LEGEND OF KHAWLOIA

SHORT ACCOUNT OF KHAWLOIA

          In course of their migration, the Darlong had waged many battles with different tribes where many were sacrificed and many were canonized to be eternally heroes, legends and mythical figures. On the contrary, the people also had to encounter and live among furies and varied form of dark spirits taking from witchcraft to super-human like form of being. It was during this time that a certain man namely ‘KHAWLOIA’ earns name and fame among the tribe. However, his fame was latter forgotten when his foe broke his legs and beheaded him. It is claimed that Khawloia’s spirit was often seen wandering in the forest where he was slained only to fall frequently since his legs were cut off in his living days. The people believed that a person who help the spirit during his fall were blessed with ‘Richon’(portent). Richon is nothing but a magical like power possessing which one can become productive in every little thing he or she does. ‘Khawloia’ latter ascended the Pialral and transformed himself into a star which is claimed to be seen till date.

THE BIRTH OF WATER GOD

          Once upon a time, there lived a young man in a village who was known for his valour and courage. The young man often wandered alone in a wild forest where he encountered with varied kinds of demons known as ‘Ramhuai’. Nevertheless, the young man always triumphed over the demons in which he was rewarded and cursed by the demons at certain instances. One day, the young man went out to fish accompanied by friends. The group came over a lake and decided to fish in it. Thus, the young man dipped-himself within the lake in order to catch some fishes during which he saw an old man asking him to leave the lake and never to return. If in any case, the man return he would cut off the young man’s head. The young man, out of utter surprise and shock came off the lake the very moment. When his friend asked of him “what happened to him?” The man couldn’t say anything but kept wondering who the old man could possibly be? Having thought for a moment, the young man once again dipped into the lake and the old man as promise cult off his head as a penalty of his disobedience. Thus, the Darlong had born the belief of ‘Tui Tarpa’, the god of water body.

LIFE AFTER DEAD  CONCEPT OF DARLONG

“The Darlong believes in the life after death” (L. Darlong 129). Accordingly, there existed four different worlds in the Darlong psychology. They are ‘Khawvel’ i.e. the ‘Mortal World’, ‘Thikhua’ i.e. the ‘Shrine of Dead’, ‘Pialrȃl’ i.e. ‘Paradise’ and ‘Lungṭhlalȇng’ i.e. the lovers’. One of the most interesting myths I have come across the research is the myth on the journey of the dead. The journey of the dead begins from the moment one breathe his last time. The spirit of the deceased was said to get out of the body where the body remain by the side of his/her family for a week and at certain level the spirit appears to be disturbing. Hence, offering are made during these days. On the seventh day from the death, a ‘Thi Ni’ was observed where the spirit was finally farewell and freed from obligations to his/her family. The deceased spirit then head to ‘Hri Li’ which is considered to be the passage or road to the abode of dead. Entering the Hri Li, the spirit reached a ‘Pialṭlâng’ where he/she finds a ‘Hringdam’ waterfall at whose bottom blooms a flower called, ‘Sâwlpuipȃr’ for the water of the fall was crystal clear. The ‘Hringdam’ water drains out all the human emotions where as the ‘Sawlpui’ flower eliminates all the worldly desires and longings. The spirit had to drink the water and place the flower on his/her hair bun and thus reached the gate of the abode of dead called ‘Thikhuakhâl’ where the spirit had to catch a parasite, creeping all over the gatekeeper. The parasites happen to be a ‘Lamkhâr’. After killing a parasite of the gatekeeper, the spirit was then allowed to enter the abode of dead.

          Beyond the ‘Thikhua’ there lays another world called ‘Pialrȃl’ which was claimed to be ascend by few privileges only. The myth behind the ‘Pialrȃl’ is that, when the Darlongs came out of the ‘Sinlung’ cave, ‘Pu Pawlmawia’ popularly known as ‘Pu Pawla’ was the first man to step out of the cave and thus died earlier to all other who came next to him. The man ascended the ‘Pialrȃl’ where he acted as the master of the abode and only one chosen by ‘Pu Pawla’ could reach the abode safely. However, no woman was allowed to cross ‘Zingvânzawl’, a bridge connecting the two immortal worlds.

