar ( ' initiation by Khanda ' ), an initiation ceremony, are known as Khalsa from

11016-756: The Himalayan region like Kinnauri , Ladakhi , Balti , and Lahuli–Spiti languages . The composite culture of North India is known as Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb , a result of the amicable interaction of Hindus and Muslims there. Dance of North India too has diverse folk and classical forms. Among the well-known folk dances are the bhangra of the Punjab , Ghoomar of Rajasthan, Nati of Himachal Pradesh and rouf and bhand pather of Kashmir. Main dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded classical dance status by India's National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama such as Kathak . Each state of North India has its own regional forms of clothing: North Indian vegetation

11169-840: The Indian Monsoon and the Western Disturbances . The Monsoon carries moisture northwards from the Indian Ocean , occurs in late summer and is important to the Kharif or autumn harvest . Western Disturbances, on the other hand, are an extratropical weather phenomenon that carry moisture eastwards from the Mediterranean Sea , the Caspian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean . They primarily occur during

11322-431: The Indian states or union territories of Haryana , where they number around 1.2 million and form 4.9 percent of the population, Rajasthan (872,000 or 1.3 percent of the population), Uttar Pradesh (643,000, 0.3 percent), Delhi (570,000, 3.4 percent), Uttarakhand (236,000, 2.3 percent), Jammu and Kashmir (234,000, 1.9 percent), Chandigarh (138,000, 13.1 percent) and Himachal Pradesh (86,000, 1.2 percent). Canada

11475-530: The Indo-Gangetic Plain. The Vedas , the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism , were composed during this period, and historians have analysed these to posit a Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the upper Gangetic Plain . During the period 2000–500  BCE , many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from the Chalcolithic cultures to the Iron Age ones. The caste system , which created

11628-469: The Mughals united their far-flung realms through loyalty, expressed through a Persianised culture, to an emperor who had near-divine status. The State's economic policies, deriving most revenues from agriculture and mandating that taxes be paid in the well-regulated silver currency, caused peasants and artisans to enter larger markets. The relative peace maintained by the empire during much of the 17th century

11781-516: The Pahari painters from Guler migrated to Lahore for the patronage of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh and his Sardars. The Sikh school adapted Kangra painting to Sikh needs and ideals. Its main subjects are the ten Sikh gurus and stories from Guru Nanak's Janamsakhis . The tenth Guru, Gobind Singh, left a deep impression on the followers of the new faith because of his courage and sacrifices. Hunting scenes and portraits are also common in Sikh painting. There

11934-533: The Punjabi-speaking areas based on pre-1947 census figures. Moreover, the 1966 reorganization left Sikhs highly dissatisfied, with the capital Chandigarh being made into a shared a union territory and the capital of Punjab and Haryana. In the late 1960s, the Green Revolution in India was first introduced in Punjab as part of a development program issued by international donor agencies and

12087-506: The Sikh State Resolution in 1946. The Sikhs therefore strongly fought against the partition of Punjab . The months leading up to the 1947 partition of Punjab were marked by conflict in the Punjab between Sikhs and Muslims . This caused the religious migration of Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus from West Punjab to the east (modern India), mirroring a simultaneous religious migration of Punjabi Muslims from East Punjab to

12240-648: The Sikh diaspora have merged with that of other Indo-immigrant groups into categories like "British Asian," "Indo-Canadian" and "Desi-Culture," a minor cultural phenomenon that can be described as "political Sikh" has arisen. The art of diaspora Sikhs like Amarjeet Kaur Nandhra and Amrit and Rabindra Kaur Singh ( The Singh Twins ) is influenced by their Sikhism and current affairs in Punjab. Bhangra and Giddha are two forms of Punjabi folk dancing which have been adapted and pioneered by Sikhs. Punjabi Sikhs have championed these forms of expression worldwide, resulting in Sikh culture becoming linked to Bhangra (although "Bhangra

