Punjabi Folklore
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Punjabi Folklore
Punjabi folklore (more particularly its folksongs) is a core part of the Punjabi culture. Other important components of Punjabi folklore are farces, anecdotes, idioms, folktales, and sayings. Research Origin Richard Carnac Temple argued in his 1884 work, ''The Legends of the Punjab'', that the plot structure of Punjabi folktales and Bhat Vahis, bardic poetry was indistinguishable from one another, albeit with the bardic poems being more textually conservative (as they had been governed by Metre (poetry), metre and rhyme due to being in verse form). This led him to believe that the folktales originated from the bardic literature, existing as degraded derivatives. Themes Punjabi folktales commonly incorporate stories involving animals which teach a moral lesson. This is a theme which originated in ancient India, with a surviving example being the ''Panchatantra'' of the third century BCE. Other prevalent themes found within Punjabi folklore is a suspcision of those in posi ...
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Folios Of A Manuscript Of Heer Waris Shah (Waris Shah's Version Of The Heer-Ranjha Folktale), Circa 19th Century
The term "folio" () has three interconnected but distinct meanings in the world of books and printing: first, it is a term for a common method of arranging Paper size, sheets of paper into book form, folding the sheet only once, and a term for a book made in this way; second, it is a general term for a sheet, leaf or page in (especially) manuscripts and old books; and third, it is an approximate term for the Book size, size of a book, and for a book of this size. First, a folio (abbreviated fo or 2o) is a book or pamphlet made up of one or more full sheets of paper, on each of which four pages of text are printed, two on each side; each sheet is then folded once to produce two leaf (books), leaves. Each leaf of a folio book thus is one half the size of the original sheet. Ordinarily, additional printed folio sheets would be inserted inside one another to form a group or "gathering" of leaves prior to binding the book. Second, folio is used in terms of page numbering for some bo ...
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Raja Rasalu
Raja Rasalu is a legendary prince and protagonist of the ''Adventures of Raja Rasalu'', a Punjabi folktale. According to the story, he is son of Raja Sálbán, the king of Sialkot, and a younger brother of Puran Bhagat. Monarchs of Sialkot in Punjabi folklore such as Raja Sálbán and Raja Rasalu may have belonged to the early medievalTakka kingdom. Sources The story of Raja Salban and his two sons, Puran and Rasalu, has been popular in Punjab for several centuries. However, the earliest tales were written down in the 19th century, and display visible Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...ic influences. They were first published by Charles Rev Swynnerton in his 1884 book ''"The Adventures of the Panjáb Hero Rájá Rasálu: And Other Folk-tales of the Panjá ...
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Mirasi
The Mirasi (; ; ) are a community found in North India and Pakistan. They are folklore tellers and traditional singers and dancers of a number of communities. The word "mirasi" is derived from the Arabic word (ميراث) ''mīrās'', which means inheritance or sometimes heritage. In the strict grammatical sense of the term, they are considered to be propagators of the cultural and social heritage. History and origin In North India Some Mirasi are also known as Pakhwaji due to the ''pakhwaj'', a timbrel that they play. In Delhi The Mirasi of Delhi claim descent from the Charanas. The Charanas are said to have converted to Islam during early Mughal rule and were also associated with Amir Khusrau. In Punjab The Mirasi of Punjab were under the patronage of the Sikh Empire during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. They acted as hereditary bards, genealogists, and musicians. They performed at folk, qawwali, gurbani, melas at Sufi spaces in that period. Traditional lore ...
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Punjabi Qisse
A Punjabi Qissa (plural: Qisse) is a tradition of Punjabi language oral story-telling that emerged in Punjab region of eastern Pakistan and northwestern India, with the fusion of local Punjabi people and migrants from the Arabian peninsula and contemporary Iran. Where ''Qisse'' reflect an Islamic and/or Persian heritage of transmitting popular tales of love, valour, honour and moral integrity amongst Muslims, they matured out of the bounds of religion into a more secular form when it reached India and added the existing pre-Islamic Punjabi culture and folklore to its entity. Etymology The word ''Qissa'' (pronounced ) is an Arabic word meaning "epic legend" or a "folk tale". It occurs as a regular common noun in Indo-Aryan languages like Punjabi, Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu and Hindi. If used informally, the word means an ‘''interesting tale''’ or ‘''fable''’. Qisse and the Punjabi culture The Punjabi language has a rich literature of , most of which are about love, passio ...
