The land of five waters gave the world its first cities, its saints and its songs. Broken by every empire that crossed it, it is still ours to remember, and to make whole again.

Read the manifesto →
PUNJAB WIKIਪੰਜਾਬپنجابMuseum
EN
Englishਪੰਜਾਬੀپنجابی

Land & Ages

The LandRivers, doabs, Harappa and the first cities, seasons, numbersAgesEight ages of the Punjab, from the Soan to todayTimelineEvery dated event on one lineAtlasEvery place on one map, age by agePlacesCities, ancient sites, temples, mosques and gurdwaras, battlefieldsLanguage & scriptsPunjabi, its dialects, Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi

People & Faiths

PeopleSaints and teachers, poets and singers, rulers, rebels, the people of both PunjabsPeople of the landJats, Rajputs, Arains, Khatris, Dalit communities and more, across every faithFaithsHindu traditions, Islam and the Sufis, Sikhi, and the Punjab's other faiths

Kingdoms & Struggles

Kingdoms & WarsWho ruled the Punjab, the Kingdom of Lahore, and the battles fought over itWho ruled the PunjabEvery ruling power, 518 BCE to todayWars & BattlesFrom the Hydaspes to BasantarStruggles & Partitions1849, 1919, 1947, 1966, 1984, 2020

Culture & Museum

CulturePoets, qisse, songs, music, dance, festivals, foodMuseumSculpture, coins, manuscripts, painting, arms, buildings, and where to see themChronicles & ProphecyThe poetry of the old chroniclesAboutWhat this atlas is, its sources, and every word explainedHelp maintain this siteCorrections, pictures, sources and new entries
Punjab WikiMuseumFrom the world's museums
From the world's museums · 1947 – today · 21

Two Punjabs

Partition, two capitals, the Green Revolution, wars on the border, 1984, and Punjabis around the world.

This age on the site →

The Sikh courts and the Gurus

1
SikhSikh1957Tartu Art Museum (via Europeana) ↗

Pahari painting from the hills

6
Lost pet-bird, Kangra miniature, 18th century A.D.Lost pet-bird, Kangra miniature, 18th century A.D.1947 · indiaLibrary of Congress ↗Two ladies playing chowpat, a copy of a fresco from the Rangmahal palace, ChambaTwo ladies playing chowpat, a copy of a fresco from the Rangmahal palace, Chamba1947 · indiaLibrary of Congress ↗Lakshmi-Narayana, Pahari miniature, Kulu, 18th century A.D.Lakshmi-Narayana, Pahari miniature, Kulu, 18th century A.D.1947 · indiaLibrary of Congress ↗Equestrian portrait of a Sikh chief (later inscription: Raja Balbir Singh) IndianEquestrian portrait of a Sikh chief (later inscription: Raja Balbir Singh) IndianMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston · photo Wikimedia Commons (Wikimedia Commons) ↗Head ornamentHead ornamentca. 1960-1970 · Nurpur© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗Head ornamentHead ornamentca. 1960-1970 · Nurpur© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗

Lahore, Multan and the Punjab

7
The Medical Mission for Experts on their visit to India: group portrait includes Sir…The Medical Mission for Experts on their visit to India: group portrait includes Sir…1950Wellcome Collection (via Europeana) · CC BY ↗ArmchairArmchair1950-1960 · Chandigarh© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗Kylmotorfartyget SARGODHA löper av stapeln i jan. 1956.Kylmotorfartyget SARGODHA löper av stapeln i jan. 1956.National Maritime Museum (via Europeana) ↗Gp Capt FS Hussain in Sargodha during the 1965 warGp Capt FS Hussain in Sargodha during the 1965 warWikimedia Commons · Pakistan Air Force Archives ↗Chandigarh Festival SupplementChandigarh Festival Supplement1967-1968 · India© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗LahoreLahore1968 · Carlisle© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗Chandigarh booklet by Dr M.S. Randhawa, 1968Chandigarh booklet by Dr M.S. Randhawa, 19681968 · Chandigarh© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗

Early photographs

1
Taj Mahal: Sikh touristsTaj Mahal: Sikh tourists1967 · India© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗

Shawls, textiles and embroidery

5
Sar Pallu PhulkariSar Pallu Phulkarimid 20th century · Punjab (India)© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗HatHatc. 1950 · Hazara · AfghanistanMinneapolis Institute of Art ↗HatHatc. 1950 · Hazara · AfghanistanMinneapolis Institute of Art ↗ShirtShirtmid 20th century · Swat Valley© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗PhulkariPhulkaribefore 1962 · Punjab (India)© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗

Maps of the Punjab

1
Map of ChandigarhMap of Chandigarh1967-1968 · India© Victoria and Albert Museum, London ↗

Search the museums' full collections

V&A ↗ · British Museum ↗ · The Met ↗ · Cleveland ↗ · Wellcome Collection ↗ · Wikimedia Commons ↗ · Ashmolean ↗ · Royal Collection ↗ · Pitt Rivers ↗

Shown here are the objects whose pictures museums have released openly. Far more are in their collections, and in museums with no open search, such as the Lahore Museum. Searching for "Punjab".

Pictures from the collections of Art Institute of Chicago, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum (via Europeana), Bhuri Singh Museum, Chamba, 65 more, found automatically: public domain or openly licensed, except the V&A's, shown for non-commercial use with the museum's credit. Titles and dates are the museums' own; each card names its museum and any licence. Updated 2026-10-26.

Spot a mistake, a wrong picture or something missing? Help maintain this page →