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The Hearty Smile - Piggy Bank
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India - the land of the Kamasutra - one of the most
comprehensive treatises on love and passion - abounds with
several hundreds and thousands of true love stories. While
some of these legends of love were successful and lived
happily ever after, many were tragic and resulted in these
passionate lovers taking their lives, in order to keep the
flame of their love alive! Many of these love stories are
famous throughout the world and have been immortalized through
films and the written word.
Being Valentine’s Week, this is again the time of the year
when love is in the air and is actually palpable all around.
Keeping in mind the current amorous atmosphere, we bring you
these greatest love stories. In order to cover the most
important love stories, we are splitting the article into two
parts. This month, we bring you Part One - the most touching
heart-warming love tales ever told. We hope you enjoy this
experience of love.
Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal
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The Epitome of Love - Shah Jahan
and Mumtaz Mahal
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The romance of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal is undoubtedly the
greatest ever love story of the 17th Century, recorded during
the Mughal Rule in India. This is a tale that never fails to
pull on the reader’s heart strings.
In the year 1612, a young teenage girl, named Arjumand Banu;
wedded Prince Khurrum Shihab-ud-din Muhammed; the son of
Jehangir, the 4th Mughal Emperor of India; also the grandson
of Emperor Akbar. In 1607, while walking along Meena Bazar,
Shah Jahan spotted a girl hawking silk and glass beads. He
immediately fell in love with her. At that time, he was 14
years old and she, in actuality a Muslim Persian Princess, was
15. He rushed back to his father and stated that he wanted to
marry that girl. The families met and the match got fixed.
They were officially betrothed, but got married only 5 years
later.
Once he married her, he renamed her Mumtaz Mahal, or the
"Jewel of the Palace". She soon became his favorite wife -
Shah Jahan was madly in love with Mumtaz Mahal and always
strove to fulfill all her wishes. On ascending the Peacock
Throne in 1627, Prince Khurrum came to be known as Shah Jahan,
or the "King of the World".
Shah Jahan had other wives as well, but he only had eyes for
his lovely Mumtaz. She would go everywhere with him, even on
military campaigns. She was not only his wife, but also his
closest friend and confidante. In 19 years of wedded bliss,
she bore him 14 children, out of which 8 died young. Sadly,
she too died a tragic death while giving birth to the 14th
child. As she lay on her deathbed, Shah Jahan promised her
that he would never ever remarry and that he would construct
the world’s most beautiful mausoleum over her tomb. After her
passing, Shah Jahan became a complete recluse and went into
private purdah for almost 2 years, after which he emerged
shockingly haggard-looking, hunchbacked and white-haired.
The Taj Mahal - A Symbol of True Love
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Taj Mahal - Shah Jahan's Memorial
of Love for his Wife Mumtaz Mahal
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The intricately carved and domed Taj Mahal; literally meaning,
"Crown of Palaces"; is a magnificent monument made of white
marble, sitting on a sandstone platform. It is located in the
Agra region of Uttar Pradesh, India; along the southern bank
of the Yamuna River. This stunning monument is considered a
jewel of Mughal art; an undying part of India’s rich heritage;
and most importantly, the greatest tribute to eternal, true
love. Famed English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold has described it as
follows: "Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are,
but the proud passion of an emperor's love wrought in living
stones".
Commissioned in 1632 by Shah Jahan, this massive structure
beautifully blends elements from Indian, Islamic, Persian,
Turkish and Ottoman styles of architecture. Employing close to
20,000 artisans, the construction of this complex edifice
began around 1632 and took about 22 years to complete. The
work on the Taj Mahal; headed and supervised by Ustad Ahmad
Lahauri, an Indian of Persian descent; finally concluded in
the year 1653.
The interior of the edifice is richly decorated with lapis
lazuli, agate, turquoise, jasper and colored marble. The
exterior is paved with other semi-precious stones, which add
to the overall regal look of the structure. The approach path
is decorated with a beautiful, lush garden, containing 4 water
channels. These symbolize the 4 rivers of Islamic paradise.
