sohni - Mahiwal/ Sohni - Mehar

Sohni Mahiwal / Sohni Mehar

Sohni Mahiwal is a tragic love story from Shah Jo Risalo written by Shah Abduul Latif Bhittai. This tale is favourite in both Sindh and Punjab.

Sohni means ‘Beautiful’. Sohni was from Gujarat. Their village was a caravanserai on the trade route between Bukhara and Delhi. Sohni is a pretty girl born to a potter named Tulla. They were from Kumhar caste and lived by the side of river Chenab. Their shop is claimed to be near Rampyari Mahal by the river. Chenab has been a mother to people as well as to lovers. 

Sohni was a creative child as she grew up she helped her father in decorating the pots, pitchers (Surahis- jugs), and mugs.  She used to set the pottery wares and sell them in the market.

Izzat Baig was a rich trader from Rukhara(Uzbekistan) came to Punjab province for business and halted in Gujrat. He visited the local market and happened to meet Sohni selling pottery wares at her’s father’s shop. Izzat Baig was dazed and he bought many wares from her. Just to get a glimpse of her face he went every day to get something from her dad’s shop. Sohni was also smitten by the handsome Izzat Baig.

Instead of returning to Bukhara with his Caravan, Izzat Baig took up employment at Tulla Shop as a helper. Izzat Baig usually used to take the water buffaloes for grazing. He was called as ‘Mehar or Mahiwal’which means herder of water buffaloes. The love between Sohni and Mahiwal grew and it was noticed by others and it created an uproar in the village. Sohni was  from Kumhar community and she was bound to marry a person from the same community. Her parents arranged for her marriage immediately with another potter in next village.  The barat of bridegroom arrived at her house and Sohni was married and sent off to her husband’s house in a Doli (Palanquin) to Hamirpur.

On hearing the marriage of his beloved Izzat Baig loses interests in the worldly affairs and renounces the world and stated living the life of an ascetic across the river Chenab opposite to Hamirpur. He believed that the place where his love lived was his Heaven and she was his Goddesss. After her marriage, her husband had to travel a lot due to his business. At night, Sohni used to sit and watch the Chenab River thinking about her Mahiwal. One day she got the idea to cross the river Chenab to see Mahiwal. She didn’t know swimming so she took a hard baked pot and tried swimming towards the other bank of Chenab. Mahiwal couldn’t believe that it was Sohni who was clinging to the pot to cross the river. He rushed into save her and ended up meeting each other half way and reached the banks. At day break she set out again across the Chenab River to her husband’s home and hid the pot in the bushes near her house.

In the dark of night, when the world was fast asleep, the lovers would meet by the river. In the night time, Sohni would cross the Chenab River with an inverted hard baked pot as it would float in water and not sink. She would meet Izzat Baig on the other side of Chenab. Throughout the night the lovers would talk sweet nothings. Izzat Baig would catch fish daily and roast it for Sohni. Once during a high tide he was not able to catch fish so he cut off flesh from his thighs and roasted it for Sohni. After eating it Sohni found out what had Mahiwal done for her. Her love for Mahiwal grew.

One day Sohni’s sister- in – law saw that Sohni hid and pot under the bushes near the window of her of their house. She followed Sohni without her knowledge and found the truth about rendezvous meeting of Sohni and Mahiwal. She was shocked and informed her mother about her sister-in-law affairs. Mother in law and sister in law both plan to finish Sohni’s meeting without letting anything out to her son who was on a business trip. Sister – in –law replaces the baked pot of Sohni at her hideout with an unbaked pot.

Sohni unaware of the treachery takes the pot and begins her journey about half way she saw the pot melting into water. She called for her Mahiwal. Mahiwal sensed that Sohni was in danger and rushed to help her but he could not swim far with wound on his thigh. He met her drowning body halfway through the river but could not swim across and he was swept away by the river currents. They both held on to each other

Sohni’s tomb is located at Shahpur Chakar Road, Shahdadpur about 75 kms from Hyderabad, pakisthan.

According to Sindhi version, Sohni is said to be a girl belonging to Jat tribe and lived on the western bank of the Indus River and Dam was Sohni’s husband was from Samtia and lived on the eatersn bank. Sohni and Mehar fall in love because mehar gives her milk when her marriage procession crosses the river