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{{about|the love story}}
'''Sohni Mahiwal''' or ''' Suhni Mehar ''' ({{lang-ur|سوہنی مہیوال}}, {{lang-pa|{{nq|سوہنی مہیوال}}, ਸੋਹਣੀ ਮਹੀਂਵਾਲ}}; {{lang-sd|سهڻي ميهار}}) is one of the four popular tragic romances of Punjab. The others are [[Sassi Punnun]], [[Mirza Sahiba]], and [[Heer Ranjha]]. Sohni Mahiwal is a tragic love story which inverts the classical motif of [[Hero and Leander]]. The heroine Sohni, unhappily married to a man she despises, swims every night across the river using an earthenware pot to keep afloat in the water, to where her beloved Mehar herds buffaloes. One night her sister-in-law replaces the earthenware pot with a vessel of unbaked clay, which dissolves in water and she dies in the whirling waves of the river.<ref>{{cite book |title=Pain and Grace: a Study of Two Mystical Writers of Eighteenth-Century Muslim India |author=Annemarie Schimmel |publisher=Sang-E-Meel Publications |year=2003}}</ref>

The story also appears in [[Shah Jo Risalo]] and is one of seven popular tragic romances from [[Sindh]]. The other six tales are [[Umar Marui]], [[Sassui Punhun]], [[Lilan Chanesar]], [[Noori Jam Tamachi]], [[Sorath Rai Diyach]] and [[Momal Rano]] commonly known as ''Seven Heroines'' ({{lang-sd|ست سورميون}}) of [[Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai]]. Shah begins the story at the most dramatic moment, when a young woman cries out for help in the cold river, attacked by crocodiles. The whole chapter ([[Sur Sohni]]) is merely an extension of this dreadful and yet hoped-for moment when the vessel of her body breaks and she, faithful to her pre-eternal love-covenant with Mehar, will be forever united through death.

Sohni is one of the favourite folktales both in [[Sindh]] and [[Punjab]].<ref>{{cite book| title=Pain and grace:a study of two mystical writers of eighteenth-century Muslim India|author= Annemarie schimmel| publisher =Sang-E-Meel Publications| year=2003 }}</ref>

==Story==
In the 18th century (late [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] period), the beautiful girl Sohni was born to a potter named Tulla (Toolha). They were from the [[Kumhar]] [[caste]], and lived in [[Gujrat city|Gujrat]], [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]]. At the time, Gujrat, on the river [[Chenab]], was a [[caravanserai]] on the trade route between [[Bukhara]] and [[Delhi]].

As Sohni grew up, she helped her father decorate his pots. Their shop is said to have been near Rampyari Mahal by the river.<ref>[http://pakistaniat.com/2007/01/08/pakistan-sohni-mahiwal-folk-tales-culture/ Folk Tales of Pakistan: Sohni Mahiwal - Pakistaniat.com]</ref> As soon as the ''Surahis'' (water-pitchers) and mugs came off the wheel, she would draw artistic designs on them and set them up for sale.

===Izzat Baig of Bukhara===
[[Shah#Shahzada|Shahzada]] Izzat Baig, a rich trader from [[Bukhara]] ([[Uzbekistan]]), came to Punjab on business and halted in [[Gujrat City|Gujrat]]. Here he saw Sohni at the shop and was completely smitten. Just to get a glimpse of Sohni, he would end up buying the water pitchers and mugs every day.

Sohni too lost her heart to Izzat Baig. Instead of returning to Bukhara with his caravan, the noble-born Izzat Baig took up the job of a servant in the house of Tulla. He would even take their buffaloes for grazing. Soon, he came to be known as ''Mehar'' or "Mahiwal" (buffalo herder).

===Sohni's marriage===
The love of Sohni and Mahiwal caused a commotion within the Kumhar community. It was not acceptable that a daughter from this community would marry an outsider, so her parents immediately arranged her marriage with another potter. On the day the "barat" (marriage party) of that potter arrived at her house, Sohni felt helpless and lost. She was sent off to the husband's house in a ''Doli'' ([[palanquin]]).

Izzat Baig renounced the world and started living as a [[faqir]] (hermit). He eventually moved to a small hut across the river Chenab from Sohni's new home hamirpur.
In the dark of night, when the world was fast asleep, the lovers would meet by the river. Izzat would come to the riverside and Sohni would come to meet him swimming with the help of an inverted hard baked pitcher (inverted so that it would not sink). He would regularly catch a fish and bring it for her. It is said that once, when due to high tide he could not catch a fish, Mahiwal cut a piece of his thigh and roasted it. Sohni didn't realise this at first but then she told Izzat that this fish tastes different. When she kept her hand on his leg, she realised what Mahiwal had done and this only strengthened their love for each other.

===Tragic end===
[[File:Sohni Swims to Meet Her Lover Mahinwal LACMA M.72.2.1.jpg|thumb|Sohni swims to meet her lover Mahiwal]]
Meanwhile, rumours of their romantic rendezvous spread. One day Sohni’s sister-in-law followed her and saw the hiding place where Sohni kept her earthenware pitcher. She informed her mother, Sohni's mother-in-law, and instead of telling Sohni's husband (who was away on a business trip), the women decided to take the decision in their own hands and finish the matter. The next day, the sister-in-law removed the hard baked pitcher and replaced it with an unbaked one. That night, when Sohni tried to cross the river with the help of the pitcher, it dissolved in the water and Sohni drowned. From the other side of the river, Mahiwal saw Sohni drowning and jumped into the river to save her and drowned as well. Thus, the lovers were reunited in death.

