ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>M&#256JH&#256</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="MJH"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279M&#256JH&#256, from <i>mañjhl&#257</i>, i.e., middle, is the traditional name given to the central region of the Punjab covering the upper part of the B&#257r&#299 Do&#257b lying between the rivers Be&#257s and R&#257v&#299 (whence the name B&#257r&#299) and comprising the present Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts of India and Lahore district of Pakistan, although it is not uncommon to include the Pakistan districts of Si&#257lko&#7789, Gujr&#257&#7749w&#257l&#257 and Shei<u>kh</u>&#363pur&#257 forming part of the upper Rachn&#257 Do&#257b also in the M&#257jh&#257 area. Strictly speaking, though, the north-eastern half of Rachn&#257 Do&#257b is traditionally called Da&#7771ap, and the south-western half forms part of the S&#257ndal B&#257r. Even the south-western half of Lahore district has a separate name, Nakk&#257. Taken as a whole, M&#257jh&#257 forms a rough parallelogram with the rivers Be&#257s and Sutlej forming the base and bounded by the &#346iv&#257liks in the east, the River Chen&#257b in the north, and roughly the line of 73º-30' East longitude in the west. It has a continental sub-humid climate and winter monsoons in addition to summer monsoons. Being an alluvial plain with sub-soil water and water table favourable for irrigation, M&#257jh&#257 in the past has been the most productive and densely populated region of the Punjab; but, for the same reasons, it has also been the most alluring for foreign invaders who ravaged it time and again for many centuries. It was perhaps this frequent alternation of affluence and adversity that made the people of the region hardy and fearless, yet tolerant and god fearing, qualities that made M&#257jh&#257 the bedrock of Punjabi culture and history.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; M&#257jh&#257 is also the birthplace and early home of Sikhism. The first six Gur&#363s, with the exception of the second, were born and brought up here. Even the second Gur&#363, Gur&#363 A&#7749gad, who was born in a village in the M&#257lv&#257, made Kha&#7693&#363r S&#257hib in M&#257jh&#257 his permanent seat. In Sikh times political and religious authority was centred in Lahore and Amritsar, both in M&#257jh&#257. Of the seven towns founded by the Gur&#363s, four (Goindv&#257l, Amritsar, Tarn T&#257ran and Sr&#299 Hargobindpur) lie in M&#257jh&#257 which is dotted with scores of historical shrines, including those now in Pakistan, connected with the lives of the Gur&#363s. Four of the five Taru&#7751&#257 Dal <i>misls</i> established themselves in this region while the fifth, &#256hl&#363v&#257l&#299&#257, occupied a major part of the neighbouring Do&#257b&#257.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, in the context of the present Punjab where bulk of the Sikh population is concentrated, M&#257jh&#257 comprises only two of the 17 districts, Amritsar and Gurd&#257spur, of the state. With a richly productive soil and watered by the upper B&#257r&#299 Do&#257b canal and thousands of wells and tube-wells, the two M&#257jh&#257 districts produce a variety of crops, principal among them being rice, wheat and maize. Although in density of population these districts rank after Jalandhar and Ludhi&#257&#7751&#257, over 21 percent of the total population of Punjab lives here according to the 1991 census. Most of the population is rural, with agriculture as the main occupation. Amritsar with a population of over seven lacs, retains its position as the major commercial city of Punjab. Only two other towns (Pa&#7789h&#257nko&#7789, a military station, and Ba&#7789&#257l&#257, an industrial centre) have a population of a little over 100,000 each. The remaining towns (only l8 against 113 in the rest of the Punjab), including the district town of Gurd&#257spur, have all population below 100,000 each. The literacy percentage (53.5 for Gurd&#257spur and 47.3 for Amritsar district), however, compares well with the average (49.2 per cent) for the whole of Punjab. The premier educational institution of the region is Gur&#363 N&#257nak Dev University located at Amritsar. The area is industrially backward. Besides Ba&#7789&#257l&#257, a centre of light and medium industry, Goindv&#257l is now being developed as a major industrial complex. A major hindrance in the further economic growth of M&#257jh&#257, however, has been, besides its being a border region, its internal disturbed condition during the early 1980's.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Census of India 1991 &#8212 Reports<BR> <li class="C1">.Latif, Syad Muhammad, <i> History of the Punjab </i>. Delhi, 1977<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">Major Gurmukh Si&#7749gh (Retd.)<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>