PEOPLE OF PUNJAB: THE PUNJABI

The rich and fertile land of the Punjab was the meeting ground of different people and races. Its population descends from various stocks and consists of heterogeneous racial elements. In ancient times it was mostly inhabited by a race whom the Aryans later called Dasyus. They were pushed towards the south by the Indo-Aryans. But a small section of Dasyus remained  in the Punjab. Later on, the Persians, the Greeks, the Parthians, the Scythians, the Kushans, the Huns, the Turks, the Mongols and the Afghans made successive inroads into Punjab and some of them settled there permanently and adjusted themselves to the new social system, adopting  the customs and tradition of the conquered land. They soon merged into the indigenous population and in the process, some of their own cultural traits became part of the culture of the Punjab. The present inhabitants of the Punjab are the descendants of the various racial stocks which entered it during the different stages of its history.

The Jats, who belong to the agriculturists class, form the bulk of population of the present Punjabis. They are sturdy, self-willed and industrious and are among the finest peasants of India. They are generally tall and muscular, with well-shaped limbs, an erect carriage and strongly marked and sharp handsome features