==Sindhi version of Sohni-Mehar==
A somewhat different version of the story is told in [[Sindh]], where Sohni is believed to be a girl of [[Jat]] tribe living on the western bank of the [[Indus]] River; and Dam, Sohni's husband, was of the Samtia, living on the eastern bank. The love between Sohni and Mehar is attributed to a drink of milk that Mehar gave her during the marriage procession over the river.

==Tomb of Sohni And Mahiwal==
[[File:Sohni Tomb.Jpg|thumb|Tomb of Sohni in [[Shahdadpur]], Sindh]]
Legend has {{convert|75|km|abbr=on}} from [[Hyderabad, Pakistan]]. Sohni's tomb is located at nawabshah Road, Shahdadpur, and is visited by lovers.

==Popular culture==
The story of Sohni and Mahiwal was popularized in the [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] [[Punjabi Qisse|qissa]] (long poem) ''Sohni Mahiwal'' by [[Fazal Shah Sayyad]], who also wrote poems on [[Heer Ranjha]], [[Laila Majnu]] and others.<ref>{{cite book |author=Amaresh Datta |title=The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |volume=2 |year=2006 |isbn=81-260-1194-7}}</ref>

The Sohni Mahiwal love story continues to inspire numerous modern songs, including [[Pathanay Khan]]'s famous song ''Sohni Gharay nu akhadi aj mainu yaar milaa ghadeya''. [[Alam Lohar]] has also made many renditions of this kalaam and was one of the first singers to present the story in a song format. Pakistani pop band Noori's song Dobara Phir Se is inspired by the lore of this story as well as the more recent, Paar channa de, from [[Coke Studio Pakistan (season 9)]]. Paar channa de was earlier sung by Arif Lohar and Saleema Jawwad for 2013 movie Zinda Bhaag, based on a traditional folk song.

Many paintings of Sohni Mahiwal continue to be created by well-known artists such as [[Sobha Singh (painter)|Sobha Singh]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The splendour of Himalayan art and culture |author=Ashoka Jeratha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IQDkxM0GTw4C&pg=PA134 |page=134}}</ref> Folk versions of these paintings, for example in the [[Kangra painting|Kangra]] style, are commonly found across the whole [[Punjab region]].

Four [[Hindi]] film versions, named ''Sohni Mahiwal'' have been made in India:
* [[Sohni Mahiwal (1933 film)|1933]] by Harshadrai Sakerlal Mehta; starring Gauhar Karnataki, Master Chonkar, Shivrani and Master Kanti.
* [[Sohni Mahiwal (1946 film)|1946]] directed by [[Ishwarlal]] and Ravindra Jaykar; starring Ishwarlal and [[Begum Para]].
* [[Sohni Mahiwal (1958 film)|1958]] by [[Raja Nawathe]]; starring [[Bharat Bhushan Bhalla|Bharat Bhushan]] and [[Nimmi]].
* [[Sohni Mahiwal (1984 film)|1984]] directed by Kanwal Biala, Latif Faiziyev and [[Umesh Mehra]]; starring [[Sunny Deol]] and [[Poonam Dhillon]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0152509/ Sohni Mahiwal (1984)]</ref>
Other Indian films including [[Indian silent film|silent ones]] based on the romance are:<ref name="RajadhyakshaWillemen1999">{{cite book|last1=Rajadhyaksha|first1=Ashish|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofi0000raja|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema|last2=Willemen|first2=Paul|publisher=British Film Institute|year=1999|access-date=12 August 2012|url-access=registration}}</ref>

* ''Sohni Mahiwal'' (1928) by K.P. Bhave, starring Gauhar Karnataki and Jamshedji.
* ''Sohni Mahiwal'' (1928) by Anand Prasad Kapoor, starring Himat, Miss Mani, [[Master Vithal]] and Zebunissa.
* ''Sohni Mahiwal'' (1939) by Roshan Lal Shorey.
* ''Sohni Mahiwaal'' (1984) by Kanwal Biala, starring Daljit Kaur, Arun Chopra, [[Mehar Mittal]] and Kanchan Mattu.

==See also==
{{portal|Novels}}
* [[Heer Ranjha]]
*[[Tomb paintings of Sindh]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111015105848/http://museindia.com/focuscontent.asp?issid=39&id=2815 Suhini- Mehar(Sohini-Mahival )]
* [http://www.sindhiadabiboard.org/catalogue/Folk_Litrature/Book38/Book_page1.html Suhni Mehar in Sindhi]
* [http://bhurgri.com/bhurgri/sd_shah_sohni.php Sur Suhni in Shah Jo Risalo]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20091026223751/http://geocities.com/thebhittai/lateef29.html Sohni & Mehar - The Poetry of Shah] (Translated by [[Elsa Kazi]])

[[Category:Love stories]]
[[Category:Fictional duos]]
[[Category:Punjabi folklore]]
[[Category:Sindhi folklore]]
[[Category:Shah Jo Risalo]]
[[Category:Indian folklore]]
[[Category:Indian literature]]
[[Category:Pakistani folklore]]
[[Category:Pakistani literature]]
[[Category:Jat]]

Sohni Mahiwal - Revision history

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