''Heer Ranjha'' (or ''Heer and Ranjha'') ( pnb, , ਹੀਰ ਰਾਂਝਾ ) is one of several popular tragic romances of Punjab, other important ones being "

Sohni Mahiwal Sohni Mahiwal or Suhni Mehar ( pa, , ਸੋਹਣੀ ਮਹੀਂਵਾਲ is one of the four popular tragic romances of Punjab including Sindh. In Sindh Sohni's shrine is in Shahdadpur Town of Sangar District. The others are Sassi Punnun, Mi ...

", " Mirza Sahiban" and " Sassi Punnhun". There are several poetic narrations of the story, the most famous being ''Heer'' by Waris Shah written in 1766. It tells the story of the love between Heer Sial and Dheedo Ranjha.(Arif Jamshaid
The epic of Heer Ranjha, research paper on epic poem written by Waris Shah in 1766 on Academy of the Punjab in North America website
Retrieved 14 November 2020

History

''Heer Ranjha'' was written by many poets. Damodar Gulati, who also known as Damodar Das Arora, claims to be the eyewitness of this tale. His Qissa/story is deemed the oldest and the first Heer in Punjabi literature . He states in the poem that he is from

Jhang Jhang ( Punjabi, ur, ), ) is the capital city of Jhang District, in the central portion of the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 18th largest city of Pakistan by population. The histori ...

—the home of Heer, one of the poem's two main characters. 16th century poet

Shah Hussain Shah Hussain ( pa, ; ; 1538–1599), also known as Madhoo Lal Hussain, was a 16th-century Punjabi Muslim Sufi poet who is regarded as a pioneer of the Kafi form of Punjabi poetry. He lived during the ruling periods of Mughal emperors Akbar ...

also used story in his " Kafi" (poetry). Some historian said this story has came from Persia and other claimed word Heer was inspired by Greek goddess Hera. Some historians say that the story was the original work of Waris Shah, others say that Heer and Ranjha were real personalities who lived under the

Lodi dynasty The Lodi dynasty ( ps, لودي سلسله; fa, سلسله لودی) was an Afghan dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate from 1451 to 1526. It was the fifth and final dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, and was founded by Bahlul Khan Lodi when he ...

of the 15th and 16th century and that Waris Shah later utilized these personalities for his novel that he wrote in 1766. Waris Shah states that the story has a deeper meaning, referring to the unrelenting quest that man has towards God.

Plot

Heer (Izzat bibi) was an extremely beautiful woman, born into a wealthy Muslim family of

Sial In geology, the term sial refers to the composition of the upper layer of Earth's crust, namely rocks rich in aluminium silicate minerals. It is sometimes equated with the continental crust because it is absent in the wide oceanic basins, but ...

Jatts and Dheedo Ranjha of the Ranjha tribe of Jatts, is the youngest of four brothers and lives in the village of

Takht Hazara Takhat Hazara (Old Name Khajjiyan Wala) is a town (Village) Near River Chanab. (Distance 2 km) in the Sargodha District of Punjab, Pakistan. When the Mughal King came to this place, he liked to stay here. His throne was set here. This place h ...

by the river

Chenab The Chenab River () is a major river that flows in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul regi ...

in Punjab, Pakistan. Being his father's favourite son, unlike his brothers who had to toil in the lands, he led a life of ease, playing the flute ('Wanjhli'/'

Bansuri A bansuri is an ancient side blown flute originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an aerophone produced from bamboo and metal like material used in Hindustani classical music. It is referred to as ''nadi'' and ''tunava'' in the ''Ri ...

'). After the death of Ranjha's father, Mauju Chaudhry, Ranjha has a quarrel with his brothers over land, and leaves home. In Waris Shah's version of the epic, Ranjha leaves home because his brothers' wives refused to give and serve him food. Eventually he arrives in Heer's village and falls in love with her. Heer's father offers Ranjha a job herding his cattle. Heer becomes mesmerized by the way Ranjha plays his flute and eventually falls in love with him. They meet each other secretly for many years until they are caught by Heer's jealous uncle, Kaido, and her parents Chuchak and Malki. Heer is forced by her family and the local priest or ' Maulvi' to marry another man named Saida Khera. Ranjha is heartbroken. He wanders the countryside alone, until eventually he meets a

Shaiva Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangi ...

Jogi (ascetic). After meeting Gorakhnath, the founder of the "Kanphata" (pierced ear) sect of jogis at

Tilla Jogian Tilla Jogian ( Punjabi and ur, ) is an abandoned Hindu temple and monastic complex located on the summit of the ''Tilla Jogian'' mountain in the Salt Range of Pakistan's Punjab province. The complex was the most important centre for Hindu '' j ...

(the 'Hill of Ascetics', located 80 kilometres north of the historic town of

Bhera Bhera ( pa, ; ur, ) is a city and tehsil of Sargodha District, Punjab province of Pakistan. The city is known for wood-carved items, textiles (such as quilts and khussas), and certain desserts (such as pheonian and pateesa). The city is ...

