Bulleh Shah: The Sufi and the Poet of The Eighteenth Century Punjab

Abstract

Bulleh Shah was a sufi and a poet from Punjab. He lived his life in the turbulent times of political transition from Mughals to Sikhs. The land of Punjab was in political as well as social chaos at that time. The depiction of these social problems is quite evident in Bulleh Shah’s poetry. Bulleh Shah was raised on strict religious lines according to Islam as he belonged to a traditional Syed family. He was well versed in Arabic and Persian and received thorough knowledge of religion in his early part of education.

The influence of various philosophical schools of thought on the persona of Bulleh Shah, and to find out the original character of him has been the aim of the study. How Bulleh Shah received the influence from ancient Hindu philosophical traditions like Vedanta and Vaishnavite and how he was able to develop compatibility of this influence with his personality which had a predominantly Islamic colour. How the character of Bulleh Shah has been perceived by various religious factions in Punjab is also discussed.

Keywords: Bulleh Shah, Sufi, Qadiriyya Sufi Order, Punjabi literature, Shah Innayat, Vedanta and Vaishnavite tradition