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40-583: Sassui Punnhun ( Punjabi: [səˈsui pʊˈn(ɦ)ũː] ) or Sassi Punnu is a traditional Sindhi 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
80-722: A bane on the royal family's honour. The Raja ordered that the child be put in a wooden box and thrown in the Sindhu Darya . A washerman of the Bhambore village found the wooden box and the child inside. The washerman believed the child was a blessing from God and took her home. As he had no children of his own, he decided to adopt her. Sassui grew up to be as beautiful as the fairies of heaven. Stories of her beauty reached Punnu and he became desperate to meet Sassui. The handsome young Prince, therefore, travelled to Bhambore. He sent his clothes to Sassui's father (a washerman) so that he could catch
120-419: A glimpse of Sassui. When he visited the washerman's house, they fell in love at first sight . Sassui's father was dispirited, hoping that Sassui would marry a washerman and no one else. He asked Punnhun to prove that he was worthy of Sassui by passing the test as a washerman. Punnhun agreed to prove his love. While washing, he tore all the clothes as, being a prince, he had never washed any clothes; he thus failed
160-423: A largely Buddhist population. When Chach marched to Armabil, this town is described as having been in the hands of a Buddhist Samani (Samani Budda), a descendant of the agents of Rai Sahiras who had been elevated for their loyalty and devotion, but who later made themselves independent. The Buddhist chief offered his allegiance to Chach when the latter was on his way to Kirman in 631. The same chiefdom of Armadil
200-506: A less army is use less there; The land beyond it, is even worse [referring to Sind] Umar looked at the messenger and said: "Are you a messenger or a poet?" He replied, "Messenger". Thereupon Caliph Umar instructed Hakim bin Amr al Taghlabi that for the time being Makkuran should be the easternmost frontier of the Islamic empire, and that no further attempt should be made to extend the conquests. It
240-537: A marriage between Chandragupta Maurya and a princess of the Seleucid Empire. An outcome of the arrangement proved to be mutually beneficial. The border between the Seleucid and Mauryan Empires remained stable in subsequent generations, and friendly diplomatic relations are reflected by the ambassador Megasthenes , and by the envoys sent westward by Chandragupta's grandson Ashoka . Shapur I's trilingual inscription at
280-654: A series of forty volumes under Sindhi Adabi Board 's project of Folklore and Literature . This valuable project was accomplished by noted Sindhi scholar Dr.Nabi Bux Baloch . The organization has published Sindhi folklore , poetry , lexicography , archaeology and original literary works. These works have included anthologies of poetry works of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai , Sachal Sarmast , Chen Rai Sami , Khalifo Nabi Bux Laghari, Miyoon Shah Inayat , Hamal Khan Laghari, Talib-ul-Mola and other mystic poets of Sindh. The Board has published translations of selected works, manuscripts and other writings from world literature into
320-476: A tale sung and cherished in every Sindhi house. Other notable stories include the legend of Umar Marui and the tale of Suhuni Mehar ( known as Sohni Mahiwal in Punjab ). Sindhi folk singers and women play a crucial role in preserving and transmitting these folktales. They passionately sing the stories of Sindh in every village, keeping the folklore alive through their music. Sindhi folklore has been compiled in
360-399: Is a mention of a tribe called Makara inhabiting the lands west of India . Arrian used the term Ichthyophagi (Ancient Greek for "fish eaters") for inhabitants of coastal areas, which has led to a suggestion to derive Makran from the modern Persian term māhī khorān , meaning "fish eaters". The Kech-Makran region in southwestern Pakistan, along Kech River , was inhabited as early as
400-449: Is a rich cultural tradition that has evolved in Sindh over centuries. The region is abundant in folklore, expressed in diverse forms and vibrant colors, ranging from the well-known tales of Watayo Faqir and the legend of Moriro to the epic poetry of Dodo Chanesar and the heroic story of Umar Marvi . Sindhi folklore stands out among the region's traditions, particularly with the love story of Sassui , who longs for her lover Punhu,