12393-557: The Sikhs would play a Ranjit nagara ( ' victory drum ' ) to boost morale. Nagaras (usually two to three feet in diameter, although some were up to five feet in diameter) are played with two sticks. The beat of the large drums and the raising of the Nishan Sahib , meant that the Singhs were on their way. The Khalistan movement is a Sikh separatist movement, which seeks to create a separate country called Khalistān ( ' The Land of

12546-706: The United States is divided into 32 Roman Catholic ecclesiastical provinces . The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod is organized into 33 geographic districts , which are subdivided into circuits (the Atlantic District (LCMS) , for example). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses regions similar to dioceses and parishes, but uses terms like ward and stake . In the field of political geography , regions tend to be based on political units such as sovereign states ; subnational units such as administrative regions, provinces , states (in

12699-769: The United States) , counties , townships , territories , etc.; and multinational groupings, including formally defined units such as the European Union , the Association of Southeast Asian Nations , and NATO , as well as informally defined regions such as the Third World , Western Europe , and the Middle East. The word "region" is taken from the Latin regio (derived from regere , 'to rule'), and

12852-534: The area and suggest a coherent tourism experience to visitors. Countries, states, provinces, and other administrative regions are often carved up into tourism regions to facilitate attracting visitors. Some of the more famous tourism regions based on historical or current administrative regions include Tuscany in Italy and Yucatán in Mexico. Famous examples of regions created by a government or tourism bureau include

13005-578: The basis of the modern administrative divisions of these countries, but still define and delimit local regional identity and sense of belonging. Examples are: Functional regions are usually understood to be the areas organised by the horizontal functional relations (flows, interactions) that are maximised within a region and minimised across its borders so that the principles of internal cohesiveness and external separation regarding spatial interactions are met (see, for instance, Farmer and Fotheringham, 2011; Klapka, Halas, 2016; Smart, 1974 ). A functional region

13158-644: The capital city's population. The states of Rajasthan , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are overwhelmingly Hindu-majority. Maharashtra, Uttarakhand , Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are also Hindu majority states, but have a large Muslim minority (12% in Maharashtra, 14% In Uttarakhand, 18% in Bihar, 19% in Uttar Pradesh and 27% in West Bengal). Jharkhand

13311-430: The census or official statistics in the following territories: Note: Official statistics do not count unregistered arrivals or those who have not completed the census or surveys. However, they do provide for a much more accurate depiction of Sikh communities as opposed to estimates from various Sikh organisations whose estimates can vary vastly with no statistically valuable source. Thus, official statistics and census data

13464-492: The coasts of southern and eastern India. As the empire disintegrated, many among these elites were able to seek and control their own affairs. By the early 18th century, with the lines between commercial and political dominance being increasingly blurred, a number of European trading companies, including the English East India Company , had established coastal outposts. The East India Company's control of

13617-738: The commander-in-chief of the Sikh Khalsa Army in the North-West Frontier , expanded the confederacy to the Khyber Pass . After the annexation of the Sikh kingdom by the British, the British Army began recruiting significant numbers of Sikhs and Punjabis . During the 1857 Indian mutiny , the Sikhs stayed loyal to the British, resulting in heavy recruitment from Punjab to the British Indian Army for

13770-437: The confluence of invading cultures from the rivers from which the region gets its name. Sikh culture is therefore a synthesis of cultures. Sikhism has forged a unique architecture , which S. S. Bhatti described as "inspired by Guru Nanak 's creative mysticism" and "is a mute harbinger of holistic humanism based on pragmatic spirituality." The American non-profit organization United Sikhs has fought to have Sikh included on

13923-647: The consolidation and demarcation of sovereignty, the surveillance of the population, and the education of citizens. Technological changes—among them, railways, canals, and the telegraph—were introduced not long after their introduction in Europe . However, disaffection with the company also grew during this time and set off the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . Fed by diverse resentments and perceptions, including invasive British-style social reforms, harsh land taxes, and summary treatment of some rich landowners and princes,

14076-660: The cost of moving goods, and helped nascent Indian-owned industry. After World War I, in which approximately one million Indians served in the Indian Army , a new period began. It was marked by the enactment of the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms as the Government of India Act 1919 but also repressive legislation , by more strident Indian calls for self-rule, and by the beginnings of a nonviolent movement of non-co-operation, of which Mahatma Gandhi would become

