Bulleh Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, believed to have lived from 1680 to 1758. As is a common practice in Indian poetry, his poems include a signature line which contains his name. Bulleh Shah was settled in Qasur , now in Pakistan. His spiritual master was Shah Inayat Qadiri of Lahore.

The ancestral village of Bulleh Shah was Uch Gilaniyan in Bahawalpur, now a part of Pakistan. From there his family first shifted to Malakwal (District Multan, Pakistan) and then to Pandoke, which is about 14 miles southeast of Qasur (Pakistan). Bulleh's real name was Abdullah Shah, but Bulleh was his nickname at home, and that is the name he chose to use as a poet. His family background was religious, his father being a highly religious person. Bulleh wrote primarily in Punjabi, but also in the local spoken language, Seraiki , which is a dialect of Sindhi. His style of poetry is called Kafi , which was already an established style with Sufis who preceded him. Several of his songs are regarded as an integral part of the traditional repertoire of Qawwali, the musical genre which represents the devotional music of the Sufis. The tomb of Bulleh Shah is in Qasur (Pakistan) and he is held in reverence by all Sufis of Sindh and Punjab.

Related articles

• List of Punjabi language poets
• Punjabi language
• Sufism

External links

• Articles on Bulleh Shah's life and poetry
• Organic brewery: Blog with a selection of Urdu/Punjabi sufi poetry, including translations of Bulleh Shah's more famous works.