Sassui Punnhun

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 the Seven Queens of Sindh, or the Seven heroines of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.{{cite book | author = Dr. Motilal Jotwani | title = Sufis Of Sindh | publisher = Publications Division Ministry of Information & Broadcasting | pages = | isbn = 9788123023410 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xvgADgAAQBAJ}}{{cite book | author = Schimmel | date = 13 November 2018 | title = Pain and Grace: A Study of Two Mystical Writers of Eighteenth-Century Muslim India | publisher = BRILL | pages = | isbn = 978-90-04-37854-4 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dN-mDwAAQBAJ}} Later it was retold by Hashim Shah in Punjabi.{{cite book | author = N. Hanif | date = 2000 | title = Biographical Encyclopaedia of Sufis: South Asia | publisher = Sarup & Sons | pages = | isbn = 9788176250870 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=O3GXOqPa67MC}}

File:Mural panel depicting romances of Laila and Majnun (above) and Sasui and Punhun (below) in a tomb in the necropolis of Mian Nasir Muhammad Kalhoro in Sindh.jpg (above) and Sasui and Punhun (below) in a tomb in the necropolis of Mian Nasir Muhammad Kalhoro in Sindh]]

Punnhun (also spelt as Punnu) was the son of Jam Aali or Ari, a Baloch ruler of Kech, Balochistan.{{cite web |title=Historic Sites Documentations - Ongoing |url=https://seaspakistan.com/historic-sites-documentations/ |website=SEAS Pakistan}}{{Cite book |last=Pannke |first=Peter |url=http://archive.org/details/saintssingerssuf0000pann |title=Saints and singers : Sufi music in the Indus Valley |date=2014 |page=109|publisher=Karachi : Oxford University Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-19-547877-8}}{{Cite book |last=Shankar |first=Gyan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F10QEQAAQBAJ&dq=Sassui+Punnhun&pg=PT90 |title=My Punjab: Legacy and Heritage |publisher=GYAN SHANKAR |language=en}}

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 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.

File:Trilok Singh Artist 1954.jpg

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 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 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 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.

File:Mural of Sassi Punnu folk tale from Sui Simbli temple in Jammu.jpg]]

When Sassui woke up the following morning, she realized that she was cheated by her brothers-in-law. She became mad with 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, 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.{{cite book |title=The cultural heritage of Pakistan |last=Ikram |first=Sheikh Mohamad |date=1955 |location=[Karachi; New York] |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=152–153}} 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 the divine.{{Citation | author= Shah Latif Bhittai|url = https://bhurgri.com/bhurgri/amar/%D8%B3%D8%B1-%D8%B3%D8%B3%D8%A6%D9%8A-%D8%A2%D8%A8%D8%B1%D9%8A/| title = Risalo of Shah| work=عبدالماجد ڀرڳڙي }} But according to the retold Punjabi tale by Hashim Shah, Sassui dies while crossing the desert.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/367709/historical-significance-of-punnu-fort/|title=Historical significance of Punnu Fort|date=2019-03-20|website=Daily Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-18}}

File:Grave of Sassui Punnhu.jpg

Sassui and Punnhun's alleged graves are located near Lasbela, Balochistan, 45 miles west of Karachi.{{Cite web|title=The Eternal Love of Sassi Punnu|url=http://www.goodtimes.com.pk/the-eternal-love-of-sassi-punnu/|access-date=2019-05-25|website=goodtimes.com.pk|date=16 December 2017 }}{{Cite web| url= https://www.dawn.com/news/793936/sassi-punnu-grave-neglected|title= Sassui Punnhu Grave Neglected - Dawn News|date= 24 April 2013}}

The folk tale has been filmed many times including:

• Sassi Punnu (1928), Indian silent film by Harshadrai Sakerlal Mehta; starring Master Vithal and Zebunissa.{{cite book|last1=Rajadhyaksha|first1=Ashish|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofi0000raja|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema|last2=Willemen|first2=Paul|publisher=British Film Institute|year=1999|isbn=9780851706696 |access-date=12 August 2012|url-access=registration}}
• Sassi Punnu (1932), Indian Hindi-language film by S. R. Apte and Chimanlal Luhar; starring Eiden Bai and Haider Bandi.
• Sassi Punnu (1946), Indian Hindi-language film by Jagatrai Pesumal Advani; starring Eddie Billimoria and Geeta Nizami.
• Sassi (1954), Pakistani Urdu-language film directed by Dawood Chand; starring Sabiha Khanum and Sudhir.
• Sassi Punnu (1958), Pakistani Sindhi-language film directed by Akbar Ali, produced by Syed A. Haroon.
• Sassi Punho (1960), Indian Sindhi-language film directed by Ram Rasila.{{Cite web|title=Sassi Punho (1960)|url=https://indiancine.ma/JRU|access-date=2020-11-07|website=Indiancine.ma}}
• Sassi Punnu (1965), Indian Punjabi-language film by Shanti Prakash Bakshi.
• Sassi Punnu (1983), Indian Punjabi-language film directed by Satish Bhakhri, starring Satish Kaul and Bhavana Bhatt.
• Sassi Punno (2004), Pakistani Urdu film directed by Hassan Askari.

The British musician Panjabi MC references the tale of Sassi in his 2003 song Jogi.{{Cite web|title=Jogi - ascetic|url=http://lyricstranslate.com/en/jogi-ascetic.html|access-date=2016-10-27|website=lyricstranslate.com}} 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 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luFGY9atHqo 12 Saal].

Sasui Puno is a play written in Sindhi by Indian writer Ram Panjwani.{{Cite web|title=Drama - Professor Ram Panjwani|url=http://rampanjwani.com/Drama|access-date=2020-11-07|website=rampanjwani.com}}

• Tomb paintings of Sindh
• Trilok Singh Chitarkar, created a beautiful painting of Sassui Punnhun in 1954
• Sri Charitropakhyan

{{Reflist}}

{{Notelist}}

;Printed sources:

• {{cite book |title=Sassi Punnun |author=Hasham Shah |translator=Christopher Shackle |publisher=Vanguard Books |date=1985}}

• [http://www.sindhiadabiboard.org/catalogue/Folk_Litrature/Book18/Book_page1.html Sassui and Punhun in Sindhi]
• [http://www.museindia.com/focuscontent.asp?issid=39&id=2816 Susuee and Punhoon in English]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091026223752/http://geocities.com/thebhittai/lateef15.html Sur Sassui narrated in Shah Jo Risalo]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20091026223748/http://geocities.com/thebhittai/lateef16.html Sassui Punhun: Elsa Kazi]
• Sassi Punnu in Punjabi [http://www.youtube.com/c/AtifEjazVirk]

Category:Love stories

Category:Fictional duos

Category:Punjabi folklore

Category:Sindhi folklore

Category:Sindhi people

Category:Shah Jo Risalo

Category:Pakistani folklore

Category:Pakistani literature

Category:Indian folklore

Category:Indian literature

Category:Punjabi literature

Category:Sindhi literature

Category:Balochi literature