ИСТИНА

The paper shows that national self-identification has prevailed over the religious one in coastal regions of South Asia such as, for example, Gujarat and Bengal. The development of trade and of capitalist economic relations expedited the awakening of national consciousness in those regions. In the Punjab, similarly to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the religious basis has remained a more important factor of self-identification than the ethno-linguistic one. However, ethnic identity is also important for Punjabis, Sindhis etc.