Punjab, ‘the land of five rivers’, was one of the centres of the prehistoric Indus valley Civilization. After 1500 BC, it was the site of the earliest 
Aryan settlements. In the past, Punjab was occupied by Alexander the Great, and then by the Mauryan Empire. Muslims occupied West Punjab by the 8th century, and ushered in Islam. Not until the late 12th century, did they conquer East Punjab, which even afterward, remained predominantly Hindu. In the late 18th century, the Sikhs rose to dominance. They came into conflict with the British during the early 19th century. In 1849, the British annexed most of the Punjab, and made it a province, though some of the princely states were retained.With the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Punjab was partitioned according to the prevalence of Muslim and the Hindu populations. The western portion became part of Pakistan. The eastern part stayed with India. The Indian Punjab was divided into three different states on a linguistic basis on November 1st 1966. The Hindi speaking areas formed the new state of Haryana, while the Northern most districts were transferred to Himachal Pradesh. The remaining regions form present day Punjab.
