Sohni Mahiwal

Lore & Background

The tale originated in the Soomra dynasty period (11th–14th centuries). Later, it was found in the texts of Shah Abdul Karim Bulri and lastly in Shah Jo Risalo. It is one of seven popular tragic romances from Sindh, commonly known as The Seven Queens of Sindh of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. In the Punjabi version, set in the 18th century (late Mughal period), a beautiful girl named Sohni was born to a potter named Tulla in the town of Gujrat in northern Punjab. She helped her father decorate his pots. Izzat Baig, a rich trader from Bukhara, saw Sohni at the shop and was smitten. He took up the job of a servant in Tulla's house and came to be known as Mahiwal (buffalo herder). Sohni's parents arranged her marriage with another potter. Izzat Baig renounced the world and lived as a faqir across the river Chenab. Each night Sohni swam across the river using an inverted hard baked pitcher to meet him. One night her sister-in-law replaced the pitcher with an unbaked one, which dissolved in the water, and Sohni drowned. Mahiwal jumped in to save her and also drowned.

Reader's Guide

Sohni Mahiwal remains one of the most enduring folk tragedies in both Punjab and Sindh. The story inverts the classical motif of Hero and Leander, with the heroine swimming nightly to her beloved. The most popular Punjabi rendition is by Fazal Shah of Lahore. In Sindh, the version composed by Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai is known as Suhni Mehar. The tale has inspired numerous modern songs, including Pathanay Khan's famous song and performances by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Paintings of Sohni Mahiwal continue to be created by artists such as Sobha Singh, and folk versions in the Kangra style are common across the Punjab region. Four Hindi films based on the story have been made in India, including a 1984 Indo-Soviet co-production starring Sunny Deol and Poonam Dhillon. The shrine of Suhni in Shahdadpur, Sindh, is still visited by people as a historical site.

Did You Know?

• In the Punjabi version, the heroine's father was a potter named Tulla in Gujrat.
• The lover Izzat Baig was a rich trader from Bukhara who became a buffalo herder, earning the name Mahiwal.