The highlight of the Taj Mahal is the massive 137-foot high
dome, which royally crowns it.
Shah Jahan died in 1666. His body too was placed in a tomb
built inside the monument, alongside that of Mumtaz Mahal. He
intended to build a black marble mausoleum for himself, but
did not succeed in completing it. His cruel son, Aurangzeb,
put him under house arrest in the Red Fort of Agra. Shah Jahan
spent several lonely months starting across the Yamuna River,
at the monument he had so lovingly commissioned.
The Taj Mahal is one among the Seven Wonders of the World.
Through the years, reams of prose and poetry have been penned
by various authors and poets, relating the undying love
between Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.
Laila Majnu
The love story of Laila and Majnu originated as a short poem
in ancient Arabia. But later, it became increasingly popular,
thanks to a literary adaptation of the story by the Persian
poet Nizami Ganjavi. Incidentally, he also penned the love
story of "Khosrow and Shirin", which we will be bringing you
later in this very article.
Qays and Laila met when they were very young - they instantly
fell in love with each other. But as they grew up, Qays became
obsessed with his lady love - he became as if possessed. This
is how he earned the name "Majnu" - the one possessed or a
madman. He began composing poems and songs narrating his
immense love for her. Laila’s father opposed their love and
drove Qays away when the latter requested her hand in
marriage. This was because Laila’s father considered it
blasphemous for his daughter to marry a madman. Soon after,
Laila was given away in marriage to another man.
When Majnu learnt about the marriage, he left the tribal camp
and wandered away into the nearby desert. His family forever
hoped that he would return to them - they even kept food for
him everyday, hoping that he would come and eat it. But he
preferred the loneliness of the desert. He would often be seen
reciting poetry to himself or writing in the sand.
In the meantime, Laila moved to Northern Arabia with her
husband. In a few months, she fell ill and eventually breathed
her last. According to some versions, which came later on, she
died of heartbreak of not being able to live with the love or
her life. Majnu too was found dead shortly after, in 688 AD,
in the wilderness. He was found lying near her grave. He had
carved three verses on a rock near the grave.
The story of Laila and Majnu is a tragedy, much like Romeo and
Juliet. The unfortunate lovers here could never marry or
celebrate their togetherness. Sadly, their love and passion
for one another had to die an unnatural death.
Other Versions
Layla means "darkness" or "night". This is symbolic of secret,
hidden love that Laila and Majnu had for each other. The story
of Laila and Majnu have been written, narrated and adapted
differently in many different parts of the world. In
Persia, the story of Leylie o Majnoon started being
popularized in the 12th Century, by Nizami Ganjvi. With the
rise of its popularity, many other writers brought their own
version and flavor to the original story.
This story features in Azerbaijani literature as well.
Dastan-I Leyli vii Mexnun (The Epic of Laila and Majnu) was
penned in the 16th Century by Fuzuli and Hagiri Tabrizi. It
went on to be adapted as the very first opera to be staged in
the Middle East. Several Sufi writers refer to the name Layla
in their poems as well.
There are various other adaptations of Nizami’s original work,
in several languages of the world. This work was translated in
English by Isaac D’Israeli in the 19th Century, so that it
could be reached to a much wider audience around the world.
Laila and Majnu in India
In India, the story is set in Rajasthan, with their graves
believed to be located in the Bijnore village in the
Sriganganagar district. According to this legend, Laila and
Majnu are believed to have fled their respective homes, in
order to set up their home in this region.
In yet another version, Laila and Majnu fell in love when they
met in school. The school master was angry that Majnu would
pay attention only to Laila and not to his books. Strangely,
when he beat the boy, Layla would bleed for his wounds. When
their families came to know about this, they had a massive
fight, due to which the young lovers were separated from each
other. However, they met again in their youth. Laila’s
brother, Tabrez, was insistent that he would never let his
sister marry a madman such as Majnu. Both the men fought over
Laila and, in a moment of utter madness, Majnu murdered
Tabrez. He was arrested and was sentenced to be stoned to
death. A grief-stricken Laila agreed to marry another man if
they could promise her that Majnu would be kept safe from
harm. Accordingly, she got married to another man, but her
heart longed for her Majnu. Both died shortly after, of a
broken heart. Legend has it that they met in heaven and lived
and loved each other forever.
