SOHNI MAHIWAL

Sohni was a beautiful young woman born into a potter’s family in Gujrat, a town by the Chenab River (in present-day Pakistan). Her father was a skilled artisan, and she learned pottery painting from him. Every day, she would decorate pots that were admired by many.One day, a wealthy trader from Bukhara (in Central Asia) named Izzat Baig came to Gujrat for business. While staying in the city, he saw Sohni at her father’s shop and fell in love with her at first sight. To be closer to her, he gave up his trade, stayed in Gujrat, and began working as a herder of buffaloes. People started calling him “Mahiwal”, meaning "buffalo herder."

SOHNI, too, fell in love with him. They began meeting secretly. But when her family found out, they were furious. To separate the lovers, they married Sohni off to someone else and sent her away across the river.

Heartbroken but determined, Sohni would still meet MAHIWAL. Every night, she would swim across the dangerous Chenab River, using a large baked earthenware pot to help her float, to see him.One night, Sohni’s sister-in-law discovered her secret and decided to put an end to it. She replaced the baked pot with an unbaked one (raw clay), knowing it would dissolve in water.That night, as Sohni tried to cross the river, the unbaked pot melted, and she was drowned by the strong currents. Mahiwal, watching helplessly from the other side, jumped into the river to try to save her and drowned as well.