Sohni Mahiwal REAL FULL STORY

Sohni Mahiwal Real Love Stories

Listen to Sohni Mahiwal Real Full story

Hindi Version

Chenab nadi ke kinare esthit ek gaanv me rehti thi sohani kumar ki beti sohani behad khubsurat thi dusari aur bahut bade vayapari ka beta tha Izzat Baig ek bar usane sohani ko dekha to uski khubsurati par mar meeta sohani bhi usae mohabbat karne lagi sohani ke prem me mai thatbat ko chodkar mahiwal ne carana bhi gavara kiya isliye usaka naam mahiwal pada parivar valo ko jab dono ke prem ki dasta pata chali to sohani ki shadi kisi aur se kar di gaei lekin sohani ne usse pati ke roop mai Kabul nahi kiya mahiwal ne apne dil ka haal ek khat mai likhkar sohani tak pahucha diya iske bad sohani rozana mahiwal se milane nadi par jane lagi ek din uski bhabhi ne use mahiwal ke sath deakh liya usne pake ghady ki jagah par mitti ka kacha ghadha rakh diya sohini ko malum tha ki ghada badal diya gaya hai phir bhi usane mahbob se milane ki kasak mai usi ke sahare nadi par karane lagi beech nadi mai mataka phoot gaya aur sohani nadi mai sama gai mahiwal ne jab sohine ka mritt sarir dekha too uase baho me bhar kar khud bhi nadi me kud gaya our is tarah doo premi hamesha ke liye ek ho gaye….. ….

English Version

Potter's daughter

Around the 18th c. (late Mughal period), the beautiful girl Sohni was born to a potter named Tulla (Toolha). They were from the Kumhar caste, and lived in Gujrat town (in present-day Pakistan). 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.[3] 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

Shahzada Izzat Baig, a rich trader from Bukhara (Uzbekistan), came to Punjab on business and halted in the town of Gujrat. Here he saw Sohni at the shop and was completely smitten. The song goes that instead of looking after the 'mohars' (gold coins) in his pockets, he roamed around with his pocket full of love. 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 making floral designs on earthenware, she started building castles of love in her dreams. 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, Sohni's father. He would even take their buffaloes for grazing. Soon, he came to be known as Mehar or "Mahiwal" (buffalo herder).

Sohni's marriage

When the people got to know about the love of Sohni and Mahiwal, there was a commotion within the Kumhar community, who consider themselves a high caste. It was not acceptable that a daughter from this community would marry an outsider, so her parents immediately arranged her marriage with another potter.

Suddenly, one day the "barat" (marriage party) of that potter arrived at Sohini's 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 like a faqir (hermit). He eventually moved to a small hut across the river from Sohni's new home. The earth of Sohni’s land was like a shrine for him. He had forgotten his own land, his own people and his world.

In the dark of night, when the world was fast asleep, the lovers would meet by the river. Sohni would come by the riverside and Izzat would swim across to meet her. He would regularly roast 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. Seeing the bandage on his thigh, Sohni opened it, saw the wound and cried.

Tragic end

Sohni Swims to Meet Her Lover Mahinwal, circa 1780 Painting from LACMA

The next day, Izzat Baig was so badly wounded that he could not swim across. So Sohni started swimming across holding onto an earthenware pitcher.

Meanwhile, rumours of their romantic rendezvous spread. One day Sohni’s sister-in-law followed her and saw the hiding place where Sohni used to keep her earthenware pitcher inside the bushes. 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 and drowned as well.Thus their union was effected.

Tomb Of Sohni in Shahdadpur, Sindh in Pakistan

Legends has it, that the bodies of Sohni and Mahiwal were recovered from the River Indus near Shahdadpur, Sindh, some 75 km far from Hyderabad, Pakistan. Sohni's tomb is said to be located in the said city.