Punjabi folklore

Richard Carnac Temple argued in his 1884 work, The Legends of the Punjab, that the plot structure of Punjabi folktales and bardic poetry was indistinguishable from one another, albeit with the bardic poems being more textually conservative (as they had been governed by metre and rhyme due to being in verse form). This led him to believe that the folktales originated from the bardic literature, existing as degraded derivatives.[4]

I hope to show here abundantly that the bardic poem and the folktale are constructed on precisely the same lines as far as the pure story goes, even where the former is fastened on to really historical characters and mixed up with the narrative of bona fide historical facts [which Temple evidently values]. The folktale is very often in fact a mere scene, or jumble of scenes, to be found in the poem, where only the marvellous story has been remembered, while the names and surroundings of the actors to whom it is attributed has [sic] been forgotten. (Temple, v-vi)

— Donald Haase quoting R. C. Temple, The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales, page 895

Punjabi folktales commonly incorporate stories involving animals which teach a moral lesson.[5] This is a theme which originated in ancient India, with a surviving example being the Panchatantra of the third century BCE.[5] Other prevalent themes found within Punjabi folklore is a suspcision of those in positions of power, and folly & pretense used for derision.[5]

Book cover of Tales of the Punjab by Flora Annie Steel

Academic folkloristic research into and the collecting of the large corpus of Punjabi folktales began during the colonial-era by Britishers, such as Flora Annie Steel's three papers on her studies of local Punjabi folktales (1880), with a translation of three fables into English,[2] Richard Carnac Temple's The Legends of the Punjab (1884), Flora Annie Steel's Tales of the Punjab (1894), and Charles Frederick Usborne's Panjabi Lyrics and Proverbs (1905).[6][3] Native Punjabis have also contributed to this field, with some names being Devendra Satyarthi, Mohinder Singh Randhawa, Amrita Pritam, Sohinder Singh Wanjara Bedi, Giani Gurdit Singh, and Sukhdev Madpuri, whom have contributed published collections, encyclopedias, anthologies, and renditions in this field of study.[6]

• The Adventures of Raja Rasalu (Punjabi: ਰਾਜਾ ਰਸਾਲੂ (Gurmukhi); راجا رسالو (Shahmukhi))[7]
• The Chronicles of the Nang
• Sakhi Sarwar and Dani Jatti
• Sakhi Sarwar and Jati
• Dhanna Bhagat
• Sarwar
• Sakhi Sarwar and Jati
• The Legend of Guru Gugga[8]
• Princess Adhik Anup Dai
• The Legend of Sila Dai
• The Story of Raja Mahi Parkash of Sarmor
• The Story of Syama, Lord of Sohini
• The Song of Negi Bahadur
• Madana the Brave, Lord of Chaura
• The Legend of Safidon
• Princess Niwal Dai
• The Genealogies of Lal Beg
• The Legend of Raja Gopi Chand
• The Story of Raja Chandarbhan and Rani Chand Karan
• Songs About Namdev
• The Marriage of Sakhi Sarwar
• The Ballad of Chuhar Singh
• Sansar Chand of Kangra and Fatteh Parkash of Sarmor
• Raja Jagat Singh of Nurpur
• The Story of Raja Jagdeo
• Raja Nal
• The Legend of Raja Dhol
• Raja Rattan Singh Rani Padmini of Chhittor
• Sarwan and Farjian
• Puran Bhagat
• Inder Bego
• Sucha Soorma
• Jaani Chor
• Jeona Maur
• Loona
• Kehar Singh Ram Kaur
• Sham Lal/Sham Singh/Sham Kaur
• Dhol Sammi
• Kaulan
• Manu Guggu
• Ustaad Harman

• The Marriage of Ghazi Salar
• The Ballad of Isa Baniya
• The Ballad of Isa Bapari
• Hyms to Abdu Iiah Shah of Samin
• The Adventures of Mir Chakur
• Ismail Khan S Grandmother
• The Bracelet-Maker of Jhang
• Heer Ranjha[9]
• Mirza Sahiba
• Sassi Punnun[9][10]
• Sohni Mahiwal
• Shirin Farhad
• Yusuf and Zulaikha
• Dulla Bhatti[9]
• Gul Bakawali[9]