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PREFACE

Here are some folktales from Sikkim. Many of the storiesI have collected directly from old people of the Lepcha tribethrough my students of Saint Joseph's college, Darjeeling.When available in printed sources, mainly in Nepali, I havetried to compare them with the tales told by the old villagers toarrive at the best and the most interesting version,

I have tried everywhere to keep to the authentic versionas far as practicable. However, in a few tales, I have deviatedfrom the authentic version to shed it of crudeness and obscenity.This, while making it less scientific perhaps to the sociologist,would make it more palatable to the young people for whomthis book is also meant.

In the preparation of this collection I have been greatlyhelped by Professor C. B. Sunwar who was responsible forsome of the stories. He also helped me in the translation ofsome stories from Nepali to English. I extend to him mygrateful thanks.

Folk tales are fascinating for all people. For me the collection of these stories has been an enjoyable pastime. Mychildren took keen interest at every step of its preparationcontrary to their usual practice. I am grateful to them for thesmall mercies like leaving me alone to do my work peacefully.

Darjeeling3rd February 1976.

George Kotturan

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CONTENTS

IntroductionPreface

1. The Lepcha story of Creation2. Tamsang Thing3. The demon takes Revenge4. A new life and the gift of music5. The Mayel Valley6. Tista and Rungeet7. The story of marriage8. The great flood9. An adventure story

10. Two friends

11. The clever monkey12. The blackbird and the crab13. The man-eater

14. The luckless Punshohang15. The jealous devil16. The idiot _-

17. The tower of Dharamdin18. The giant frog19. A great ancestor10, The sweet potatoes11. Lama Lhatsun Chhembo*2. Khye Bumsa53. The holy water•4. The wicked ants

;5. Kathak Uckday6. The princess Jolasi7. The dragon of Rabdentse8. The Temple of Legship9. Gebu Achuk

0. A love story

7

13

17

21

26

29

32

35

37

42

45

50

53

57

60

62

65

69

72

75

80

82

84

88

92

95

97

102

105

107

no

113

18 FOLK TALES OF SlKKIM

misery on earth. The god then put the man on thetop of a mountain called Tangsen-Nareemchya. Andthe woman he put at the base of another mountaincalled Nagona-Tharath.

As time went on the sister, Najyonguyu, grewup into a beautiful woman and like all women, shealso wanted a man to be loved. But there was nota man around expect for her own brother who hadby now become handsome and strong. So Najyonguyu wanted her brother to be her lover.

But she remembered the command of god andfor a time kept away from him. But she could notcontrol her desire for too long. She fell in lovewith him and felt that life without him would beimpossible.

One day she thought ofa plan. She built asecret staircase to run from the base of her mountain Nagono-Tharath. to the top of the mountamTanesen-Nareemchya, where her brother lived.Without the knowledge ofthe god Rom she wentUP to meet her brother. Thereafter they met oftenand became friendly in the way that the god hadwarned them against.

The god Rom soon came to know about theirsecret meetings and was very angry. He called themboth to his presence and they hung their heads mshame.

"So you have darkened my creation?" the godthem in sorrow and disappointment. "You

have disobeyed me and have committed a sin be-^«nse of your forbidden passion. Now, I cannotii^w vou to stay here any longer. You go down

the mountains and live at the bottom." And thenh ^rsed them: "You will suffer agreat lot foryour sin!

S

4-

THE LEPCHA STORY OF CREATION 19

So they came down to the foot of the mountains and began life as husband and wife. In oneyear's time a son was born to them, but the father,Phadong Thing, remembering the curse of god Romsaid : "This is an unholy child. We cannot keephim under our roof!"

A ,

So Phadong Thing cruelly threw away thechild into the jungles. Every year a son was bornto them and the child was thrown away into thejungles. This happened for seven years and sevenchildren were thrown away!

When the eighth child was bom, the father,Phadong Thing, wanted to throw him also awayinto the jungle. But the mother, full of love for herbaby, cried out "Whatever curse god has put on uscannot be washed away ! No doubt, we have beenliving in sin and have to bear the consequences ofsuch a life. But this poor baby has done nothingwrong. Let us not sin more by throwing away thisinnocent child."

18 FOLK TALES OF SlKKIM

misery on earth. The god then put the man on thetop of a mountain called Tangsen-Nareemchya. Andthe woman he put at the base of another mountaincalled Nagona-Tharath.