In case of lovers who could not unite in the mortal world, they are destined to ascend to another immortal called ‘Lungṭhlalȇng’ or ‘Lungsiaṭlâng’ which ‘Pangama with Ṭhuiṭlingi’ and ‘Zawlpala with Tualvungi’ had ascended in a stories bearing the same name and have a different passage altogether. The passage to the abode of dead remained the same and need not used the ‘Zingvânzâwl’ bridge but ‘Luivamit’, a small brook to reach their romantic world. No doubt, the consent of ‘Pu Pawla’ was required for he stood right at the meeting point of the three bridges. Besides, it was their deed and status that decides a person’s life after dead. Cruel and merciless murderer are avenged if not in the mortal world than in the abode of dead by their action’s victim as in the legendary story of ‘Chawngkuala’ where ‘Chawngkuala’, the protagonist await the Lushai king, who shot him, in order to avenge his dead while the good men and women are more likely to return back to physical world with a mark. Hence, babies with a pierce mark on their ears are considered not to be a new born but the return of some good person from ‘Thikhua’. However, ‘Pialral’ was inherited only by few distinguished individual.

‘Hri Li’ the supposed gateway to the other three worlds from the mortal has a hidden myth. ‘Hri’ lake is the present ‘Rih Lake’ surrounded by a beautiful green mountains and hills. She is located in the present Independent state of Myanmar, situated at a distance of about two miles from ‘Tiau’ which is the boundary river between Mizoram and Myanmar on the left bank of Tyao River. It is 14 miles from Champhai, Mizoram and 63 miles from Falam, a town of Myanmar. Since there had never been accurate measurement, the lake remained all the more inquisitives for many. However, it is claimed that the south-west floor is supposedly deeper than that of the north-west. Most of the land surrounding the lake is swampy and is covered by water during the monsoons and different species of grass and vegetation for the rest of the year. It is a marvellously beautiful lake that had swallowed up many of its visitors yet enchanting due to its spectacular vegetations.  

The lake is considered to be a famous passage of a deceased soul in the Lushais and the Darlong where the spirits come across ‘Fountain of Emotional Numbness’ and a ‘Flowers of Abstinence’ that eventually leads them to ‘Thikhua’ or the abode of dead. Many of the elders of the Darlongs claimed that the lake act as a mirror to the abode of dead where people living beneath the lake could be seen weaving, spinning in a spinter etc. despite of them being unaware of the fact happening above the lake. In one of the folktale, we come across the circumstances in which the mysterious lake had its name and how the hidden mystery began. According to the legend, once upon a time there lived a girl named ‘Hrili’ who had a cruel stepmother and had to lead a life of domestic tortures and sufferings. One day, the father took Hrili’s younger sister deep into forest and cold bloodedly murdered her. Hrili cried for many days looking for her younger sister and eventually discovered the fact about the dead of her younger sister and was inconsolably weeping alone in a green vegetation field. The little girl, drained, exhausted and unable to produce any sound fainted besides her sister’s body. Magically as did in all fairy tales, a good spirit known as ‘Zingngawrtenu’ appeared and found Hrili in a miserable condition. She then asked the little girl the cause of her sufferings and revealed to her the healing powers of a particular magical tree. The good spirit then asked the little girl to plucked the leaves of the tree and bring her younger sister back to the mortal world. In spur of a moment, Hrili awakened her younger sister who had been lying as a corpse for days. As a matter of fact, the younger sister had become deadly thirsty. In order to quench the thirst of her younger sister, Hrili had nothing to do but asked the spirit’s favour for one last time, “Oh you most beautiful spirit of good-will the Goddess of Dawn, will you grant me the power to transform myself into a lake so that my little sister could drink from it?” In no time Hrili could turn herself into a small pool of water with the help of a magical spell from Zingngawrtenu. However, the magical spell could not retrieved Hrili back to her human form once she transformed herself into a lake. Later, Hrili was compelled to change herself into a white mithun, and wandered around in search of a shelter where she could safely rest. While she was wandering around looking for a safe haven, her urine formed small lakes wherever she visited. According to some Lushai scholars, it is believed that such lakes can still be found in places like Vawmlu Range, Zur forest near the village Natchhawng, Bochung village, and Khawthlir all of which are in the present Myanmar. She eventually decided to stay at Sanzawl village not far from the river, ‘Rȗn’. But the spirit of the river threatened to suck her dry if she happened to settle there. Thus, having crossed Champhai valley, she finally settled in the present location in the form that she cherished the most – that of a lake. From then on the lake stands till date with many fictitious and non-fictitious fact embedded in it that relates to many tribesmen sociocultural cult. 