, Sargodha District, Punjab), Ranjha becomes a jogi himself, piercing his ears and renouncing the material world. While reciting the name of the Lord, he wanders all over Punjab, eventually finding the village where Heer now lives. The two return to Heer's village, where Heer's parents agree to their marriage - though some versions of the story state that the parents' agreement is only a deception. On the wedding day, Kaido poisons her food so that the wedding will not take place, in order to punish the girl for her behaviour. Hearing this news, Ranjha rushes to aid Heer, but is too late, as she has already eaten the poison and has died. Brokenhearted once again, Ranjha eats the remaining poisoned food and dies by her side. Heer and Ranjha are buried in Heer's hometown, Jhang. Love-smitten couples and others often pay visits to their mausoleum.

Legacy and influence

''Heer Ranjha'' is part of the '' Qissa'' genre of tragic love stories, along with tales such as '' Laila Majnu'' and ''

Sassui Punnhun Sassi Punnuh or Sassui Punhun ( sd, سَسُئيِ پُنهوُن) is a love story from Punjabi, Sindhi, and Balochi folklore. The story is about a faithful lover who will endure any difficulty while seeking her beloved husband who was separat ...

''. Because its plot involves a romance opposed by family members and ends with the two lovers dying, the story is often compared to the Shakespeare play ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

''.

In popular culture

The epic poem has been made into several feature films between 1928 and 2013. In 2013, the television serial '' Heer Ranjha'', directed by Shahid Zahoor and produced by

Yousuf Salahuddin Yusuf ( ar, يوسف ') is a male name of Arabic origin meaning "God increases" (in piety, power and influence).From the Hebrew יהוה להוסיף ''YHWH Lhosif'' meaning "YHWH will increase/add". It is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew name ...

, aired on

PTV Home PTV Home HD is a Pakistani Free-to-air Television channel owned by the Pakistan Television Corporation. It also broadcast as a Terrestrial television Terrestrial television or over-the-air television (OTA) is a type of television broadcastin ...

. ''Heer Ranjha'' is a 2020 Indian

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

-language period drama television series starring Amaninder Pal Singh and Sara Gurpal in the lead roles. It aired on

Zee Punjabi Zee Punjabi is an Indian free to air television channel and satellite television channel from Punjab, India. This channel is a part of Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It is of Punjabi language. It is the first-ever General Entertainment Channel ...

and is based on the folktale of Heer and Ranjha.

In music

Bally Jagpal British musician has a song dedicated to their story. ‘RANJHA’ (sad love song). The British musician

Panjabi MC Rajinder Singh Rai ( Punjabi: ਰਜਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ), better known by his stage name Panjabi MC, is a British-Indian recording artist, rapper, producer and DJ. He is best known for the worldwide 2002 bhangra hit " Mundian To Bach K ...

references the tale of Heer and Ranjha in his 2003 song '' Jogi''. It has been sung by various Pakistani singers, including the classical/traditional artist Ghulam Ali. The tale is mentioned in popular Bollywood songs such as "Ranjha" by Rupesh Kumar Ram from the movie '' Queen'' ,"Ranjha Ranjha" by Rekha Bhardwaj and

Javed Ali Javed Ali is an Indian playback singer who predominantly sings in Hindi. He has also sung in various Indian languages including Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Early life Javed Ali was born Jave ...

from the movie '' Raavan'' and "Dariya" from the movie ''Baar Baar Dekho''. The names of Heer and Ranjha have been referred in the song lyrics of "One Love: The Taj Anthem" by

A.R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...

. Alam Lohar is renowned for reciting Heer in various styles and one of the first international folk singers to bring this story in a song format. The song ''Khaireyan De Naal'' from

Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; born 26 February 1965) is a Pakistani pop and classical singer, songwriter, and composer belonging to the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani pop rock band Fuzön u ...

's debut solo album, '' Tabeer'' (2008), tells the tale of Heer Ranjha. One of the songs of 2012 Hindi film ''

Jab Tak Hai Jaan ''Jab Tak Hai Jaan'' (), also simply known as ''JTHJ'', is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Yash Chopra and written and produced by his son Aditya Chopra under their banner Yash Raj Films. The film stars Shah Rukh ...

'' has been named "Heer". Also, the 2018 Hindi film ''

Race 3 ''Race 3 ''is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language action crime film directed by Remo D'Souza and Written by Kiran Kotrial and Shiraz Ahmed, produced under Tips Industries and Salman Khan Films. The film features Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Bobby ...

'' has a song named "Heeriye" which refers to Heer and Ranjha. In 2020, popular Indian YouTuber

Bhuvan Bam Bhuvan Bam (; born Bhuvan Avnindra Shankar Bam; 22 January 1994) is an Indian comedian, writer, singer, actor, songwriter, and YouTube personality from Delhi, India. He is known for his comedy channel on YouTube named ''BB Ki Vines.'' Early ...

wrote and sang "Heer Ranjha". The song depicts the brutal customs of society in the Indian subcontinent and has garnered more than 10 million views.

References

External links

Documentary on Heer Ranjha Kamran Saqi
Documentary Film on Heer Ranjha Produced by Kamran Saqi - Royal News
Read Online Heer Waris Shah By Peeran Dita Targarh
in Urdu language.
Complete Heer Waris Shah
in Shahmukhi language.
Qissa Heer Waris Shah
in Unicode Punjabi language. {{DEFAULTSORT:Heer Ranjha Punjabi culture Punjabi folklore Punjabi literature Sufi literature 1766 novels Literary duos Tragedies (dramas) Indian folklore Indian literature Love stories Pakistani folklore Pakistani literature