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Dhola Maru
The Dhola Maru, also known as Dhola Marvani, is the romantic tale of Dhola and Maru in Rajasthan. The Rajasthani version is entirely different from a version found in Chhattisgarh. The folktale can also be found in Punjab. Literature The ''Dhola Maru'' story is deeply rooted in folklore and oral traditions, and it is well-known across Northwestern India: besides Rajasthan, the story is also found in Punjab, Bundelkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The work is available in both prose and poetry form, as well as a mixed form (prose and verse). The tale depicts one of the most mesmerizing chapters of Rajput and Rajasthani history. Editions Scholarship locates at least three recensions of the story: the oldest to date, titled "recension A", from Bikâner; a second one, called "recension B", from author Kuśallābh, from Jodhpur, and a third one, titled "recension C", from a manuscript found in Bikaner, which contains the story in prose and verse form. ''Dhola Maru ri cha ...
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Dulla Bhatti
Rai Abdullah Khan Bhatti (23 July 1547 – 26 March 1599) popularly known through his moniker Dulla or Dullah Bhatti, was a Punjabi folk hero who led a revolt against Mughal rule during the reign of Emperor Akbar. He is entirely absent from the recorded history of the time, and the only evidence of his existence comes from Punjabi folk songs. The deeds of Bhatti are recounted in folklore and took the form of social banditry. According to Ishwar Dayal Gaur, although he was "the trendsetter in peasant insurgency in medieval Punjab", he remains "on the periphery of Punjab's historiography". Biography Abdullah Bhatti was a Punjabi Muslim Rajput of the Bhatti tribe. Abdullah Bhatti lived at Pindi Bhattian in Punjab, and came from a family of hereditary local rural chiefs of the zamindar class. Both his father, Farid, and his grandfather, variously called Bijli or Sandal, were executed for opposing the new and centralised land revenue collection scheme imposed by the Mugha ...
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Yusuf And Zulaikha
''Yusuf and Zulaikha'' (the English transliteration of both names varies greatly) is a title given to many tellings in the Muslim world of the story of the relationship between the prophet Yusuf and Potiphar's wife. Developed primarily from the account in Sura 12 of the Qur'an, a distinct story of Yusuf and Zulaikha seems to have developed in Persia around the tenth century CE. According to Agnès Kefeli, "in the biblical and Qur’anic interpretations of Joseph's story, Potiphar's wife bears all the blame for sin and disappears quickly from the narrative". But "in Turkic and Persian literatures, Joseph and Zulaykha do, ultimately, become sexually united, in parallel to their noncorporeal mystical union". The story of Yusuf and Zulaikha is subsequently found in many languages, such as Arabic, Persian, Bengali, Turkish, Punjabi and Urdu. Its most famous version was written in the Persian language by Jami (1414–1492), in his '' Haft Awrang'' ('Seven Thrones'). Origins Thou ...
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Sohni Mahiwal
''Sohni Mahiwal'' () or ''Suhni Mehar'' is a traditional Punjabi– Sindhi folk tragedy. Set in central Sindh or northern Punjab, depending upon the version of the tragedy, the folktale depicts the separation of two lovers and their tragic demise. In Sindh, it is one of the seven popular tragic romances of Sindh. The other six are Umar Marvi, Momal Rano, Sassui Punnhun, Lilan Chanesar, Sorath Rai Diyach, and Noori Jam Tamachi. In Punjab, it is one of four of the most popular romances, the other three being '' Heer Ranjha'', '' Sassui Punnhun'' and ''Mirza Sahiban''. 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 Mahiwal herds buffaloes. One night her sister-in-law replaces the earthenware pot with a vessel of unbaked clay, which dissolves in water and she di ...
