1. A historical region of the northwest Indian subcontinent bounded by the Indus and Yamuna Rivers. It was a center of the prehistoric Indus Valley civilization and after c. 1500 BC the site of early Aryan settlements. Muslims occupied the western part of the region by the 8th century, introducing Islam, and although they later conquered the eastern part, Hinduism remained entrenched there. The Moguls brought the region to cultural eminence until their empire declined in the 18th century. The Punjab was controlled by Sikhs from 1799 to 1849, when it was annexed by Great Britain. It was partitioned between India and Pakistan in 1947.

2. A state of northwest India in the eastern part of the historical region of the Punjab. Chandigarh is the capital.