Amir Khusro, the eminent poet, pioneered the usage of he expression "Punjab", the land of five rivers, in 1280 A.D. this fascinating, simple usage was adopted by King Akbar in his official documents. Earlier, the land had evoked some expression like "Punchnad", the suffix "nad", though similar to "aab", did remain in popular usage. The five rivers conjoin near Ucha, about 125 kms from Multan in Pakistan and this meeting place of the five rivers was also called "Punchnad".

During the Vedic period this land had seven rivers intertwining the region which evoked the name "Sapat-Sindhu" land of seven rivers. On the eastern boundary existed the fastest river Saraswati which got extinguished over the centuries. The western side was bordered by river Sindh/Indus and in between were flowing Jehlum, Chanab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Thus, the Vedic civiliztion got sanctified by the seven rivers which gave the land the name "Sapat Sindhu".

However, some oher names had association with the dominant tribes of the region, for example "Vaheek" ; other importand tribal usages were : "Nardak", "Kekkai", "Maddar Desh" and so on.

Flowing waters enervated the flow of life giving abundant opportunity to the inhabitants of this region, which in later stages attracted a large number of visitors of different kinds.

The geographical area of Punjab has been expanding as well as shrinking over the ages. The researchers have explored that the civilization even spread to the region of Rohail Khand in Bihar which assumed the name of Bharatvarsha. Rig Veda describes western part of Punjab as Gandhar which was very much flourished and advanced. The map of Punjab has been increasing, decreasing and re-consolidating, especially during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, it d its most glorious period. During British rule, Punjab had its capital at Lahore.

Rig Veda, the world's first scripted book of wisdom, eulogizes the significance of the civilization of five rivers in mystical terms, "Indra ushered forth the land of Sapat-Sindhu for the Aryans". The Aryans also thought that the land had been offered by Gods and so named it as "Brahm Varata" i.e. "Land of Sacred Bards".

Interestingly, the archaeological discoveries and scientific researches which put the age of earth around 46000 lac years, place the emergence of the refined form of the species "Homo-sapiens" i.e. Man around 26 lac years ago, living in the vast wilderness of the Soan river valley of Punjab. The jungle-life necessitated the production of some sharpened stones for protection and getting food and a hut-like home for protection from vagaries of weather. The proofs of this unique civilizational advancement have been found/discovered around "Uchali" and "Jalilpur" in Punjab also. The archaeological findings in Punjab have shown that the ancient Punjabis had started settling permanently in the houses made of stone and mud bricks. Concomitantly, they learned the practice of agriculture and animal husbandry.

The year 1921 brought forth a shinning news for the whole world when the expert archaeologist R.B. Dayaram discovered the World's oldest and best civilization called "Indus Vally Civilization". These great centres of charismatic civilization i.e. Mohen-jo-Daro and Harappa of Punjab are located now in Pakistan. This Civilization which developed about 5000 years ago, consists of splendid features. There emerged perfect town planning with wide roads, illuminated streets, wells for water supply, sewerage facilities like drainage system, houses with kitchens, bathrooms, high ceilings with equally tall doors and windows, good spaces called "vehras", communitarian bathing facilities like swimming pools and the additional small pools/tanks co-existed. Strong fortifications with high walls protected the citizens, Besides, the inhabitants were rich in spiritual upliftment through aesthetics, appreciation of beauty through painting, Sculpture, female beautification culture and religious ceremonies. To trade and promote trading facilities, the owners and cultivators of Harappa Civilization had used wheels in carts and extensively used boats, even of large size. The game of chess was invented. This mind boggling game was very popular. Carnivals and marriages were celebrated with the thrill of the "Dhol" i.e. drum. Radio-carbon scientific techniques have proved beyond doubt that Harrappa Civilization was at its prime around 3500 B.C. The great Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore aptly observed that "world's first civilized man had evolved in the land of Punjab".

In India and Pakistan, the archaeological digging, done at as many as 1400 sites, has found traces of the civilization man. Out of these 475 places are located in Punjab in Pakistan and 925 in Punjab in India. The signs, symbols of the Indus Vally Civilization have been found in 43 villages in District Jalandhar too. Similarly, Some significant traces have been found in the districts of Ropar, Ludhiana and Patiala.

District Hoshiarpur may said to be the home of ancient man. A large number of evidences have been found in Dholbaha and Daulatpur. The village Ghurram in Patiala district too has such embodiments that clearly display the prosperity of the people, prior to the shifting of capital to Delhi.

Many significant icons of Harappa Civilization have been unearthed at Sanghol in Distt. Fatehgarh Sahib, which are treasured now in a museum at Sanghol. The pillars and hamlets of Kushan era show the spread of Buddhism, in that area at the time.