C. Lalsiamthanga of Mizoram in his paper wrote, “Believing that there would be ivory and other valuable treasures inside the lake, a group of people believed to be Turkish or Portuguese traders, ventured to drain the lake by digging the least formidable side, which was the south-western side. This is believed to have been in around 1700 A.D. In the course of their digging, when the water began to flow out, they saw a big, long dragon facing them. Though it did not appear to be dangerous and aggressive, the sight proved so dreadful that some of them later died of the trauma of the sight, and no one ever dared to risk their lives for the same interest later”. The existence of snake like dragon in the lake can be further illustrated by the tale of ‘Seneirâwia’. Once there lived a young man in a village called ‘Dȃrlawn Ṭlâng, located in the present Mizoram. The name of the young man was ‘Seneirâwia’, the only son of ‘Rȃllenga’. On the other side of the village lies another hamlet namely, ‘Sentȃiram’. The two villages are separated by a lake called ‘Sentȃi Li’ where the latter village was known for the presence of many peculiar form of being. ‘Sentȃi Li’ and the ‘Hri’ lake according to the Darlongs are connected to one another at the bottom allowing the snake like dragon to move from one lake to the other. One among the ‘Sentȃi’ villagers, Mr. Zialunga, who has a daughter by the name ‘Zawlṭleipuii’, was said to be the most powerful superhuman of the hamlet. Zawlṭleipuii, known for her beauty and decency, young men from her village and others flocked to her family with a proposal wanting to marry her. But it so happened that all of them end up in vain. Lastly, the young man of ‘Dȃrlawn Ṭlâng’ i.e. Seneirâwia heard of the beauty of Zawlṭleipuii and adventured out to make the same proposal as did his predecessors. Zawlṭleipuii’s father in return placed a demand to Seneirâwia that if he could bring a ‘Dȃrsȗngsen’ then he would readily let her daughter marry him. Seneirâwia adventured North, South, and West and finally end up in the East where a village known as ‘Ṭhlibingsip’ stood and an old lady ‘Thaichimi’ also known as ‘Thaiseni’ in other interpretation, worshipper of snake from her father’s time, resides. Once a huge snake appeared to Thaichimi and gave her a ‘Tuiruangdȃr’, also called ‘Dȃrsȗngsen’, asking her not to disclosed to anyone but one who come looking for it as the price of ‘Zawlṭleipuii’. Perhaps, the snake gave the treasure as a token of her loyalty and service for years and years. It is the same ‘Dȃr’ that Zawlṭleipuii’s father demanded from the young Seneirâwia. As Seneirâwia entered the village of Ṭhlibingsip, he began to enquire about the ‘Dar’ or do the villagers have any knowledge on it. In reply, the villagers asked Seneirâwia to go to Thaichimi for the name itself was unfamiliar to them. Reaching Thaichimi’s house Seneirâwia introduced himself and asked “Granny, I am Seneirâwia, the only son of Rȃllenga of Sentȃi Village. I am looking for my bride price and I was suggested to pay you a visit. Have you got the Tuiruangdȃr? For I am in need of it to fulfil the bride price of Zawlṭleipuii” Thaichimi, hearing the name of Zawlṭleipuii gave an affirmative replied but asked him to do her a favour in return of her help. The task was to kill a wild boar that kept on ruining her crops. The next morning, Seneirâwia set off lately for Thaichimi’s jhum was located just few kilometres away from the village. Reaching the jhum, the protagonist begins his research examining and analysing every little movement suspected to be that of the wild boar. Ultimately, he made a ‘Kar’ for the beast