Jam Tamachi was a 14th-century ruler of Sindh
who was known for his just and gallant rule.
In a small fishing village across the Keenjhar lake
lived a beautiful girl named Noori.
Working long hours in the sun had left everyone dark-complexioned,
except for Noori.
With her milky white skin,
she shined like the moon.
Noori’s father was a fisherman
She always went along with him when he set out for his daily catch
because she loved spending time by the lake.
King Jam Tamachi was fond of hunting.
One day, King Tamachi was out on a hunt
which soon proved to be unfavourable.
It was a scorching, hot day,
so the king decided to rest in a nearby village.
The news of the king’s arrival
sent a surge of excitement among the villagers.
The entire village decked up and prepared delicacies in his honour.
Soon enough, the news reached Noori.
She heard murmurs around her,
“The king wears clothes weaved from gold.”
“He has such exquisite jewellery.”
Noori had never seen anyone from a royal family.
And after listening to the chatter, she was eager to see the king.
The moment Noori appeared before King Tamachi,
their eyes met, and the king fell in love with her.
And it was indeed, love at first sight.
The king wasted no time and sent Noori gold and jewels
along with a marriage proposal.
The others were not so delighted about this.
Back in those days, a king marrying a commoner was unheard of.
Noori paid them no mind
and accepted King Tamachi’s proposal.
Gathering what she could of her old life,
she left with King Tamachi for the palace to start their new life.
But on arriving at the palace, Noori realised
that no one was as fond of her as King Tamachi was.
King Tamachi had six other wives.
And none of those wives felt anything
but hatred, loathing and envy for her.
When Noori became the king’s favourite,
the rest of the wives tried to poison his mind against her.
But King Tamachi was so in love with Noori
that he never paid any mind to their jealous ramblings.
He was completely enamoured by Noori’s beauty and simplicity.
So his other wives started a rumour
that Noori steals jewels from the coffer
and hands them to her brother.
Although King Tamachi didn’t believe them at first,
but when the courtiers repeated the same,
he wanted to know the truth behind the claims.
Whenever Noori’s brother visited her,
Noori would hand him a wooden box.
People claimed that was where she was putting the royal jewels.
This time around, when Noori was handing her brother the box,
royal guards surrounded the duo.
Noori cast King Tamachi an inquiring look,
but that day, the king didn’t respond.
He simply motioned the soldiers to bring him the box.
He opened the box with a heavy heart,
but it only left him more confused.
The box didn’t contain jewels.
Rather, it held some fishbones and scraps of roti.
Surprised, King Tamachi asked her, “What is this, Noori?”
Noori told him that she was afraid
that if she got used to the food at the palace,
she would forget her village.
So she asked her brother to bring her two rotis and fish
made at their home whenever he visited her.
Noori had hidden this fact from King Tamachi
so that it wouldn’t seem she disrespects food cooked at the palace.
Noori’s innocence made King Tamachi tear up.
Ever since his love and respect for her grew tenfold.
He told Noori that she could visit her village whenever she wanted.
On many occasions, King Tamachi would accompany her
and go on boat rides across Lake Keenjhar.
King Tamachi’s warmth made Noori fall deeper in love with him,
whereas the king wanted her to have the world.
No one in the palace dared to say anything against Noori now.
Unfortunately, Noori met an untimely death.
One can imagine how greatly King Tamachi missed her.
King Tamachi had a shrine built
for his favourite wife in the middle of Keenjhar lake.
The very place where their love story began.
Despite being surrounded by water at all times,
the shrine stands strong to this day.
It is one of Sindh’s biggest tourist attractions.
People believe Noori’s soul lives in the shrine.
Next, we bring you a story that’s no less than a Bollywood romance.
This is the story of Princess Vasavadatta and King Udayan.
It’s about how the beautiful princess falls in love with her enemy.
To be with the love of their lives,
they go up against the world.
This is a story of young love
and conflict between two enemies,
that’s filled with twists and turns.
This is a story of true love, dedication and sacrifice.
