Question

What did Greek historians call Punjab in the ancient past?
A.Panchnada
B.Pentapotamia
C.Tsekai
D.Taki

Answer 1

Hint: The region of Punjab was originally called the Saptu Sindhu. It was the Vedic land where seven rivers flowed into the ocean. The Turko-Persian rulers gave the name ‘Punjab’.

Complete answer: The ancient Greek historians called Punjab ‘Pentapotamia’ which was the convergence of five rivers in an inland delta. Punjab is located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. Before the partition of India in 1947, the Punjab province consisted of the present-day Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi, the Pakistani region of Punjab, Islamabad and Punjab. During the Mughal empire, Punjab was only known as the small region between the Indus and Sutlej rivers. The people of Punjab are called Punjabis. The official state language is Punjabi. The religion of the Pakistani Punjab region is Islam. In the Indian region of Punjab, the main religions are Hinduism and Sikhism. Other religions are Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism etc. Punjab is the main region where the Indus Valley civilization flourished. The historic foreign invasions mainly occurred in the Manjha region of Punjab. The historical region of Punjab is considered one of the most fertile regions on earth. Both east and west Punjab are responsible for very high food production in India and Pakistan. Extensive wheat farming is done here, along with rice, sugarcane, fruits and vegetables.
Option B is the right answer.

Note: Punjab is called the ‘Granary of India’ It produces 1% of total rice production in the world, 2% of wheat and 2% of cotton. 39% of farmers in India belong to Punjab.