and came back home in the evening. The next morning, Seneirâwia confidently went to inspect his ‘Kar’ and find that the beast was shot dead by it. The beast was so huge that Seneirâwia alone could not take it back home. Hence, thought of asking the villagers’ hand. No doubt, before leaving the beast he cut off the right ear, covered it with a bamboo leaves and mark it with a ‘Perngoi’ as to signal the other hunters that the deceased was hunted by someone else and it belongs to him alone. Seneirâwia then informed the villagers that he had killed the huge wild boar that had trouble Thaichimi for years. Thaichimi’s villagers were joyful and rejoiced at the news where some of them went to give a hand in carry the wild boar back to their village. When Seneirâwia along with some of the villagers reach back to the spot, they found that the huge wild boar had transformed into a baby boar and the ‘Perngoi’ mark disappeared as well. At this, the villagers were angrily said, “Seneirâwia you are a big liar. You should have respected our effort to help you. You said you have cut the right ear but both the ears are yet attached to the head. You said you have covered it with a bamboo leaves yet the animal laid naked. We don’t see any truth in your claim” and left him all alone. However, Seneirâwia did not lost hope so he started looking for the beast he had killed. After a tiresome search, Seneirâwia found out that his huge wild boar had been stolen by ‘Ramsa Khal’. Seneirâwia then went to them and claim his hunt provoking many of the group members to anger and laughter. Eventually, the chief of the group came out and asked Seneirâwia to prove his claim and the latter could easily proved it by showing the right ear he had cut before marking with the ‘Perngoi’. The chief then ordered his men to return what was rightfully Seneirâwia and never to steal anything anytime when there is a ‘Perngoi’ over it. As a penalty, Seneirâwia asked the group members to help him carry the beast till the juncture of Thaichimi’s village which they readily did so. When Thaichimi villagers saw Seneirâwia returning with the wild boar he previously claimed to have killed, they all ran to help him and a grand feast was held. The next morning, Seneirâwia left Thaichimi’s village along with the ‘Tuiruangdȃr’ heading towards Sentȃi village. However, by then ‘Zawlṭleipuii’s’ father, ‘Zialunga’ had passed away. When ‘Seneirâwia’ reached ‘Dȃrlawn Tlȃng’, his villagers started shouting and singing in joy after when they headed towards Zawlṭleipuii’s home. The treasure was carried like a palanquin in a rope. As the bearer draw close to a lake called ‘Sentȃi Li’, the rope that hold the treasure broke and the treasure started to roll till it felt into the lake. ‘Seneirâwia’ immediately dive into the lake to find the treasure but was refuse by a snake like dragon that coiled over the ‘Tuiruangdȃr’. At the same time, the snake-like dragon also asked Seneirâwia not to be worried of the treasure for he is ‘Zialunga’, the father of ‘Zawlṭleipuii’ and that he can marry Zawlṭleipuii without any obstacles as he has accepted the bride price. Because of the presence of Zialunga beneath the lake, it was said that the water of the lake dirt itself once in every year. According to the Darlong, Zialunga who is also considered to be the other guise of Pu. Pawla himself, is the gatekeeper and his passage from one lake to the lake act as the passage to the shine of dead. The snake was furthermore claimed to be the one that swallow children every day and ultimately landslide the entire hamlet in the story of ‘Thaichimi Khua’ also known as ‘Thaiseni Khua’.