As time went on the sister, Najyonguyu, grewup into a beautiful woman and like all women, shealso wanted a man to be loved. But there was nota man around expect for her own brother who hadby now become handsome and strong. So Najyonguyu wanted her brother to be her lover.

But she remembered the command of god andfor a time kept away from him. But she could notcontrol her desire for too long. She fell in lovewith him and felt that life without him would beimpossible.

One day she thought ofa plan. She built asecret staircase to run from the base of her mountain Nagono-Tharath. to the top of the mountamTanesen-Nareemchya, where her brother lived.Without the knowledge ofthe god Rom she wentUP to meet her brother. Thereafter they met oftenand became friendly in the way that the god hadwarned them against.

The god Rom soon came to know about theirsecret meetings and was very angry. He called themboth to his presence and they hung their heads mshame.

"So you have darkened my creation?" the godthem in sorrow and disappointment. "You

have disobeyed me and have committed a sin be-^«nse of your forbidden passion. Now, I cannotii^w vou to stay here any longer. You go down

the mountains and live at the bottom." And thenh ^rsed them: "You will suffer agreat lot foryour sin!

S

4-

THE LEPCHA STORY OF CREATION 19

So they came down to the foot of the mountains and began life as husband and wife. In oneyear's time a son was born to them, but the father,Phadong Thing, remembering the curse of god Romsaid : "This is an unholy child. We cannot keephim under our roof!"

A ,

So Phadong Thing cruelly threw away thechild into the jungles. Every year a son was bornto them and the child was thrown away into thejungles. This happened for seven years and sevenchildren were thrown away!

When the eighth child was bom, the father,Phadong Thing, wanted to throw him also awayinto the jungle. But the mother, full of love for herbaby, cried out "Whatever curse god has put on uscannot be washed away ! No doubt, we have beenliving in sin and have to bear the consequences ofsuch a life. But this poor baby has done nothingwrong. Let us not sin more by throwing away thisinnocent child."

r

20 FOLK TALES OF SIKKIM

Thus the mother Najyonguyu pleaded with herhusband and he no longer thought it necessary tothrow away the children because of the curse ofgod. Phadong Thing and Najyonguyu had twentymore children, both sons and daughters.

As years went by these sons and daughtersmarried and had children. In course of time theyspread all over the southern slopes of the holyKangchenjunga. They are thus the ancestors ofthe Lepcha people.

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TAMSANG THING

AS you have seen, the first parents of the Lep-chas threw away their first seven children into

the jungle.These children grew up into powerful demons.

The eldest among them, who was called Laso-Moong-Ponu, became the king of the demon world.He decided to take revenge on the Lepchas. Wasit not their parents who threw him and his brothersso cruelly into the jungle while they were justinfants ?

He challenged the Lepchas: "You sinners! Ishall destroy you and rule over Denjong. Comeand fight if you dare !" And when nobody cameforward he shouted in anger and hatred, "Why doyou hide, you cowards ? The Lepchas had noalternative but to fight. They took out their bowsand arrows and went forth to fight the demons.

The battle raged for many days. The Lepchasfought bravely. Arrows fiew all over and many diedon both sides. A great number of Laso-Moong-Ponu's demon warriors fell down dead at each swingof the powerful Lepcha sword. Laso-Moong-Ponuwas furious and cried out: "What! They dare tofight me !"

Using his demonic powershe created a type ofillusion in the battlefield. At one time the Lepchasfound themselves fighting with a host of rats, atanother time their opponents turned into bulls or

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22 FOLK TALES OF SiKKIM

tigers ! This frightened them and made them losecourage. They ran away in confusion and tookshelter in jungles and caves up on the hills.

For many years the Lepchas suffered a lot intheir jungle shelters. They were afraid of beingchased and killed by the demons at any moment.They moved about in fear and did not dare to comeout in the open.

At last they all assembled at a secret place andthere was only one thought in their mind: "How tobring an end to our misery? The demons havebecome too powerful and too cruel", ihey said"Only god can help us." '

And so they prayed to their god Rom- "Ogod ! We are helpless without you ! For many yearsnow we have been suffering under the oppression ofthe demons. We have become homeless runningfrom cave to cave in fear of the demons. God havemercy on us ! Save us from the demons/'

The god Rom heard their prayer. One nighthe appeared to an old Lepcha and told him that hehad decided to save the Lepchas. The Lepchasrejoiced when they heard this.