14229-645: The day of Vaisakhi in 1999, Sikhs worldwide celebrated the 300th anniversary of the creation of the Khalsa . Canada Post honoured Sikh Canadians with a commemorative stamp in conjunction with the anniversary. Likewise, on April 9, 1999, Indian president K. R. Narayanan issued a stamp commemorating the 300th anniversary of the Khalsa as well. Sikh art and culture are nearly synonymous with that of Punjab and Sikhs are easily recognised by their distinctive turban ( Dastar ). Punjab has been called India's melting pot, due to

14382-573: The day of their initiation and they must at all times have on their bodies the five Ks : The Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent has been the historic homeland of the Sikhs , having even been ruled by the Sikhs for significant parts of the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, Canada has the largest national Sikh proportion (2.1%) in the world, while the Punjab state in India has the largest Sikh proportion (58%) amongst all administrative divisions in

14535-543: The devolution of power from the Central to state governments. The Anandpur Resolution was rejected by the government as a secessionist document. Thousands of people joined the movement, feeling that it represented a real solution to demands such as a larger share of water for irrigation and the return of Chandigarh to Punjab. After unsuccessful negotiations the Dharam Yuddh Morcha ( ' righteous campaign ' )

14688-452: The distinction of being three of the only four administrative divisions in the world with Sikhism as the second most followed religion among the population. As a religious minority, Sikhs have fought long and hard to get official status and to be counted in many countries across the world. Through the efforts of Sikh organisations and communities in their respective countries, there is now readily available population data on Sikhs as part of

14841-534: The dust of the feet of that GurSikh, who himself chants the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. The Sikh Rahit Maryada (Code of Conduct) clearly states that initiated Amritdhari Khalsa Sikhs must recite or listen to the recitation of Japji Sahib , Jaap Sahib , the 10 Sawayyas , Sodar Rehraas and Sohila . Every Sikh is also supposed take the Hukam (divine order) from the Guru Granth Sahib after awakening in

14994-435: The early modern period and led to Siberian regionalism . A tourism region is a geographical region that has been designated by a governmental organization or tourism bureau as having common cultural or environmental characteristics. These regions are often named after a geographical, former, or current administrative region or may have a name created for tourism purposes. The names often evoke certain positive qualities of

15147-427: The endangered caracal . Reptiles are represented by a large number of snake and lizard species, as well as the ghariyal and crocodiles . Venomous snakes found in the region include king cobra and krait . Various scorpion , spider and insect species include the commercially useful honeybees , silkworms and lac insects. The strikingly coloured bir bahuti is also found in this region. The region has

15300-555: The extensive use of birch paper ( Sanskrit : bhurja patra ) as parchment for many ancient Indian texts. The Eastern Himalayan region consists of oaks , laurels , maples , rhododendrons , alder , birch and dwarf willows . Reflecting the diverse climatic zones and terrain contained in the region, the floral variety is extensive and ranges from Alpine to Cloud forests, coniferous to evergreen, and thick tropical rainforests to cool temperate woods. There are around 500 varieties of mammals, 2000 species of birds, 30,000 types of insects and

15453-543: The far north, languages of Dardic (such as Kashmiri) and Pahari (such as Dogri, Kumaoni and Garhwali) groups are spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand. Punjabi is spoken in Punjab . Bengali is spoken in West Bengal. Languages of Bihari group, such as Maithili, Magahi and Bhojpuri are spoken in Bihar and Jharkhand. A number of aboriginal languages of Austroasiatic and Dravidian origin are spoken in some regions. Several Sino-Tibetan languages are spoken in

15606-626: The formation of Khalistan. A similar announcement was made by Balbir Singh Sandhu in Amritsar , where he began releasing stamps and currency of Khalistan. The inaction of the authorities in Amritsar and elsewhere was decried as a political stunt by the Congress(I) party of Indira Gandhi by the Akali Dal, headed by the Sikh leader Harchand Singh Longowal . The movement flourished in the Indian state of Punjab following Operation Blue Star and