440-578: Is among four of the most popular romances. The other three are Heer Ranjha , Sohni Mahiwal and Mirza Sahiban . 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
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#1732852493383480-461: Is referred to by Hiuen Tsang O-tien-p-o-chi-lo, located at the high road running through Makran, and he also describes it as predominantly Buddhist, thinly populated though it was, it had no less than 80 Buddhist convents with about 5000 monks. In effect at eighteen km northwest of Las Bela at Gandakahar, near the ruins of an ancient town are the caves of Gondrani , and as their constructions show these caves were undoubtedly Buddhist. Traveling through
520-708: Is the southern coastal region of Balochistan . It is a semi- desert coastal strip in the Balochistan province in Pakistan and in Iran , along the coast of the Gulf of Oman . It extends westwards, from the Sonmiani Bay to the northwest of Karachi in the east, to the fringes of the region of Bashkardia/Bāšgerd in the southern part of the Sistan and Baluchestan province of modern Iran. Makrān
560-585: Is thus bisected by the modern political boundary between Pakistan and Iran . The southern part of Balochistan is called Kech Makran on Pakistani side and Makran on the Iranian side which is also the name of a former Iranian province. The location corresponds to that of the Maka satrapy in Achaemenid times. The Sumerian trading partners of Magan are identified with Makran. In Varahamihira 's Brihat Samhita , there
600-552: The Rashidun Caliphate in the year 643 CE . Caliph Umar 's governor of Bahrain , Usman ibn Abu al-Aas, who was on a campaign to conquer the southern coastal areas beyond Sassanid, sent his brother Hakam ibn Abu al-Aas to raid and reconnoitre the Makran region. In late 644 CE Caliph Umar dispatched an army under the command of Hakam ibn Amr for the wholesale invasion of Makkuran. He was joined by reinforcements from Kufa under
640-523: The Sindhi language . The material for the project has been collected both from the oral traditions village folks and the written record. This folklore series deals with diverse segments Sindhi folklore and literature, e.g., fables and fairy tales , pseudo-historical romances, folk-poetry , folk songs , proverbs , and riddles . These thirty volumes include: Makran Makran ( Persian : مكران ), also mentioned in some sources as Mecran and Mokrān ,
680-420: The 5th millennium BCE. The site of Miri Qalat was investigated by French and Pakistani archaeologists from 1987 to 2007. Later, the site of Shahi-Tump, near Turbat , was also studied. Large and massive quadrangular stone building were constructed already before 4000 BCE. Flints, worked stones, and bone tools used by the inhabitants were found by archaeologists, but no ceramics were yet used. In this Period I
720-478: The Gwadar enclave was transferred to Pakistani control as part of the district of Makran. The entire region has been subdivided into new smaller districts over the years. The narrow coastal plain rises rapidly into several mountain ranges. Of the 1,000 km (620 mi) coastline, around 750 km (470 mi) are in Pakistan . The climate is dry with little rainfall. Makran is very sparsely inhabited, with much of
760-593: The Ka'ba-ye Zartosht in Naqsh-i-Rustam , dated to 262 CE, had noted "Makuran"/"Makran" to be one of the many provinces of the Sasanian Empire : And I ( Shapur I ) possess the lands: Fars [ Persis ], Pahlav [ Parthia ] ... and all of Abarshahr (all the upper (eastern, Parthian) provinces), Kerman , Sakastan , Turgistan , Makuran , Pardan [ Paradene ], Hind [ Sind ] and Kushanshahr all
800-456: The Kij valley further west (then under the government of Persia) Hiuen Tsang saw some 100 Buddhist monasteries and 6000 priests. He also saw several hundred Deva temples in this part of Makran, and in the town of Su-nu li-chi-shi-fa-lo – which is probably Qasrqand – he saw a temple of Maheshvara Deva, richly adorned and sculptured. There is thus very wide extension of Indian cultural forms in Makran in
840-399: The Makran region, the messenger from Makkuran who brought the news of the victory told him: O Commander of the faithful! It's a land where the plains are stony; Where water is scanty; Where the fruits are unsavory; Where men are known for treachery; Where plenty is unknown; Where virtue is held of little account; And where evil is dominant. A large army is less for there; And