To this day, hundreds of lovers and newlyweds from both India
and Pakistan visit this village to pay their homage to the
eternal lovers; and also to take part in the 2-day fair, held
in June. Couples line up to seek the blessings of Laila and
Majnu and many lay a chadar (sheet of cloth) on their shrines
and pray to them. Devotees offer visitors prasad and a langar
(free meal) and also conduct devotional music programs in the
night.
Influences
The inspiring love story of Laila and Majnu have given rise to
several poems, books, songs, operas, dance ballets,
documentaries and films in multiple languages, spanning across
several cultures around the globe. The Indian film industry
has produced various films on this subject, starting as early
as the 1920s.
Heer Ranjha
Heer Ranjha is yet another tragic love story of Punjab. Heer
was a lovely young woman, born into a wealthy family. She
belonged to the Sayyal clan in Jhang, Punjab. Ranjha, whose
first name was Dheedo, was a Jatt of the Ranjha clan. He was
the youngest of 4 brothers and resided in the village of Takht
Hazara, located by the Chenab River. Being the last child and
also the favorite of his father, he led an easy life, unlike
his other brothers, who toiled away in the fields. He would
play his Bansuri (flute) for much of the day and merely idled
away his time.
His brothers always resented the fact that he never helped
them out with their work. One day, he quarreled with them over
their family property and left home. According to another
popular version, Ranjha left home because his brothers’ wives
refused to keep feeding someone who never contributed to the
family’s finances.
He wandered around for some time and finally reached Heer’s
village. He took one look at her and fell for her. Her father
offered Ranjha the job of herding his cattle. Heer would often
listen to Ranjha playing his flute so melodiously and slowly
and surely, fell in love with him. They continued to meet
secretly, until Heer’s uncle, Kaido, discovered their love and
brought it to the notice of her parents, Chuchak and Malki.
They, along with the local priest, forced her to marry another
man, Sadashiv Khera.
Hearing of her wedding, Ranjha was heartbroken and wandered
around the countryside, all alone. He then met an ascetic,
Baba Gorakhnath, the founder of the "Kamphata" sect of jogis
(ascetics) at Tilla Jogian, located about 50 miles away from
the town of Bhera, in Sargodha District. Ranjha then decided
to renounce the world and became a jogi himself. He would
forever take the name of Lord Shiva, chanting "Alakh Niranjan.
He started wandering from village to village, chanting the
Lord’s name. Soon, he reached the village where Heer happened
to live.
The minute she saw Ranjha, she knew that her love for him
would never die. She decided that it is high time that she
left the Khera family and got together with her soul mate,
Ranjha. Reaching her parents’ home, she managed to convince
them to allow her to leave her husband and marry Ranjha. They
were completely shocked by her request, but with time,
realized that their love was true and that nothing would ever
destroy it.
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Heer Ranjha - The Romantic Couple
of Punjab
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They finally consented to Heer’s marriage with Ranjha. The
wedding date was fixed and the preparations made. However, the
main villain, Kaido, did not want the marriage to take place.
He poisoned Heer’s food and made it look like a poisonous
snake had bitten her.
Hearing of the news, Ranjha rushed to the spot. But he was too
late - the strong poison had acted on her and she had already
breathed her last. Brokenhearted once more; also realizing
that her uncle had poisoned Heer; Ranjha took the laddu
(sweet), which she held in her hands and took a bite of it. In
a little while, he too fell dead by her side.
Heer and Ranjha were buried side by side in the former’s
hometown. Visitors, especially lovers, pay a visit to their
mausoleum in order to seek their blessings.
