Punjab (; Gurmukhi: ਪੰਜਾਬ; Shahmukhi: پنجاب; Punjabi: [pənˈdʒaːb] (listen); also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of eastern Pakistan and northwestern India. Punjab's major cities are Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Multan, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Sialkot, Chandigarh, Shimla, Jalandhar, Gurugram, and Bahawalpur. Punjab grew out of the settlements along the five rivers, which served as an important route to the Near East as early as the ancient Indus Valley civilization, dating back to 3000 BCE, and had numerous migrations by the Indo-Aryan peoples. Agriculture has been the major economic feature of the Punjab and has therefore formed the foundation of Punjabi culture, with one's social status being determined by land ownership. The Punjab emerged as an important agricultural region, especially following the Green Revolution during the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, and has been described as the "breadbasket of both India and Pakistan."Besides being known for agriculture and trade, the Punjab is also a region that over the centuries has experienced many foreign invasions and consequently has a long-standing history of warfare, as the region is vulnerably situated on the principal route of invasions through the northwestern frontier of the Indian subcontinent, including those of Persians, Macedonians, Scythians, Parthians, Kushans, Huns, Arabs, Turks, and Mongols until the eighteenth century which promoted a lifestyle that entailed engaging in warfare to protect the land, with the Marathas, Durranis and British invading the region in subsequent decades. The boundaries of the region are ill-defined and focus on historical accounts and thus the geographical definition of the term "Punjab" has changed over time. In the 16th century Mughal Empire it referred to a relatively smaller area between the Indus and the Sutlej rivers. In British India, until the Partition of India in 1947, the Punjab Province encompassed the present-day Indian states and union territories of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, and Delhi, and the Pakistani regions of Punjab, and Islamabad Capital Territory. It bordered the Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa regions to the west, Kashmir to the north, the Hindi Belt to the east, and Rajasthan and Sindh to the south. The predominant ethnolinguistic group of the Punjab region is the Punjabi people, who speak the Indo-Aryan Punjabi language. Punjabi Muslims are the majority in West Punjab (Pakistan), while Punjabi Sikhs and Punjabi Hindus are the majority in East Punjab (India). Other religious groups are Christianity, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Ravidassia.

Dhanaula is a city and a municipal council in Barnala district in the state of Punjab, India. Situated 18 km west of Sangrur, Dhanaula lies on the Sangrur-Barnala road. It is about 12 km from Barnala. Dhanaula was founded by Gurditta, eldest son of Taloka, in 1718 (1775 Bikrami). It was the capital of the erstwhile Princely State of Nabha until 1755 when Raja Hamir Singh founded Nabha town and made it the capital of the state. He also built a fort which now houses the police station of Dhanaula. A temple of Hanuman exists here. It is said that a man was digging a ditch and found an idol of Hanuman. A temple was constructed at that place, the idol was placed there, and the people began to worship it. Dhanaula is a town of temples. A fair known as Hanuman Mela is held in this temple on every Tuesday. Dhanaula is also known for Vd. Harnek Singh Moga Wale, a renowned ayurvedist in north India, for marasmus cases, and also for the wooden toys that are sold in shops on the main road to Barnala. There is also a special hospital for mentally upset patients. Dhanaula also has a name and fame due to animal fairs which are organised by Punjab government on 11th and 27th of every month. Traders across the country come here for their animal business deals. There are two main Gurudwaras, Gurudwara Ramsar Sahib and Gurudwara Pathsahi Nauvin. Gurdawara Pathsahi Nauvin is historical, and it is believed that Ninth Guru, Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib, visited Dhanaula. In 1941, Dhanaula had a population of 9,560.