Doab
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A Doab, meaning "two waters" in Persian, is a term used in India and Pakistan for a tract of land between two confluent rivers.
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[edit] In Northern India and Pakistan
[edit] Uttar Pradesh
Doab is the term applied in India to a tract of land between two converging rivers.
The Doab, unqualified by the names of any rivers, designates the flat alluvial tract between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in western and southwestern Uttar Pradesh state, extending from the Shiwalik Range to the rivers' confluence at Allahabad. This well-irrigated region is the greatest wheat growing area of the state.
The Doab has an area of about 23,360 square miles (60,500 square km). It lies between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. The doab is about 500 miles (800 km) in length and 60 miles (100 km) in width.
The Doab can be described as the cradle of the Indian civilisation. It figures strongly in Vedic history and myth. When the Aryans advanced from Punjab, they first settled in the Doab along the Ganga river till Prayag. The Doab is the home of many of the earliest Vedic cities and states; the epic Mahabharata is set in the Doab, revolving around the city of Hastinapur. And the holy city of Prayag is also situated here at the confluence of the holiest rivers for Hindus, the Ganga and Yamuna.
The following districts form part of the Doab:
Dehradun, Rishikesh, Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Gautambudhnagar, Bulandshahar, Mathura, Aligarh, Etah, Agra, Mainpuri, Etawah, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, Fatehpur, Kaushambi and Allahabad.
[edit] The Punjab region
Each of the tracts between the confluent rivers of the Punjab of India and Pakistan (the Indus basin) has a distinct name, said to have been coined by Raja Todar Mal, a minister of the Mughal emperor Akbar. The names (except for 'Sindh Sagar') are a combination of the first letters of the names of the rivers that make up the Doab. For example, Chaj - 'Ch'(Chenab) + 'J'(Jhelum) and so on. The names are:
- Sindh Sagar Doab - lies between the Indus and Jhelum rivers.
- Chaj Doab - between the Jhelum and the Chenab River.
- Rechna Doab - between the Chenab and the Ravi River.
- Bari Doab or Majha - between the Ravi and the Beas River.
- Jullundur Doab or Doaba - between the Beas and the Sutlej River. It is named after the city of Jullundur (Jalandhar). Sometimes, it is also referred to as the Bist Doab
[edit] In Southern India
The Raichur Doab is the triangular region of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states which lies between the Krishna River and its tributary the Tungabhadra River, named for the town of Raichur.
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