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 WIKIਪੰਜਾਬپنجابPeople
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 WikiPeopleSport
Balbir Singh Sr.
Unknown · Wikimedia
Modern figure

Balbir Singh Sr.

ਬਲਬੀਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੀਨੀਅਰبلبیر سنگھ سینئر

Centre-forward from the Doaba who won three Olympic hockey golds for India and scored five goals in the 1952 final.

Balbir Singh was born in the Jalandhar district in 1923 and played for the Punjab police. He won Olympic gold in 1948, 1952 and 1956, the last as captain; his five goals in the 1952 final at Helsinki are still an Olympic record.

He later managed India's 1975 World Cup winning team, and died in Mohali in 2020.

Places linked to Balbir Singh Sr.
Spot a mistake, a wrong picture or something missing? Help maintain this page →