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#1732852493383880-653: The Seven Queens of Sindh , or the Seven heroines of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai . Later it was retold by Hashim Shah in Punjabi. Punnhun (also spelt as Punnu ) was the son of Jam Aali or Ari, a Baloch ruler of Kech , Balochistan . Sassui (also spelt as Sassi ) was the daughter of the Raja of Bhambore in Sindh (now in Pakistan). Upon Sassui's birth, astrologers predicted that she was
920-515: The agreement. But before he returned those clothes, he hid gold coins in the pockets of all the clothes, hoping this would keep the villagers quiet. The trick worked, and Sassui's father agreed to the marriage. Punnhun's father and brothers were against his marriage to Sassui (Punnhun being a prince and she being a washerman's daughter) and so, for their father's sake, Punnhun's brothers travelled to Bhambore. First, they threatened Punnhun but when he didn't relent, they tried more devious methods. Punnhun
960-748: The command of Shahab ibn Makharaq, and by Abdullah ibn Utban, the commander of a campaign in Kerman . They encountered no strong resistance in Makran until the army of the King of Rai , along with contingents from Makran and Sind, stopped them near the Indus River . In mid-644 the Battle of Rasil was fought between the forces of the Rashidun Caliphate and the Rai Kingdom; the Raja's forces were defeated and forced to retreat to
1000-615: The divine. But according to the retold Punjabi tale by Hashim Shah , Sassui dies while crossing the desert. The Kech Makran is located along the Makran Coastal Highway in Baluchistan , Pakistan . The fort of Punnhun whose construction dates back to 6000-8000 BC is located there. Sassui and Punnhun's alleged graves are located near Lasbela , Balochistan, 45 miles west of Karachi . The folk tale has been filmed many times including: The British musician Panjabi MC references
1040-567: The eastern bank of the Indus. The Raja's army had included war elephants , but these had posed little problem for the Muslim invaders, who had dealt with them during the conquest of Persia . In accordance with the orders of Caliph Umar , the captured war elephants were sold in Islamic Persia, with the proceeds distributed among the soldiers as share in booty. In response to Caliph Umar 's questions about
1080-538: The grief of separation from her beloved and ran barefoot towards the town of Kech Makran. To reach it, she had to cross miles of desert. Alone, she continued her journey until her feet were blistered and her lips were parched from crying "Punnhun, Punnhun!". The journey was full of dangerous hazards. She was thirsty when she saw a shepherd coming out of a hut. He gave her some water to drink. Seeing her incredible beauty, he tried to force himself on Sassui. Sassui escaped and prayed to God to hide her. God listened to her prayers,
1120-646: The inhabitants of the Kech River Valley already cultivated wheat and barley, as well as lentils. They had domesticated cattle, goats, and sheep. They also caught fish from the Oman Sea. During Period II, the building of massive architectural structures continued, and a quadrangular stone complex was built. Later, mud brick constructions also appear on top of some of these stone buildings. At Miri Qalat, some links with Uruk culture ceramics were also found. The related site of Balakot, Makran , going back to 4000 BCE,
1160-612: The land shook and split and Sassui found herself buried in the valley of mountains. When Punnhun woke in Makran he could not stop himself from running back to Bhambore. On the way, he called out "Sassui, Sassui!" to which the shepherd told Punnhun the whole story. Punnhun also lamented the same prayer, the land shook and split again and he was also buried in the same mountain valley as Sassui. The legendary grave still exists in this valley. Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai sings this historic tale in his Sufi poetry as an example of eternal love and union with
1200-431: The population concentrated in a string of small ports including Chabahar , Gwatar , Jiwani , Jask , Sirik , Gwadar (not to be confused with Gwatar), Pasni , Ormara and many smaller fishing villages. There is only one island off the coast of Makran, Astola Island , near Pasni although there are several small islets. The coastline has a number of lagoons and bays. The main lagoons are Miani Hor , Khor Kalmat , and