The god Rom took a handful of pure snowfrom the top of Pandin peak situated near KaZchenjunga and created a strong young man m7t nf

"JâvX" meaSThe god said to Tamsang Thine* "Look vnn

are the dearest of my creation. I grim you super

»heie ite Lepto got fl,ei, TteS tagave out athunderous laugh. The laugh was so

TAMSANG THING 23

loud that it shook the mountains and made Laso-Moong-Ponu get up from his sleep.

Laso-Moong-Ponu sent his demons to find outwho was creating this disturbance. The demonssaw Tamsang Thing and were scared at his verysight. They ran back to their king and said: "OLord! We have seen the man. He is indeed a powerful man! His very laugh shakes the earth. We areafraid even to go near him. Hear us, your Majesty!he is great V

"Get away, you cowards!" shouted Laso-Moong-Ponu. He then sent his minister to find outthe facts. The old minister went to Tamsong Thingdirectly and addressed him: "O the mighty one!Who are you? What have you come here for? I amsent by the king of Denjong to find out the truthand I demand an answer."

Tamsang Thing replied: "O minister! I am thedearest of the god's creation. I have been sent tokill the king of demon<; f.nd save Lepchapeople. Tell your ^liai if he wants to stay alivehe should make haste and leave Denjong at once.He can go down to the depths of the world."

"I could turn you into ashes if I wish", saidTamsang Thing. "But I will not because of your oldage. Now hurry up and go to your king and tellhim what I have said."

The minister went back to Laso-Moong-Pomiand narrated the whole incident. The demon kingturned red with anger and said: "So, this fellow is aboaster? Whom does he think I am? Does he notknow that 1 am the king of the whole of Denjong ?No one can stand against me. Since it is war thathe wants, he shall have it." So saying, Laso-Moong-Ponu collected his demon forces and went to fightTamsang Thing.

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22 FOLK TALES OF SiKKIM

tigers ! This frightened them and made them losecourage. They ran away in confusion and tookshelter in jungles and caves up on the hills.

For many years the Lepchas suffered a lot intheir jungle shelters. They were afraid of beingchased and killed by the demons at any moment.They moved about in fear and did not dare to comeout in the open.

At last they all assembled at a secret place andthere was only one thought in their mind: "How tobring an end to our misery? The demons havebecome too powerful and too cruel", ihey said"Only god can help us." '

And so they prayed to their god Rom- "Ogod ! We are helpless without you ! For many yearsnow we have been suffering under the oppression ofthe demons. We have become homeless runningfrom cave to cave in fear of the demons. God havemercy on us ! Save us from the demons/'

The god Rom heard their prayer. One nighthe appeared to an old Lepcha and told him that hehad decided to save the Lepchas. The Lepchasrejoiced when they heard this.

The god Rom took a handful of pure snowfrom the top of Pandin peak situated near KaZchenjunga and created a strong young man m7t nf

"JâvX" meaSThe god said to Tamsang Thine* "Look vnn

are the dearest of my creation. I grim you super

»heie ite Lepto got fl,ei, TteS tagave out athunderous laugh. The laugh was so

TAMSANG THING 23

loud that it shook the mountains and made Laso-Moong-Ponu get up from his sleep.

Laso-Moong-Ponu sent his demons to find outwho was creating this disturbance. The demonssaw Tamsang Thing and were scared at his verysight. They ran back to their king and said: "OLord! We have seen the man. He is indeed a powerful man! His very laugh shakes the earth. We areafraid even to go near him. Hear us, your Majesty!he is great V

"Get away, you cowards!" shouted Laso-Moong-Ponu. He then sent his minister to find outthe facts. The old minister went to Tamsong Thingdirectly and addressed him: "O the mighty one!Who are you? What have you come here for? I amsent by the king of Denjong to find out the truthand I demand an answer."

Tamsang Thing replied: "O minister! I am thedearest of the god's creation. I have been sent tokill the king of demon<; f.nd save Lepchapeople. Tell your ^liai if he wants to stay alivehe should make haste and leave Denjong at once.He can go down to the depths of the world."

"I could turn you into ashes if I wish", saidTamsang Thing. "But I will not because of your oldage. Now hurry up and go to your king and tellhim what I have said."