Other Versions
There are several other versions of this love story, of which
the most popular one is that of Waris Shah, penned in 1766.
This has also found its way into poetry, as written by Damodar
Das Arora. Ahmed Gujjar, Mukbaz and so on. Some of these poems
have happy endings, where the lovers get married and live
happily ever after.
Waris’ version has the tragic ending as mentioned above, thus
lingering in the mind of the reader. It is believed that
Waris, at the beginning of putting his work on paper, meant
for the story of Heer and Ranjha to have a deeper spiritual
connotation - that of the relentless human quest for God. Some
experts aver that the intensity of Ranjha’s love for Heer, as
depicted by Waris, was actually a reflection of his own
passionate love for a woman named Bhaag Bhart.
Influences
The epic story of Heer and Ranjha has inspired several feature
films. The oldest Indian versions included the pre-partition
film, Heer Ranjha, which was produced as early as 1928.
Subsequent versions came up in 1929, 1981 and 1948. All of
these were named Heer Ranjha as well.
Probably the most famous one is Heer Ranjha, the Hindi film,
directed by Chetan Anand, starring Raaj Kumar and Priya
Rajvansh. Other versions include Heer Ranjha (1992) and the
Punjabi film Heer Ranha (2009).
There have been Pakistani versions of this film as well. These
include the superhit film, Heer, produced in 1955 and Heer
Ranjha in 1970.
In 2014, PTV Home aired the television serial, Heer Ranjha,
directed by Shahid Zahoor.
Sohni Mahiwal
Sohni Mahiwal is yet another very popular tales of romance,
from Punjab. This story too has a sad ending. The heroine,
Sohni, was unhappily married to a man she hated. She used to
swim every night across the river, in order to meet her lover
Mehar, who lived on the other side of the river. The story
goes like this....
Around the 18th Century, a lovely-looking girl, Sohni, was
born to a potter name Tulla. Tulla came from the Kumhar caste
and lived in Gujrat City, Punjab. At that time, Gujrat was
located along the river Chenab, between Bukhara and Delhi. As
Sohni got older, she started helping her father with
decorating his pots and setting them up for sale.
Shahzada Izzat Baig, who was a wealthy trader from Bukhara,
came to Punjab on business and decided to stay over at Gujrat.
He happened to notice Sohni sitting at the shop and was
immediately smitten with her beauty. So besotted was he, that
he would visit the shop everyday to purchase mugs, pots and
pitchers from her.
Seeing his ardor for her, Sohni too started falling for him.
Instead of returning with his caravan, Izzat Baig decided to
stay on in Gujrat and chose to work as Tulla’s servant. He
would often take their buffaloes for grazing. He thus came to
be known as Meher or Mahiwa (buffalo herder).
When the Kumhar community came to know about their love, the
people crated a ruckus about it. They would not have a
daughter of that community marry an outsider. Hence, her
father immediately arranged her marriage with another
potter. Sohni did not want to get married to the potter
and felt helpless. But she was married off against her wishes
and was sent to her husband’s house.
Izzat Baig decided to renounce the world and started wandering
around like a fakir (mendicant). He finally settled himself in
a small hut, just across the river, opposite to Sohni’s
marital home. Sohni knew that she would never be able to
forget her love and so, she would swim across the river every
night, in order to be with him. She used an inverted
hard-baked pitcher and would travel sitting on it. On his
part, he used to catch fish and bring it for her.
According to one version of the tale, Mahiwal could not catch
fish one night due to high tide. He then cut off a piece of
his thigh and roasted it. Sohni was not aware of this, but
when she bit into the meat, it did not taste like fish. When
she knew the truth and saw the deep cut on his thigh, she
cried out, feeling his pain.
Rumors of their secret romance spread like wild fire. One day,
Sohni’s sister-in-law spied on her and discovered the place
where she hid her earthen pitcher. She quietly took it and
replaced it with an unbaked pitcher. That night, when Sohni
tried to cross the river sitting on the pitcher, it dissolved
and she drowned in the river. Mahiwal saw her drowning and
jumped into the river to save her. But he too got caught in
the strong tide and drowned in it.
