November 1 marks the formation day of seven Indian states: Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh. Punjab Formation Day, or simply Punjab Day, is the observance to commemorate the foundation of the Indian state that occurred on November 1, 1966. Bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the north, Haryana to the south, Rajasthan to the southwest and the union territories of Chandigarh to the east and Jammu and Kashmir to the north, modern-day Punjab was formed due to the Akali Dal-led movement in the 1950s. Today, Punjab stands as the 16th largest Indian state in terms of population. If you want to know more about the Punjab Day 2022 date, history and significance, you've ended up at the right place. Below, get details about the date and history of Punjab Foundation Day.

Punjab Day 2022 Date

As mentioned above, Punjab Foundation Day 2022 will be observed on November 1, Tuesday. It is also called Punjab Day or Punjab Formation Day. Kerala Piravi 2022 Date & Significance: When Is Kerala Day? Everything To Know About the History and Celebrations Related to Kerala Piravi Dinam

History and Significance of Punjab Foundation Day

Under the Punjab Reorganisation Act (1966), the central government agreed to divide the Punjab province into Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The demand of the Akali Dal led to the separation of the larger Punjab into three different states. The Hindu majority speaking the Pahari dialect of the Punjabi language became Himachal Pradesh, the population speaking the Haryanvi dialect was directed to form Haryana, while the remaining areas of the Sikh majority were kept as a part of present-day Punjab.

The term Punjab is the compound of two Persian words, 'Punj', which means five, and 'Ab' means water which signifies that it is surrounded by five rivers - Beas, Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi and Sutlej. However, since the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, only two of the rivers, Sutlej and Beas, lie within the Punjab territory. In contemporary times, Punjab is the 19th largest state in terms of geographical areas (the 20th largest if union territories are considered).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 31, 2022 05:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).