ABSTRACT
Sikhism was born in an area rife with sacred rites and spiritual leaders. It all began just over 500 years ago in Punjab, a region now split between north-west India and eastern Pakistan. One of the earliest civilizations known to man the Indus Valley was found in Punjab. From the third to second millennium BC, Punjab was home to the Indo-Aryan civilization. Although the height of the Aryans had passed, Aryan settlers still lived in Punjab from the second to first millennium BC. Punjab is the birthplace of Indian civilization. The battles depicted in the Mahabharata took place in Punjab. Around 300 BC, the Ramayana, the other epic story that is central to the Hindu teachings, was also authored in Punjab. Five centuries prior to Christ's birth, the Persians reigned over Punjab. The Kushan Empire, led by the great Kanishka, and then took control of Punjab until the third century AD.