15759-443: The founder of Sikhism , was born in a Khatri family to Mehta Kalu and Mata Tripta in the village of Talwandi , present-day Nankana Sahib , near Lahore . Throughout his life, Guru Nanak was a religious leader and social reformer. However, Sikh political history may be said to begin in 1606, with the death of the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev . Religious practices were formalised by Guru Gobind Singh on March 30, 1699, when

15912-732: The general patterns, North India is one of the most climatically diverse regions on Earth. During summer, temperatures often rise above 35°C across much of the Indo-Gangetic plain, reaching as high as 50°C in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan, and up to 49°C in Delhi. During winter, the lowest temperatures on the plains dip below 5°C and drop below freezing in some states. Heavy to moderate snowfall occurs in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand. Much of North India

16065-580: The general sense of being bounded spatial units. Examples include electoral districts such as Washington's 6th congressional district and Tennessee's 1st congressional district ; school districts such as Granite School District and Los Angeles Unified School District ; economic districts such as the Reedy Creek Improvement District ; metropolitan areas such as the Seattle metropolitan area , and metropolitan districts such as

16218-457: The growing agricultural economy, were accommodated within caste society, as were new non-traditional ruling classes. The caste system consequently began to show regional differences. In the 6th and 7th centuries, the first devotional hymns were created in the Tamil language. They were imitated all over India and led to both the resurgence of Hinduism and the development of all modern languages of

16371-533: The higher education opportunities without an adequate rise in the jobs resulted in the increase in the unemployment of educated youth. In 1973 as a result, of unaddressed grievances and increasing inequality the Akali Dal put forward the Anandpur Sahib Resolution . The resolution included both religious and political issues. It asked for recognising Sikhism as a religion, it also demanded

16524-500: The ideals of Sikhism: honesty, equality, fidelity, meditating on Waheguru and never bowing to tyranny. The five symbols are: The Sikhs have a number of musical instruments, including the rebab , dilruba , taus , jori and sarinda . Playing the sarangi was encouraged by Guru Hargobind . The rebab was played by Bhai Mardana as he accompanied Guru Nanak on his journeys. The jori and sarinda were introduced to Sikh devotional music by Guru Arjan . The taus (Persian for "peacock")

16677-455: The initiative as well, with many sojourning in Indian seminaries and translating Buddhist and Hindu texts into their languages. After the 10th century, Muslim Central Asian nomadic clans, using swift-horse cavalry and raising vast armies united by ethnicity and religion, repeatedly overran South Asia's north-western plains. A general Qutub-ud-din Aibak declared his independence and established

16830-454: The largest of land regions, known as continents and the largest of water regions known as oceans . There are also significant regions that do not belong to either classification, such as archipelago regions that are littoral regions, or earthquake regions that are defined in geology . Continental regions are usually based on broad experiences in human history and attempt to reduce very large areas to more manageable regionalization for

16983-597: The leader and enduring symbol. During the 1930s, slow legislative reform was enacted; the Indian National Congress won victories in the resulting elections. The next decade was beset with crises: Indian participation in World War ;II , the Congress's final push for non-co-operation, and an upsurge of Muslim nationalism . All were capped by the advent of independence in 1947, but tempered by

17136-484: The major focus of human geography is not the physical landscape of the Earth (see physical geography ), it is hardly possible to discuss human geography without referring to the physical landscape on which human activities are being played out, and environmental geography is emerging as a link between the two. Regions of human geography can be divided into many broad categories: The field of historical geography involves

17289-827: The middle class; chronicling the life of the Buddha was central to the beginnings of recorded history in India. In an age of increasing urban wealth, both religions held up renunciation as an ideal, and both established long-lasting monastic traditions. Politically, by the 3rd century BCE, the Kingdom of Magadha had annexed or reduced other states and evolved into the Magadha Empire under the House of Maurya . The Magadhan Mauryan emperors are known as much for their empire-building and determined management of public life as for Ashoka 's renunciation of militarism and far-flung advocacy of