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Sassi Punnun
''Sassui Punnhun'' or ''Sassi Punnu'' is a traditional Sindhi, Balochi, and Punjabi tragic folktale. Set in Sindh and Makran, the tragedy follows the story of a faithful lover who endures many difficulties while seeking her beloved husband who was separated from her by rivals. It is one of the seven popular tragic romances of Sindh. The other six are ''Umar Marvi'', ''Momal Rano'', '' Sohni Mehar'', '' Lilan Chanesar'', ''Sorath Rai Diyach'', and ''Noori Jam Tamachi''. In Punjab, it is among four of the most popular romances. The other three are ''Heer Ranjha'', '' Sohni Mahiwal'' and ''Mirza Sahiban''. Origins The earliest mention of this tale is in the texts of Qazi Qadan. Later it is mentioned in Karim Jo Risalo of Shah Abdul Karim of Bulri, the great-great-grandfather of the legendary poet of Sindh, Shah Latif of Bhit. The story appears in Shah Jo Risalo and forms part of seven popular tragic romances from Sindh, commonly known as the Seven Queens of Sindh, or th ...
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Mirza Sahiba
''Mirza Sahiban'' () is a classical Punjabi folk tragedy, originally recorded in literary form by the 17th-century poet Pilu. Set in a village in Jhang, the tragedy follows the romance between two youths, belonging to chieftain families of their respective clans, their elopement and eventual demise. It is regarded as one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. The other three are ''Heer Ranjha'', ''Sohni Mahiwal'' and ''Sassi Punnun''. Synopsis The story was written by Pilu, a poet who lived during 16th century in Punjab. Mirza and Sahiban were lovers who lived in Khewa, a town in the Jhang District which was Sahiban's ancestral village. Mirza was the son of Banjal, a Kharal Jatt chief of Danabad while Sahiban was the daughter of Khiva Khan, a Sial Jatt chief. Both Mirza and Sahiban ran away to marry against Sahiban's parents' wishes. While eloping Mirza stopped under a jand tree, where he rested for a while and fell asleep. Sahiban did not want to begin h ...
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Heer Ranjha
'' Ranjha'' () is a classical Punjabi folk tragedy with many historic poetic narrations; with the first one penned by Damodar Gulati in 1600s, on the preexisting oral legend; and the most famous one, ''Heer'', written by Waris Shah in 1766, in the form of an epic. Set in Takht Hazara and Tilla Jogian, it follows the story of love, forced separation, and eventual simultaneous demise of two youths in the Punjabi countryside.(Arif JamshaidThe epic of Heer Ranjha, research paper on epic poem written by Waris Shah in 1766 on Academy of the Punjab in North America websiteRetrieved 14 November 2020 It is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. The other three are ''Mirza Sahiban'', '' Sohni Mahiwal'' and '' Sassi Punnun''. History ''Heer Ranjha'' has been written by a number of poets. The earliest known Punjabi version was composed by Damodar Gulati in the early 17th century during the reign of Akbar. He claimed to be its eyewitness, likely as a poetic trop ...
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Jasrat
Jasrat Khan ( – ), also known as Jasrath, was a 15th-century Punjabi Muslim chieftain who ruled parts of Punjab from 1410 until his death in 1442. He had his capital at Sialkot. A son of Shaikha, Jasrat fought against Tamerlane during his invasion of Delhi Sultanate in 1398. He was defeated and made captive but regained his power after getting free. Jasrat supported Shahi Khan against Ali Shah and obtained significant spoils after his victory in the Battle of Thanna. In 1423 he conquered Jammu after defeating its ruler Bhim Dev. Encouraged by the early victories, Jasrat aimed for Delhi and invaded the Delhi Sultanate several times between 1421 and 1432. Although mostly unsuccessful in these campaigns, Jasrat managed to expand his control over most of Punjab and Jammu as well as parts of present-day Himachal Pradesh. He is considered a folk hero of Punjab. Background Although Firishta mistakenly calls Jasrat Khokhar a Gakhar, he is generally believed by historians to be a ...
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