The Punjab of this book is a metaphor for the geographical regionsurrounded by the Himalayas, the Great Indian Desert, the AravaliHills and the river Jamuna. During a period of about 4 years upto AD 1, the cultural boundaries of this region did not coincidewith its geographical boundaries and there were sub-regionaldifferences as well. There was a great deal of interaction with theoutside world and between sub-regions. The socio-cultural dynamicsof the region are well reflected in the different periods of itshistory. Seen from the regional angle, the Harappan civilizationreveals sub-regional diversities and continuation in a ruralsetting. The Rigvedic culture appears to be a regional rather thanan ethnic articulation. The formation of states within the regionand its incorporation in empires set the stage for trade andurbanization, and for new socio-cultural formations. For the firsttime the great importance of Buddhism in the region getsunderscored. Gradually, however, it was replaced by Shaivism,Vaishnavism and Shaktism. Changes in religious history are relatedto the changing contexts of polity and economy in their bearing onthe social order, languages, literature and the arts. The bookshould be of equal interest to the student, the professionalhistorian and the general reader. \n