'Par Laga De' is a traditional punjabi folk song about Sohni & Mahiwal
love story, one of the four legendry punjabi love stories.


Sohni Mahiwal is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab
and Sindh, the other three are Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sahiba and Sassi Punnun.
It is also popular in Sindh and across the South Asia, the story is
one of the most prominent examples of medieval poetic legends in the
Punjabi and Sindhi languages.

Sohni,
Sohni, the potter's daughter Sohni was the daughter of a potter named
Tula, who lived in Gujrat town in the Punjab near the banks of the
Chenab on the caravan trade route between Bukhara and Delhi.
As soon as the 'Surahis' (water pitchers) and mugs came off the
wheels, she would draw floral designs on them and transform them into
masterpieces of art.

Izzat Baig of Bukhara
Izzat Baig, the rich trader from Bukhara (Uzbekistan), came to India
on business but when he saw the beautiful Sohni in the town of Gujrat
on the Chenab in Punjab, he was completely enchanted.
Instead of keeping 'mohars' (gold coins) in his pockets, he roamed
around with his pockets full of love. Just to get a glimpse of Sohni,
he would end up buying the water pitchers and mugs everyday.
Sohni lost her heart to Izzat Baig. Instead of making floral designs
on earthenware, she started building castles of love in her dreams.
Izzat Baig sent off his companions to Bukhara. He took up the job of a
servant in the house of Tula, Sohni's father. He would even take their
buffaloes for grazing. Soon, he came to be known as "Mahiwal"(buffalo
herder).

Sohni's marriage
When the people started spreading rumors about the love of Sohni and
Mahiwal, without her consent her parents arranged her marriage with
another potter.
Suddenly, one day his "barat" (marriage party) arrived at the
threshold of her house. Sohni was helpless and in a poignant state.
Her parents bundled her off in the doli (palanquin), but they could
not pack off her love in any doli (box).
Izzat Baig renounced the world and started living like a "faqir"
(hermit) in a small hut across the river. The earth of Sohnis land was
like a dargah (shrine) for him.
He had forgotten his own land, his own people and his world. Taking
advantage of the darkness of the night, when the world was fast
asleep, Sohni would come by the riverside and Izzat Baig would swim
across the river to meet her. He would regularly roast a fish and
bring it for her. It is said that once, when due to high tide he could
not catch a fish, Mahiwal cut a piece of his thigh and roasted it.
Seeing the bandage on his thigh, Sohni opened it, saw the wound and
cried.

The End
Sohni Swims to Meet Her Lover Mahinwal From the next day, Sohni
started swimming across the river with the help of an earthen pitcher
as Izzat Baig was so badly wounded and could not swim across the
river. Soon, the rumours of their romantic rendezvous spread. One-day
Sohnis sister-in-law followed her and saw the hiding place where Sohni
used to keep her earthen pitcher among the bushes.
The next day, the sister-in-law removed the hard baked pitcher and
replaced it with an unbaked one. That night, when Sohni tried to cross
the river with the help of the pitcher, it dissolved in the water and
Sohni drowned in the river. From the other side of the river, Mahiwal
saw Sohni drowning and jumped into the river and drowned as well.

Sohni's Tomb
The Tomb Of Sohni In Shahdapur City Sindh, which is 75 km from
(Hyderabad). According to the legend the bodies of Sohni Mahiwal were
recovered from river Indus near Shahdapur and hence are buried there.


Since its a folk song, the songwriter is not known but the first
recorded version was by Aashiq Hussain Jatt, then it was released by
Safri boys in early 90's.

YOUTUBE LINK - Mannu Par Laga De - Aashiq Hussain Jatt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWE17gtsYRw