The legends of the Panjâb

No.
THE LEGEND OF
VI.
GURU GUGGA,
AS PLATED AJ^NUALLT AT JAGADHRt AT THE HOLI
FESTIVAL IN THE AMBALI DISTRICT.
pt has been difficult to describe this poem. In the vernacular it is called a
Sw&ng or metrical play, and as such it ia actually played by the natives.
In it however are introduced purely narrative passages in the third person,
and some passages also which merely explain the movement of the tale.
On the other hand characters are constantly made to speak without
introduction as in a real play. In practice the characters are assigned to
different persons, and these speak the narrative and explanatory portions
of their parts as portions of their speeches.]
[The whole story of GuggS is involved in the greatest obscurity. He ig
now^a-days one of the chief Muhammadan saints or objects of worship of
the lower classes of all sorts, and is also known as Zahir Pir. In life he
appears to have been a Hindu and a leader of the Chauhan RSjp&ts against
MahmAd of Ghazni about a.d. 1000. His habitation was probably in
Bikaner. This tale would connect him with the R^jpAts reigning in
Kabul before the Musalm^n rule there, but Tod disputes the identity of
the Eajput Gajni with Ghazni. The story here given of Guggd's marriage
with a princess of what appears to be the line of the Aham rulers of
Kdmrilp in Assam is very curious. Tod, Malcolm and Elliot all mention
Guggd : Tod does so three times, and each time with a distinct tale.]
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