The minister went back to Laso-Moong-Pomiand narrated the whole incident. The demon kingturned red with anger and said: "So, this fellow is aboaster? Whom does he think I am? Does he notknow that 1 am the king of the whole of Denjong ?No one can stand against me. Since it is war thathe wants, he shall have it." So saying, Laso-Moong-Ponu collected his demon forces and went to fightTamsang Thing.

f


At the sight of the approaching demon forceTamsang Thing gave out a full blast of his laugh.The earth trembled and this alone made the demonsvery much frightened.

This, however, could not frighten king Laso-Moong-Ponu. He shouted: "Do you think that Iam afraid of your laugh? How silly of you. I will killyou now ! You watch, right here !" •

So saying he sent a shower of arrows uponTamsang Thing. But Tamsang Thing warded themoff with no diflaculty and sent thousands of verypowerful arrows in return. Many demons werekilled and the demon force was terribly discouragedThey were at the point ofgiving up the fight.

Laso-Moong-Ponu was shocked. "Oh mvwarriors are no good'', he mourned. '

T fight was unsuccessfulLaso-Moong-Ponu turned mto a tiger and iumnedon Tamsang Thmg, intending to tear him into pSBut fo. Tamsang THmg this was nothing un-expected He met the murderous attack wkh ™ssword. The tiger fell down mortally wounded.

Then ^so-Moong-Ponu took the form of ahorse. Raismg his tail high he beaan tr, tsang Thing with full force^ Without fear tLThing took out a spear and hrustThe^hoê started bleeding hett," bL'̂ le'°fig^^tdeclared, 'JYot Sd^fen'lVam goinrto killyou with this one arrow !" to jcin

He took the form of anêag\fand® hfgTup'̂ iStottrlLde? tTeSfê! r^nrefuge in the depths of the world

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TAMSANG THING 25

The Lepchas now came to thank TamsangThing. They said that Laso-Moong-Ponu shouldnot be left alive. Getting the news that he had escaped to a dangerous mountain called Maroli Blue,they marched there under the leadership of TamsangThing.

They found the demon king in the form of aneagle on a tree top. A well-aimed arrow broughthim down unconscious. But soon the eagle gotconsciousness and flew up into the sky. It settledon another tree, but only half way because it was bynow too weak to climb high. Yet another arrowpierced its heart and finally brought to an end thewicked demon king.

The Lepchas rejoiced and thanked god forsending a saviour.

. .f

f


At the sight of the approaching demon forceTamsang Thing gave out a full blast of his laugh.The earth trembled and this alone made the demonsvery much frightened.

This, however, could not frighten king Laso-Moong-Ponu. He shouted: "Do you think that Iam afraid of your laugh? How silly of you. I will killyou now ! You watch, right here !" •

So saying he sent a shower of arrows uponTamsang Thing. But Tamsang Thing warded themoff with no diflaculty and sent thousands of verypowerful arrows in return. Many demons werekilled and the demon force was terribly discouragedThey were at the point ofgiving up the fight.

Laso-Moong-Ponu was shocked. "Oh mvwarriors are no good'', he mourned. '

T fight was unsuccessfulLaso-Moong-Ponu turned mto a tiger and iumnedon Tamsang Thmg, intending to tear him into pSBut fo. Tamsang THmg this was nothing un-expected He met the murderous attack wkh ™ssword. The tiger fell down mortally wounded.

Then ^so-Moong-Ponu took the form of ahorse. Raismg his tail high he beaan tr, tsang Thing with full force^ Without fear tLThing took out a spear and hrustThe^hoê started bleeding hett," bL'̂ le'°fig^^tdeclared, 'JYot Sd^fen'lVam goinrto killyou with this one arrow !" to jcin

He took the form of anêag\fand® hfgTup'̂ iStottrlLde? tTeSfê! r^nrefuge in the depths of the world

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TAMSANG THING 25

The Lepchas now came to thank TamsangThing. They said that Laso-Moong-Ponu shouldnot be left alive. Getting the news that he had escaped to a dangerous mountain called Maroli Blue,they marched there under the leadership of TamsangThing.

They found the demon king in the form of aneagle on a tree top. A well-aimed arrow broughthim down unconscious. But soon the eagle gotconsciousness and flew up into the sky. It settledon another tree, but only half way because it was bynow too weak to climb high. Yet another arrowpierced its heart and finally brought to an end thewicked demon king.

The Lepchas rejoiced and thanked god forsending a saviour.

