Damodar Das Arora

Damodar Gulati (; – 17th century) also known as Damodar Das Arora, was a Punjabi poet, of the 16th and 17th centuries. He is widely celebrated for his poetic narration of the romance tragedy Heer Ranjha, based on a preexisting Punjabi oral legend; his tradition continued to be adapted throughout centuries in Punjabi literature. He lived during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar.

Biography Heer and Ranjha He wrote the Qissa Heer and Ranjha and was the first to put the story to paper, adapted from a preexisting and circulating legend. He claims to be the eye witness of this tale. His Qissa (story) is deemed the oldest and the first Heer Ranjha in Punjabi literature. He wrote his rendition and the original tale of Heer Ranjha in the dialect of Sandal Bar, though even after the lapse of five hundred years the language used in the story is nearer to the modern Majhi dialect. An analysis by Najam Hussain Syed led him to believe that Damodar Gulati was not actually an eyewitness to the tale but rather he was using a storytelling technique that was misinterpreted as meaning he was simply an eyewitness.

Particular importance is placed on finer details in the storytelling of Gulati's works.

Legacy The Heer and Ranjha renditions of Ahmad Shah Gujjar, Waris Shah, Muqbal, and Charagh Awan were all based on Damodar Gulati's original version.