Pem Nem

Convinced that Mah Ji is only a reflection of the image in his heart, he weeps a stream a tears

Pem Nem is a 16th-century manuscript commissioned at the court of the Bijapur Sultanate. It belongs to the Prem Marg genre of Sufi literature, where a love story forms a metaphor representing the quest for the union with God. Written in an early form of Dakhni, it is a mathnawi, a long narrative poem written in rhyming couplets.

The only surviving copy of the manuscript, containing 239 folios, is situated in the British Library. It is richly illustrated, with thirty-four paintings in the Bijapur school of Deccan art.

Plot

The lovers in the story are Shah Ji, the prince of Kuldip, and Mah Ji, the princess of an island called Sangaldip. They fall in love after a turtle reveals to them each other's images. Shah Ji undertakes an arduous journey, travelling across the ocean in search of his beloved.

Illustrations

Flames of unrequited passion arise from Mahji as she mourns for her lost beloved

There are thirty-four illustrations, mostly full-page, done by three different artists.

Bibliography

• Hutton, Deborah (2011). "The Pem Nem: A Sixteenth Century Illustrated Romance from Bijapur". Sultans of the South: Arts of India's Deccan Courts, 1323-1687. pp. 44–63.
• Munshi, Neha. A journey of longing - the art of courtly romance in Bijapur.
• Matthews, David. "Pem Nem: A 16th Century Dakani Manuscript". From Cairo to Kabul: Afghan and Islamic Studies presented to Ralph Pinder-Wilson.