. .f

THE DEMON TAKES REVENGE

saw the demon king finally defe^tS°"ht°T®"^°°"Thing They saw with the'ir own ejesking fan down and die. But then fht fdemon was so great that even afterhis death no one dared to go near the defd™odf

Meanwhile there arose doubts t. ,he was r^lly dead or had only fallen do^^^ whetherscious. The body just remained the?e Z . "frT'log neither moving nor rotting Evervnn»anxiously about what to do. Wondered

One brave Lepcha now tnr.tagreed to bring an end to this uncSint?'̂ ®his sword and with the naked swo^h '̂ '̂ rewready to strike, he approached the bodv '"u"®not see any sign of life. So with nnfl" '̂ ou'dAe body. It was warm! He even Hhand on the demon's breast and f ^^ P"' Wsbeating. He ran back with afright! ^®artHe might soon reglin"^ conLkmsS*^would have fought him. Kfunliftheyanyone of them. Gloom spread in X ^ u'' ^P^reBut then they found out that ewn P''̂ ^ âmpthe demon did not get up nor ewn ^ timetappeilng ?• the, iSgaSto wnj" 'WafSS

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THE DEMON TAKES REVENGE 27

to go and see. He too found the body warm and theheart beating. He took courage and with his daggerpierced both the eyes of the demon. If he ever gotup, the mighty demon would not be able to do muchharm since he had lost both his eyes, he thought.But he was afraid that the demon would get upsooner because of the intense pain of the wounds.Thinking of it he shivered in fright and ran backwith all his strength.

A lot of time passed and there was no sign ofthe demon getting up. And so yet another braveman went up to see. He also found the body warmand the heart beating, though the eyes had beencompletely smashed. He wondered what devilry thedemon was up to. Maybe he would come to lifeagain with his magical powers and finish them all!The man wanted to prove his might, and taking outhis sword, he cut off the demon's limbs and brokethe neck. Then he ran back to his friends.

Again another brave man went up to see thedemon. He was amazed to see the body warm andthe heart beating in spite of all that had happened.Blood was flowing from both the eyes, and as thelimbs had been severed the body was bleeding a lot.Now would the wicked demon use his magicalpowers to rejoin his hmbs and come back to life ?He thought that it was not safe to leave the bodyas it was. So he began cutting the body to pieces,broke all the bones and the head and then he threwthe pieces up into tlie air. And now sure that nothing more need be feared about the demon king, hewent back to his friends and told them everything.

The demon was at last dead but was not gone.His spirit remained and was determined to takerevenge. The powdered flesh of his body turned intotiny vermin called Bhusana which has ever sincetroubled the Lepchas. Some parts of it becamemosquitoes, flies, bugs, lice and fleas, always at hand


to give trouble. From his blood came out leechesand from the bones wasps, scorpions, snakes andother deadly insects—all enemies of mankind. Thusthe demon king took revenge !

When the body had finally been got rid of, allthe Lepchas assembled in an open valley to celebratetheir victory. Tamsang Thing himself led the celebrations. The merry-making lasted for seven days.

At the end ofthe seven days, Tamsang Thinsturned his attention to give honours on all those whofought valiantly and helped in other ways in thisstruggle against the demons. Naturally the one whohad the courage to go first and examine the body ofthe demon king came in for the greatest praise Hewas given the highest honour, the title oiLut-Sam-Mun, The other brave men were also given bietitles, pe descendants of these brave men formeddiflferent clans, identified by the titles given to themby Tamsang Thing.

It was not only the brave soldiers who wererewarded. Those who worked with iron to makeswords, daggers and other weapons of war weregiven atitle: Kar-bho-Mun. xLse who weê skil^^din the bow and arrow were given the title of Phuenltah-Mm. Others who provided food and othirnecessities were given another title and so forth

Actually nobody was left out. Evervbr.H^. „ t,contributed in one way or the other towards thevictory was given an appropriate title. Thus all tradedand occupations of the people were raised to arespctable status. And it was thus that the differentcastes having their own titles came into existenceamongst the Lepchas. cAit>ience

4

A NEW LIFE AND THE GIFT OF MUSIC

TN the Lepcha language the new year means newlife. It is supposed to have started from the day

Tamsang Thing defeated the demon king Laso-Moong-Panu and is meant to bring back memoriesof the day of liberation. It is also celebrated as aday of victory of good over evil.