17442-588: The movement is motivated and supported by the Pakistan's external intelligence agency, the ISI. Sikhs number about 26–30 million worldwide, of whom 24–28 million live in India, which thus represents around 90 percent of the total Sikh population. About 76 percent of all Indian Sikhs live in the northern Indian state of Punjab , forming a majority of about 58 per cent of the state's population, roughly around 16 million. Substantial communities of Sikhs live in

17595-604: The name of a type of subnational administrative unit: The Canadian province of Québec also uses the "administrative region" ( région administrative ). Scotland had local government regions from 1975 to 1996. In Spain the official name of the autonomous community of Murcia is Región de Murcia . Also, some single-province autonomous communities such as Madrid use the term región interchangeably with comunidad autónoma . Two län (counties) in Sweden are officially called 'regions': Skåne and Västra Götaland , and there

17748-668: The next 90 years of the British Raj in colonial India . The distinct turban that differentiates a Sikh from other turban wearers is a relic of the rules of the British Indian Army. The British colonial rule saw the emergence of many reform movements in India, including Punjab, such as the formation of the First and Second Singh Sabha in 1873 and 1879 respectively. The Sikh leaders of the Singh Sabha worked to offer

17901-726: The older rituals." Pashaura Singh analyzed references made within the 11th ballad of the Varan of Bhai Gurdas to form a picture of the caste-makeup of the early Sikh community. At the time of the writing the Vaar, the early Sikh community was composed of various castes and backgrounds, such as: The early Sikhs varied widely in their occupations and position in society's hierarchy: some were rich merchants ( Seths and Sarrafs ), others were heads of villages ( Chowdhury ), some were labourers, others were enslaved, whilst others still were artisans, craftsmen, shopkeepers or simple peasants. During

18054-622: The only languages not considered for statehood were Punjabi , Sindhi and Urdu . Leading to the launch of the Punjabi Suba movement and the presentation for a Punjabi Suba as a policy in April 1948 by Master Tara Singh . Also, on January 26, 1950, Sikh representatives refused to sign the Indian constitution. As Sikhs were recognized as Hindus and Sikhs were not provided with scheduled castes concessions given to Hindu scheduled castes. The Punjab Suba experienced heavy government crackdown with

18207-803: The perception of the westerners." The Government of Bihar official site places the state in the eastern part of India. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are largely considered as being a part of north India, however. By 55,000 years ago, the first modern humans, or Homo sapiens , had arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa, where they had earlier evolved. The earliest known modern human remains in South Asia date to about 30,000 years ago. After 6500 BC, evidence for domestication of food crops and animals, construction of permanent structures, and storage of agricultural surplus appeared in Mehrgarh and other sites in Balochistan, Pakistan . These gradually developed into

18360-544: The police of orthodox Sikh youth in rural areas in Punjab provoked reprisals. Over 190 Sikhs had been killed in the first 19 months of the protest movement. In May 1984, a Grain Roko morcha was planned and to be initiated on June   3 with protestors practising civil disobedience by refusing to pay land revenue, water or electricity bills and blocking the flow of grain out of Punjab. Indian Prime minister Indira Gandhi launched Operation Blue Star on June   1 prior to

18513-521: The purpose of the study. As such they are conceptual constructs, usually lacking distinct boundaries. The oceanic division into maritime regions is used in conjunction with the relationship to the central area of the continent, using directions of the compass . Some continental regions are defined by the major continental feature of their identity, such as the Amazon basin , or the Sahara , which both occupy

18666-575: The rebellion rocked many regions of northern and central India and shook the foundations of Company rule. Although the rebellion was suppressed by 1858, it led to the dissolution of the East India Company and the direct administration of British territories in India by the British Crown . Proclaiming a unitary state and a gradual but limited British-style parliamentary system, the new rulers also protected princes and landed gentry as

18819-645: The region including the Indus, the Ganges , the Yamuna and the Narmada rivers. North India includes the states of Himachal Pradesh , Uttarakhand , Punjab and Haryana , Rajasthan , Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh , Goa , Gujarat , Maharashtra , Bihar , Jharkhand , and West Bengal and union territories of Chandigarh , Delhi , Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh . In its narrower administrative sense,