1240-548: The process. Baloch raiders plundered Mahmud of Ghazni 's ambassador between Tabbas and Khabis. In revenge, his son Masud defeated them at the latter place, which lies at the foot of the Karman Mountains on the edge of the desert. From the 15th century onward, the area was ruled by the Rind , Buledai , and Gichki. The sultanate held onto the Makran coast throughout the period of British colonial rule, but eventually, only Gwadar
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1280-595: The script which was in use in Makran to be "much the same as India", but the spoken language "differed a little from that of India". The Hindu Sewa dynasty ruled much of Baluchistan up until the 7th century CE. The Sibi division carved out of Quetta division still derives its name from Rani Sewi, the queen of the Hindu Sewa dynasty. In 635 or 636 CE, the Hindu Brahman dynasty of Sindh controlled parts of Balochistan. The first Islamic conquest of Makran took place during
1320-451: The seventh century, even in the period when it fell under Persian sovereignty. By comparison in more recent times the last place of Hindu pilgrimage in Makran was Hinglaj , 256 km west of present-day Karachi in Las Bela . Wink has recorded Hiuen Tsang 's notes on the language and script in use in easternmost Makran (eastern parts of Pakistani Balochistan and Sindh): Hiuen Tsang considered
1360-489: The tale of Sassi in his 2003 song Jogi . The "King of Qawali ", Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan , mentions Sassi in a verse of one of his most famous songs Tum Ek Gorak Dhanda Ho written by the poet Naz Khialvi . The Pakistani singer-songwriter Bilal Saeed also mentions Sassi in his song 12 Saal . Sasui Puno is a play written in Sindhi by Indian writer Ram Panjwani . Sindhi folklore North America Oceania Sindhi folklore ( Sindhi : لوڪ ادب )
1400-511: The way to Pashkibur [ Peshawar ?] and to the borders of Kashgaria , Sogdia and Chach [ Tashkent ] and of that sea-coast Mazonshahr [ Oman ]. Abū Rayḥān Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad Al-Bīrūnī states in his book Alberuni's India that the coast of India begins with Tiz , the capital of Makran. According to historian Andre Wink: Further evidence in the Chachnama makes perfectly clear that many areas of Makran as of Sindh had
1440-621: Was also studied by archaeologists. After the victory of the Mauryan Empire against the Greeks in the Seleucid–Mauryan war , Baluchistan came under the rule of Chandragupta Maurya of ancient India. Chandragupta and Seleucus made a peace settlement in 304 BCE. Seleucus I Nicator ceded the satrapies, including those in Baluchistan to the expanding Mauryan Empire. The alliance was solidified with
1480-453: Was left in the hands of the sultan. On the independence of Pakistan , Makran became a district within the province of Balochistan, with the exception of an area of 800 km (310 sq mi) around Gwadar. Makran ( Urdu : ریاست مکران ) was an autonomous princely state in a subsidiary alliance with British India until 1947, before acceding to Pakistan as an autonomous princely state of Pakistan . It ceased to exist in 1955. It
1520-415: Was located in the extreme southwest of present-day Pakistan , an area now parts of the districts of Gwadar , Kech and Panjgur . The state did not include the enclave of Omani Gwadar , which was under Omani rule until 1958. Makran state was ruled by Gichki Nawabs, who were of Rajputs origins. Their ancestor, Jagat Singh had migrated from Rajputana in the 17th century and became Muslim. In 1958
1560-532: Was reconquered by the usurper Chach of Alor in 631. Ten years later, it was described to be "under the government of Persia" by Xuanzang who visited the region. Three years later however, when the Arabs invaded, it was regarded as the "frontier of Al-Hind ". The Brahmin King of Sindh, Maharaja Chacha met the invaders outside Broach and defeated them with heavy slaughter also killing their very Commander-in-Chief Abdul Aziz in
1600-426: Was surprised to see his brothers supporting his marriage and on the first night, they pretended to enjoy and participate in the marriage celebrations and forced Punnhun to drink different types of wines. When he was intoxicated they carried him on a camel's back and returned to their hometown of Kech. When Sassui woke up the following morning, she realized that she was cheated by her brothers-in-law. She became mad with
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