The Lepchas celebrate the day with greatrejoicing. First, they make a statue of the demonking with the waste got from Chi, a favourite drinkmade from fermented rice. One could imagine thatwith all the feasting they do on this day, this wastecould never be in short supply! This effigy is keptat a suitable place. The Lepchas then have a mockbattle with the effigy, hitting it with spears andsticks. They spit on it and insult it, shouting slogans like "Victory to the Lord !" and "Defeat to thedevil!"

The effigy is then taken out with ceremony,burned and thrown away west of the place amidstshoutings of "Get away, devil! Get away, devil!"After that begins the drinking and merry-makingwhich continues till everybody is tired.

The Lepchas' love of music and dance is well-known. They believe that music and dance formthe bridge between heaven and earth. It is said thatthe god of music and dance, Na-rok-Rom, was sohappy with the Lepchas' love of these arts that veryoften he himself came down to earth to sing anddance with them !


to give trouble. From his blood came out leechesand from the bones wasps, scorpions, snakes andother deadly insects—all enemies of mankind. Thusthe demon king took revenge !

When the body had finally been got rid of, allthe Lepchas assembled in an open valley to celebratetheir victory. Tamsang Thing himself led the celebrations. The merry-making lasted for seven days.

At the end ofthe seven days, Tamsang Thinsturned his attention to give honours on all those whofought valiantly and helped in other ways in thisstruggle against the demons. Naturally the one whohad the courage to go first and examine the body ofthe demon king came in for the greatest praise Hewas given the highest honour, the title oiLut-Sam-Mun, The other brave men were also given bietitles, pe descendants of these brave men formeddiflferent clans, identified by the titles given to themby Tamsang Thing.

It was not only the brave soldiers who wererewarded. Those who worked with iron to makeswords, daggers and other weapons of war weregiven atitle: Kar-bho-Mun. xLse who weê skil^^din the bow and arrow were given the title of Phuenltah-Mm. Others who provided food and othirnecessities were given another title and so forth

Actually nobody was left out. Evervbr.H^. „ t,contributed in one way or the other towards thevictory was given an appropriate title. Thus all tradedand occupations of the people were raised to arespctable status. And it was thus that the differentcastes having their own titles came into existenceamongst the Lepchas. cAit>ience

4

A NEW LIFE AND THE GIFT OF MUSIC

TN the Lepcha language the new year means newlife. It is supposed to have started from the day

Tamsang Thing defeated the demon king Laso-Moong-Panu and is meant to bring back memoriesof the day of liberation. It is also celebrated as aday of victory of good over evil.

The Lepchas celebrate the day with greatrejoicing. First, they make a statue of the demonking with the waste got from Chi, a favourite drinkmade from fermented rice. One could imagine thatwith all the feasting they do on this day, this wastecould never be in short supply! This effigy is keptat a suitable place. The Lepchas then have a mockbattle with the effigy, hitting it with spears andsticks. They spit on it and insult it, shouting slogans like "Victory to the Lord !" and "Defeat to thedevil!"

The effigy is then taken out with ceremony,burned and thrown away west of the place amidstshoutings of "Get away, devil! Get away, devil!"After that begins the drinking and merry-makingwhich continues till everybody is tired.

The Lepchas' love of music and dance is well-known. They believe that music and dance formthe bridge between heaven and earth. It is said thatthe god of music and dance, Na-rok-Rom, was sohappy with the Lepchas' love of these arts that veryoften he himself came down to earth to sing anddance with them !


The Lepchas believe that their musical instm-ments have come down to them as gifts fromXgod Na-rok-Rom. The story goes that Na rS-Rom once came down to the Lepchas' country in hisfoil dress, complete with dancing gear. The nennUhad no difficulty in recognising him ! All thf Tenchas came after him in aprocession, singiL anHdancing m their usual way. ® ®

procession moved towardsthe Himalayas. After some time thev came Jr.an isolated Lepcha village, whose iLabhants toocame forward and joined the procession. Th?n th^vall began to sing and dance. The eod Wft<! êd that he too joined in the general rejoicing..1, dance was over, everybody watchedthe god to hear what he had to say. cmarotlated tte leading dancer, patting him on" his shouT

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A NEW LIFE AND THE GIFT OF MUSIC 31

Now the leading man had a request to makeof the god. He had noticed that the crown of thegod had on it feathers of some heavenly bird whichhe had not seen on earth. He requested: "My Lord,give this humble servant just one of those feathers !"