18972-640: The region uses references to these six seasons quite extensively and has done so since ancient times when Sanskrit was prevalent. In the mountainous areas, sometimes the winter is further divided into "big winter" (e.g. Kashmiri chillai kalaan ) and "little winter" ( chillai khurd ). The people of North India mostly belong to the Indo-Aryan ethno linguistic branch, and include various social groups such as Brahmins , Rajputs , Kayasthas , Banias , Jats , Rors , Gurjars , Kolis , Yadavs , Khatris and Kambojs . Other minority aboriginal ethnic communities such as Dravidians and Austroasiatics exist throughout

19125-414: The region. Hinduism is the dominant religion in North India. Other religions practiced by various ethnic communities include Islam , Sikhism , Jainism , Zoroastrianism , Judaism , Baháʼí , Christianity , and Buddhism . Hindus constitutes more than 80 percent of the North India's population. National capital of India ( New Delhi ) is overwhelming Hindu-majority with Hindus constituting nearly 90% of

19278-452: The rising of the sun, he is to sing Gurbani; whether sitting down or standing up (meaning at all times), he is to meditate on the Lord's Naam. One who meditates on my Lord, Har, Har, with every breath and every morsel of food (meaning at all times) and – that GurSikh becomes pleasing to the Guru's Mind. That person, unto whom my Lord and Master is kind and compassionate – upon that GurSikh, the Guru's Teachings are bestowed. Servant Nanak begs for

19431-668: The rule of the Mughal Empire in India, two Sikh gurus were martyred. ( Guru Arjan was martyred on suspicion of helping in betrayal of Mughal Emperor Jahangir and Guru Tegh Bahadur was martyred by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb ) As the Sikh faith grew, the Sikhs subsequently militarized to oppose Mughal rule. After defeating the Afghans and Mughals , sovereign states called Misls were formed under Jassa Singh Ahluwalia . The Confederacy of these states

19584-442: The scene for centuries of migration of fleeing soldiers, learned men, mystics, traders, artists, and artisans from that region into the subcontinent, thereby creating a syncretic Indo-Islamic culture in the north. The sultanate's raiding and weakening of the regional kingdoms of South India paved the way for the indigenous Vijayanagara Empire . In the early 16th century, northern India, then under mainly Muslim rulers, fell again to

19737-455: The seas, greater resources, and more advanced military training and technology led it to increasingly assert its military strength and caused it to become attractive to a portion of the Indian elite; these factors were crucial in allowing the company to gain powerful influence over the Bengal province in 1757 and sideline the other European companies. Its further access to the riches of Bengal and

19890-540: The small states and chiefdoms of the Ganges Plain and the north-western regions had consolidated into 16 major oligarchies and monarchies that were known as the mahajanapadas . The emerging urbanisation gave rise to non-Vedic religious movements, two of which became independent religions. Jainism came into prominence during the life of its exemplar, Mahavira . Buddhism , based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha , attracted followers from all social classes excepting

20043-760: The states of Chandigarh , Delhi , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Jammu and Kashmir , Ladakh , Punjab and Rajasthan . The Ministry of Culture established the North Culture Zone in Patiala , Punjab on 23 March 1985. It differs from the North Zonal Council in its inclusion of Uttarakhand and the omission of Delhi . The Geological Survey of India (part of the Ministry of Mines ) in its Northern Region, included Uttar Pradesh and Delhi , but excluded Rajasthan and Chandigarh , with

20196-449: The states of Himachal Pradesh , the new state Haryana and current day Punjab . However, there was a growing alienation between Punjabi Sikh and Hindu populations. The latter of which reported Hindi rather than Punjabi as their primary language. The result was that Punjabi-speaking areas were left out of the new state and given to Haryana and Himachal Pradesh resulting in the state of Punjab to be roughly 35,000 square miles smaller than

20349-425: The study of human history as it relates to places and regions , or the study of how places and regions have changed over time. D. W. Meinig , a historical geographer of America, describes many historical regions in his book The Shaping of America: A Geographical Perspective on 500 Years of History . For example, in identifying European "source regions" in early American colonization efforts, he defines and describes