Sindhi Version
According to the Sindhi version, Sohni is said to belong to
the Jat tribe, living on the western bank of the Indus. Her
husband, Dam, is believed to live on the eastern bank of the
same river. Mehar gave her some milk to drink during her
marriage procession and it was the milk that made her fall so
much in love with him.
Legend has it that the bodies of Sohni and Mahiwal were fished
out from the Indus River, near Shahdadpur, Sindh. Sohni’s tomb
is situated at Shahdadpur. This place attracts several
hundreds of visitors and tourists, who come to revisit her
life story and experience the love and peace all around.
Influences
The tragic story of Sohni and Mahiwal’s love continues to
inspire poems, songs, paintings, plays and films, through the
centuries; both in India and Pakistan. Four Hindi films have
been made, all named Sohni Mahiwal, in 1933, 1946, 1958 and
1984.
Shirin Farhad
"Khosrow and Shirin" is the title of yet another famous tragic
love story written by Nizami Ganjavi. This fictional creation
elaborates on the love between the Sasanian King, Khosrow II,
and the Armenian princess, Shirin. There are several variants
of this story, alternatively titled "Shirin and Farhad" and
"Farhad and Shirin".
Nizami’s version of the story starts with Khosrow’s birth and
childhood. As a young boy, he once had a meal in a farmer’s
house, for which he was severely scolded and punished by his
father. The boy asked for forgiveness from his father and
promised him never to repeat the mistake. The father then
relented and forgave his son. The same night, Khosrow saw his
grandfather, Anushirvan, in a dream. He blessed his grandson,
predicting that he would marry a lovely woman named Shirin;
would own a steed named Shabdiz; meet a musician named Barbad
and beget a great kingdom, Persia.
Shapur, Khosrow’s good friend and a painter, told him about
the Armenian queen, Mahin Banu and his niece, Shirin. The
young prince fell in love with Shirin even as his friend
merely described her to him. Shapur then traveled to Armenia
to find Shirin and showed her an image of Khosrow. Seeing his
picture, Shirin immediately fell for him and decided to escape
from Armenia in order to be with him. In the meantime, Khosrow
also left from home in search of Shirin.
They both happened to meet each other on the way. Shirin was
bathing and washing her hair. Khowrow was dressed in a
peasant’s clothes. Hence, they failed to recognize one
another. Khosrow reached Azerbaijan and was given a warm
welcome by Shamira, the queen of Armenia. It was then that he
realized that Shirin had left the palace in search of him.
Shapur succeeded in passing on the message to Shirin. However,
by the time she came back to Armenia, Khosrow had to return to
his place, due to his father’s ill-health. The lives of the
two youngsters kept going on in parallel lines, without them
ever meeting; until Khosrow was overthrown by a general named
Bahram Chobin. The former escaped to Armenia.
Khosrow finally got to meet Shirin in Armenia. She was very
happy to meet him, but refused to marry him until he claimed
his country back from Bahram Chobin. Thus, Khosrow traveled
from Armenia and went to Constantinople, where Ceasar agreed
to help him fight Chobin. He, however, placed a condition that
Khosrow should marry his daughter, Maryam. He further had to
promise that he would not marry anyone else when Maryam was
alive. Khosrow won the battle against Chobin and reclaimed his
land and throne. However, Maryam did everything in her power
to keep him away from Shirin.
Farhad Meets Shirin
In the meantime, a sculptor named Farhad, met and fell in love
with Shirin. Khosrow became jealous of Farhad and so, sent him
on exile to the Behistun mountain, assigning to him the
impossible task of carving stairs on the rocky cliff. Farhad
commenced his task, in the hopes that he would be able to
succeed and then marry Shirin. Khosrow, however, was unwilling
to part with Shirin and sent him a message that Shirin was no
more.
