"TUHFATUL PUNJAB" A PERSIAN MASNAVI REGARDING PEOPLE, LOCATIONS AND SOCIETY OF PUNJAB DURING AURANGZIB ALAMGIR

Abstract

Tuhfatul-Punjab is a Persian Masnavi written by Meta Bin Darvesh whose nom de plum was Chanabi. This Masnavi was written in 1100 H/1689 A.D, and its sole manuscript has been saved in National Archives of Pakistan, Islamabad, Mufti  Collection No. 231 Islam. This Masnavi is consisted of four parts. Part First is on jurisprudence, part second on medical prolenas, part third is about Mushaikhe Punjab and admires religious buildings of Lahore, Chinyat, Uch and Hujro Shah Muqeean and part fourth brings before us a picture of plight of people of the  Punjab and their suffering under an unkind and cruel  bureaucracy because of the absence of the king who is far away from this region. In the end of this part the poet tells us about his family and especially about his father Hakeem  Darvesh who was a great physician during the period of Aurangzaib. In Persian literature of the Punjab we read about Chunabi's  Masnavi Ishqia Punjab Yani Qisae Heer Ranjha but there is no mention of Tuhfatul-Punjab. It is for the first time that this Masnavi is introduced to the readers.