Last reviewed 1 Oct 2026 · Facts as of 1 Oct 2026 · 5 min read
Scope. This note links Punjab's pre-1947 history to the modern state. For the economy and geography, see the Punjab geography notes. Dates below are the standard ones asked in state exams.
1. Road to Partition
- Lahore Resolution (23 March 1940): the Muslim League demanded "independent states" in the northwest and east.
- Cabinet Mission (1946) failed; communal violence rose.
- 3 June 1947 — Mountbatten Plan: Punjab (and Bengal) assembly members of Muslim-majority and non-Muslim-majority districts were to vote on partition. The Punjab Legislative Assembly voted for partition.
- Radcliffe Commission: Sir Cyril Radcliffe chaired the Boundary Commissions for Punjab and Bengal; the awards were announced on 17 August 1947, after independence.
- 14–15 August 1947: Pakistan and India came into being.
Partition of Punjab
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| West Punjab | Went to Pakistan (including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sialkot, Lyallpur) |
| East Punjab | Remained in India; the capital Lahore was lost, so a new capital was needed |
| Districts divided | Gurdaspur and Amritsar partially; some tehsils of Gurdaspur went to India; Ferozepur and Zira were disputed |
| Population movement | One of history's largest migrations — millions of Hindus and Sikhs moved east and Muslims west |
| Violence | Large-scale communal massacres, abductions and displacement (estimates of deaths vary widely, from several hundred thousand to over a million) |
| Refugee rehabilitation | Evacuee property was allotted; East Punjab received lakhs of refugees; land consolidation began |
2. Capital and early administration
- With Lahore in Pakistan, East Punjab's temporary capital was Shimla.
- Chandigarh was planned as the new capital; foundation stone laid in 1948; design by Le Corbusier (with Pierre Jeanneret, Maxwell Fry and Jane Drew); the Capitol Complex includes the Legislative Assembly, Secretariat, High Court and the Open Hand monument.
- Chandigarh became the capital in 1953.
- First Chief Minister of East Punjab: Gopi Chand Bhargava (from August 1947).
- The state was renamed Punjab; Sardar Partap Singh Kairon later became a powerful CM (1956–64).
3. PEPSU (Patiala and East Punjab States Union)
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Formed | 15 July 1948 by merging eight Phulkian and other princely states: Patiala, Jind, Nabha, Kapurthala, Faridkot, Malerkotla, Kalsia, Nalagarh |
| Capital | Patiala |
| Rajpramukh | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh of Patiala |
| Chief Minister | Gian Singh Rarewala headed the first elected government (1952) |
| Merger | PEPSU merged with Punjab on 1 November 1956 under the States Reorganisation Act |