20502-657: The subcontinent . Indian royalty, big and small, and the temples they patronised drew citizens in great numbers to the capital cities, which became economic hubs as well. Temple towns of various sizes began to appear everywhere as India underwent another urbanisation. By the 8th and 9th centuries, the effects were felt in South-East Asia, as South Indian culture and political systems were exported to lands that became part of modern-day Myanmar , Thailand , Laos , Brunei , Cambodia , Vietnam , Philippines , Malaysia , and Indonesia . Indian merchants, scholars, and sometimes armies were involved in this transmission; South-East Asians took

20655-526: The subsequent increased strength and size of its army enabled it to annex or subdue most of India by the 1820s. India was then no longer exporting manufactured goods as it long had, but was instead supplying Britain with raw materials. By this time, with its economic power severely curtailed by the British Parliament and having effectively been made an arm of British administration, the East India Company began more consciously to enter non-economic arenas, including education, social reform, and culture. In 1833,

20808-673: The superior mobility and firepower of a new generation of Central Asian warriors. A Turco-Mongol emir, Zahir-ud-din Mohammad "Babur", after defeating the Delhi Sultanate, upgraded himself from Emir and proclaimed himself as the Padishah of Hindustan . His successors were called Mughals or Moguls by European historians owing to the dynasty's Mongol origins. They did not stamp out the local societies it came to rule. Instead, it balanced and pacified them through new administrative practices and diverse and inclusive ruling elites, leading to more systematic, centralised, and uniform rule. Eschewing tribal bonds and Islamic identity, especially under Akbar ,

20961-420: The term "North Indian" is sometimes used to describe migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, often using the term bhaiya (which literally means 'elder brother') along with it in a derogatory sense. However within Uttar Pradesh (literally meaning "North Province" in Hindi) itself, "the cultural divide between the east and the west is considerable, with the purabiyas (easterners) often being clubbed with Biharis in

21114-416: The term has varying implications ( see below ) with different states included being Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Punjab , Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and union territories of Chandigarh , Delhi , Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh . Indo-Aryans , who today form a majority in North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, are descendents of the Indo-Iranians who migrated from Central Asia via

21267-413: The three presidencies of Bengal , Bombay and Madras were unified into a unitary state, headed by the Governor-General of India and the creation of the Government of India . Historians consider India's modern age to have begun sometime between 1848 and 1885. The appointment in 1848 of Lord Dalhousie as Governor General of India set the stage for changes essential to a modern state. These included

21420-520: The time of the Indian independence movement , the Sikh ruler of the Kapurthala State fought to oppose the partition of India and advocated for a united, secular country. Sikh organizations, including the Chief Khalsa Dewan and Shiromani Akali Dal led by Master Tara Singh , condemned the Lahore Resolution and the movement to create Pakistan, viewing it as inviting possible persecution, with Akali Dal instead favouring an undivided Azad Punjab as an independent Sikh State or Khalistan , having passed

21573-494: The variety of flora, this richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals. Dachigam National Park : Dachigam is a higher altitude national reserve in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that ranges from 5,500 to 14,000 feet above sea level. It is home to the hangul (a red deer species, also called the Kashmir stag). Great Himalayan National Park : This park is located in Himachal Pradesh and ranges in altitude from 5,000 to 17,500 feet. Wildlife resident here includes

21726-532: The various Prakrits are thought to have evolved. Hindi is spoken in Western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and by a large number of people in many urban centres across North India. Many other languages of the Central Indo-Aryan languages such as Awadhi, Braj, Haryanvi, Chhattisgarhi, Bundeli and Bagheli are spoken in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Marwari, Harauti, Malvi, Gujarati, Khandeshi, Marathi and Konkani are spoken in Rajasthan, extreme eastern Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. Towards

21879-404: The west (modern Pakistan). Following partition, the Government of India had begun to redraw states corresponding to demographic and linguistic boundaries. However, this was not effective in the northern part of the country, as the government reconsidered redrawing states in the north. While states across the country were extensively redrawn on linguistic lines at the behest of linguistic groups,