On receiving the false news of Shirin’s death, Farhad was
aggrieved and decided that he could not live without her. He
threw himself off from a mountaintop and died. Khosrow wrote a
letter of condolence to Shirin after that. Soon after that,
Maryam too died. According to some versions, Shirin secretly
poisoned Maryam. Shirin then replied with her own letter of
condolence.
Before proposing marriage to Shirin, Khosrow had an affair
with another woman. This further delayed their union. Finally,
he went up to Shirin to propose to her - he was in a totally
drunk state. Shirin reproached him for his behavior and
rejected his proposal. However, he continued ot woo her, till
she finally accepted her proposal.
The story takes another unexpected turn here. Shiroy,
Khosrow’s son from his wife Maryam, also fell in love with
Shirin. So strong was his lust that he murdered his own father
and sent a message to Shirin conveying the news, after a week.
He also asked her to marry him. Shocked by the news and not
wanting to marry Shiroy, Shirin killed herself. Khosrow and
Shirin were then buried together in one grave.
This tale of love and passion is very popular not only in
Persia, but the world over. Countless Sufis have been inspired
by this story and it has been the subject of many songs and
films in India.
Reshma Shera
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Reshma and Shera - The
Unforgettable Lovers
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Set in Rajasthan, the popular drama narrates the love between
Reshma and Shera, in the midst of a violent feud between their
respective clans. When the families find out about their love
for each other, it results in tremendous violence and
bloodshed. On Shera’s father’s command, his brother Chotu
kills Reshma’s father and newlywed brother. This act leads to
yet more misunderstanding and bloodshed.
A variant of Romeo and Juliet, this story regales its audience
an insight into the highly patriarchal family structure of
olden times. The Rajputs residing in the villages of Pochina
and Karda were old rivals. The Chaudhury or headman of Pochina
was known for his violent and unforgiving nature. He was just
celebrating the murder of Chaudhury Sagat Singh of Karda. In
the meantime, his only son, Gopal, along with his beautiful
sister Reshma, left for a fair dedicated to the Patron Goddess
of Jaisalmer. She invoked Devi Durga’s grace during their
travel and then the brother-sister duo started their travel.
Sagat Singh’s sons, Jagat, Vijay and the mute Chotu, too left
for the same fair, along with their elder brother, Shera.
Before leaving, Shera asked his brothers to refrain from all
kinds of violence during the course of the pilgrimage. As fate
would have it, Reshma and Shera happened to meet each other at
the fair and instantly fell in love. Seeing them there, his
brothers proceeded to attack Gopal with their swords. But
Shera stopped them, reminding them of their promise to stay
away from violence.
Reshma and Shera would meet often by night, sitting near a
bonfire in the dunes just outside her village. They both vowed
to end the enmity between their families. Shera decided to
visit her family and pay respects to them during Gopal’s
upcoming marriage ceremony.
However, the senior Chaudhury refused to fall in with their
plans and turned the wedding into a gory bloodbath. He ordered
his sharp-shooting son Chotu to murder Reshma’s father and
recently married brother. Unable to come to terms with Gopal’s
wife being widowed in such a tragic fashion, Shera kills his
own father, believing that it was he who pulled the
trigger.
Shera went to the point of extreme vengeance, which, Reshma
knew, could be stopped only if she sacrificed herself.
Accordingly, she decided to marry Shera’s kid-brother Chotu
and thereby, end the feud for once and for all. This sent
Shera over the edge and he commited suicide. Reshma also ended
her life, rolling down a massive sand dune, towards his body.
Their bodies lay together and a violent sandstorm, which
seemed to appear from nowhere, covered their bodies, thus
uniting them forever in death.
The 1972 Hindi film, "Reshma aur Shera", starring Sunil Dutt,
Waheeda Rehman, Rakhee, Amitabh Bacchan and others, went on to
become a huge hit at the time.
Footnote
We will be bringing you the next set of love stories in our
subsequent issue. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy your
Valentine’s Week.
