During the reign of Akbar, Damodar composed the first romance (Qissa) on Hir-Ranjha, the famous lovers of medieval Panjab. This book revolves around its English translation in a prose format. It places Damodar’s work in the larger context of iconic love tales emerging from the Islamic lands and similar literary efforts rooted in medieval north India. The historical developments in medieval Panjab (1400-1600) form a suitable backdrop to the experiences of Hir-Ranjha and the composition of Damodar’s poem. While analyzing Damodar’s narrative, this book examines the painful struggle of Hir-Ranjha against heavy odds. It delves into the organization of the Jat clans, with reference to their internal cohesion, marriage alliances and local dominance. It throws ample light on agrarian economy, patriarchal norms, frequent warfare and depressed castes. It pays equal attention to fluid religious traditions and superhuman entities that played a crucial role in medieval times. The translated text and its analysis have been supported with detailed notes from contemporary sources and modern researches. In order to assess Damodar’s contribution, the present study navigates through the variant versions of Hir-Ranjha story that appeared during 1600-1900. It shows that Damodar, compared to preceding and succeeding poets, has remained unsurpassed for documenting the medieval society in its complexity. Overall, Damodar’s narrative is now available as a rich source for understanding the medieval past of undivided Panjab. It will be of interest to the students of History, Liter... See more
During the reign of Akbar, Damodar composed the first romance (Qissa) on Hir-Ranjha, the famous lovers of medieval Panjab. This book revolves around its English translation in a prose format. It places Damodar’s work in the larger context of iconic love tales emerging from the Islamic lands and similar literary efforts rooted in medieval north India. The historical developments in medieval Panjab (1400-1600) form a suitable backdrop to the experiences of Hir-Ranjha and the composition of Damodar’s poem. While analyzing Damodar’s narrative, this book examines the painful struggle of Hir-Ranjha against heavy odds. It delves into the organization of the Jat clans, with reference to their internal cohesion, marriage alliances and local dominance. It throws ample light on agrarian economy, patriarchal norms, frequent warfare and depressed castes. It pays equal attention to fluid religious traditions and superhuman entities that played a crucial role in medieval times. The translated text and its analysis have been supported with detailed notes from contemporary sources and modern researches. In order to assess Damodar’s contribution, the present study navigates through the variant versions of Hir-Ranjha story that appeared during 1600-1900. It shows that Damodar, compared to preceding and succeeding poets, has remained unsurpassed for documenting the medieval society in its complexity. Overall, Damodar’s narrative is now available as a rich source for understanding the medieval past of undivided Panjab. It will be of interest to the students of History, Literature, Culture, Sociology and Anthropology. About the Author Surinder Singh (formerly with the Department of History, Panjab University, Chandigarh) is the author of The Making of Medieval Panjab: Politics, Society and Culture c.1000-c.1500; Medieval Panjab in Transition: Authority, Resistance and Spirituality c.1500-c.1700 and Situating Medieval India: Polity, Society and Culture. He has coedited Sufism in Punjab and Popular Literature and Pre-modern Societies in South Asia.