22032-452: The whims of far-away markets. There was an increase in the number of large-scale famines , and, despite the risks of infrastructure development borne by Indian taxpayers, little industrial employment was generated for Indians. There were also salutary effects: commercial cropping, especially in the newly canalled Punjab, led to increased food production for internal consumption. The railway network provided critical famine relief, notably reduced

22185-770: The winter season and are critically important for the Rabi or spring harvest , which includes the main staple over much of North India, wheat . The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand receive some snowfall in winter months. Northern Indian tradition recognises six distinct seasons in the region: summer ( grishma or garmi (jyesth- ashadh), May–June), rainy ( varsha (shravan-bhadra), July–August), cool ( sharad (ashivan-kartik), September–October, sometimes thought of as 'early autumn'), autumn ( hemant (margh-paush), November–December, also called patjhar , lit. leaf-fall ), winter ( shishir or sardi (magh-phagun),January–February) and spring ( vasant (chaitra-baishakh), March–April). The literature, poetry and folklore of

22338-442: The world's newer nations; however, in spite of its recent economic successes, freedom from want for its disadvantaged population remains a goal yet to be achieved. North India lies mainly on continental India, north of peninsular India. Towards its north are the Himalayas which define the boundary between the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan plateau . To its west is the Thar desert , shared between North India and Pakistan and

22491-462: The world. With 25–30 millions, Sikhs represent less than 0.3% of the total world population in 2021. Many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, recognize Sikhs as a designated religion on their censuses and, as of 2020, Sikhs are considered as a separate ethnic group in the United States. The UK also considers Sikhs to be an ethno-religious people, as a direct result of the Mandla v Dowell-Lee case in 1982. Guru Nanak (1469–1539),

22644-491: Was a change in the landscape of art and culture in Punjab; Hindus and Sikhs could build decorated shrines without the fear of destruction or looting. The Sikh Confederacy was the catalyst for a uniquely Sikh form of expression, with Ranjit Singh commissioning forts, palaces, bungas (residential places) and colleges in a Sikh style. Sikh architecture is characterised by gilded fluted domes, cupolas, kiosks, stone lanterns, ornate balusters and square roofs. A pinnacle of Sikh style

22797-506: Was a factor in India's economic expansion, resulting in greater patronage of painting , literary forms, textiles, and architecture . Newly coherent social groups in northern and western India, such as the Marathas , the Rajputs , and the Sikhs , gained military and governing ambitions during Mughal rule, which, through collaboration or adversity, gave them both recognition and military experience. Expanding commerce during Mughal rule gave rise to new Indian commercial and political elites along

22950-433: Was designed by Guru Hargobind, who supposedly heard a peacock singing and wanted to create an instrument mimicking its sounds. The dilruba was designed by Guru Gobind Singh at the request of his followers, who wanted a smaller instrument than the taus. After Japji Sahib , all of the shabad in the Guru Granth Sahib were composed as raags . This type of singing is known as Gurmat Sangeet . When they marched into battle,

23103-417: Was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park along the banks of the Ramganga River. It is India's first National Park, and was designated a Project Tiger Reserve in 1973. Situated in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, the park acts as a protected area for the critically endangered Bengal tiger of India. Cradled in the foothills of the Himalayas, it comprises a total area of 500 km out of which 350 km

23256-429: Was launched on August 4, 1982, by the Akali Dal in partnership with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale , with its stated aim being the fulfillment of a set of devolutionary objectives based on the Anandpur Sahib Resolution . Indian police responded to protestors with high-handed police methods creating state repression affecting a very large segment of Punjab's population. Police brutality resulted in retaliatory violence from

23409-427: Was unified and transformed into the Sikh Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh . This era was characterised by religious tolerance and pluralism , including Christians, Muslims and Hindus in positions of power. Its secular administration implemented military, economic and governmental reforms. The empire is considered the zenith of political Sikhism, encompassing Kashmir , Ladakh and Peshawar . Hari Singh Nalwa ,

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