History of Punjab is the heritage of India. The location of ancient history and ancient civilisation of India was located mostly within a small neighbourhood of undivided Punjab.
The word Punjab was first used in the book Tarikh-e-Sher Suri (1580), which mentions the construction of a fort by Sher Khan of Punjab. The Fort was built in 1541-43 by Sher Shah Suri to protect the area against the Gakhars (a fierce war-like clan who were loyal to the Mughal ruler Humayun).The fort was finally surrendered to them by untrustworthy commander 10 year's after Sher Shah's death.The fort was named the site where Sher Khan defeated the Mughals.
The first mentioning of the sanskrit equivalent of Punjab , however, occurs in the great epic, Mahabharata (pancha-nada 'country of five rivers.).
The name was again appeared in Ain-e-Akbari written by Abu Fazal, who also mentions that the territory of Punjab was divided in two provinces, Lahore and Multan. Similarly the 2nd volume of Ain-e-Akbari, the title of a chapter includes the word Punjab in it.
