Qadaryar

Qadir Yar (1802–1892), born Qadar Baksh, was a Muslim Sandhu Jatt and a poet of the Punjabi language. Born in Gujranwala, he wrote Punjabi Qissa like Qissa Purana Bhagat, Raja Rasal.

Life

Qadir Yar was born in the village Machhike, in Sheikhupura District in Punjab (now in Pakistan) during the rule of the Sikh Empire. He belonged to an agriculturalist family and was Sandhu by caste. The details of his life are not available, except that he received his education at the village mosque.

He was the court poet of the Lahore Sikh Darbar, during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Works

Qadir Yar started his literary career with Mehraj Nama (1832), the longest poem composed by him and containing 1014 couplets. The poem gives a fictional account of Muhammad's journey through the seven skies. As Yar mentioned in this poem, he was inspired to write Mehraj Nama after reading Noor Nama, a poem by another poet, Murad. His another poem entitled Qissa Puran Bhagat is considered his magnum opus. It tells the story of Puran Bhagat. His other significant works include Qissa Sohni Mahinwal, Hari Singh Nalwa Di Var, and Var Rani Kokilan.