The god, who was so pleased with the performance of the dancer, lifted his whole crown and putit on the head of the leading dancer. That is howa dancer's crown came to be worshipped by theLepchas. They worship the crown before puttingit on while preparing for a dance. And if by chancethe crown should fall off, it is considered to be avery bad omen.

The god then took out one by one ten musicalinstruments and gifted them to the Lepchas. Healso blessed them: "May you cherish the gift ofmusic and dance for ever."


The Lepchas believe that their musical instm-ments have come down to them as gifts fromXgod Na-rok-Rom. The story goes that Na rS-Rom once came down to the Lepchas' country in hisfoil dress, complete with dancing gear. The nennUhad no difficulty in recognising him ! All thf Tenchas came after him in aprocession, singiL anHdancing m their usual way. ® ®

procession moved towardsthe Himalayas. After some time thev came Jr.an isolated Lepcha village, whose iLabhants toocame forward and joined the procession. Th?n th^vall began to sing and dance. The eod Wft<! êd that he too joined in the general rejoicing..1, dance was over, everybody watchedthe god to hear what he had to say. cmarotlated tte leading dancer, patting him on" his shouT

I

t

s

A NEW LIFE AND THE GIFT OF MUSIC 31

Now the leading man had a request to makeof the god. He had noticed that the crown of thegod had on it feathers of some heavenly bird whichhe had not seen on earth. He requested: "My Lord,give this humble servant just one of those feathers !"

The god, who was so pleased with the performance of the dancer, lifted his whole crown and putit on the head of the leading dancer. That is howa dancer's crown came to be worshipped by theLepchas. They worship the crown before puttingit on while preparing for a dance. And if by chancethe crown should fall off, it is considered to be avery bad omen.

The god then took out one by one ten musicalinstruments and gifted them to the Lepchas. Healso blessed them: "May you cherish the gift ofmusic and dance for ever."

THE MAYEL VALLEY

The Lepchas believe that their forefathers stilllive in Mayel. They say that Mayel is a valley

high up on the mountains hidden by the great peakKangchenjunga. But can nobody go there ? Theroad to Mayel is guarded by strong demons whowill not allow anybody to pass through, they say.And there is also a huge stone blocking the passage.

In olden days the people of Mayel used to comedown and mix with the Lepchas. But they no longer do that, probably because the people are no longer good and pious. Instead, every year they sendbirds to the Lepchas to show them when to sowtheir seeds, when to harvest and so on. When thesebirds come down to the villages the Lepchas knowthat it is time for them to get down to work in thefield.

Many years ago a brave man came across astream while hunting in a remote forest. Flowingdown the stream he saw the branch of a tree. Atonce he knew that there was something special aboutit. "Such a tree can grow only in Mayel", he said.

That meant Mayel should he along the streamand he walked along up the stream expecting toreach the valley. He crossed the forest and came tosnow-clad hills and passed high mountains andpeaks. After several days he came to a placewhere he saw a lot of feathers scattered allover. On closer examination he found that thevwere the feathers ofthose birds who came to the

THE MAYEL VALLEY 33

village year after year during the seasons. They musthave shed their feathers here during their flights.Now he was sure that he was on the right path.

He walked along till he reached a green, lushvalley surrounded by tall mountains—that wasMayel, the home of the ancestors of the Lepchas.The sun was already setting when he came acrossthe first house in the valley. There an old couplewelcomed him. They took him in, made him washand fed him with nice things.

But the hunter did not see any children aroundand he asked in surprise, "Don't you have any children ?"

"No, we have no children !" they replied.However, in the morning he saw two children, a

little boy and a girl, playing about in the house. Hethought that the old people must have gone to workin the field.

THE MAYEL VALLEY

The Lepchas believe that their forefathers stilllive in Mayel. They say that Mayel is a valley

high up on the mountains hidden by the great peakKangchenjunga. But can nobody go there ? Theroad to Mayel is guarded by strong demons whowill not allow anybody to pass through, they say.And there is also a huge stone blocking the passage.

In olden days the people of Mayel used to comedown and mix with the Lepchas. But they no longer do that, probably because the people are no longer good and pious. Instead, every year they sendbirds to the Lepchas to show them when to sowtheir seeds, when to harvest and so on. When thesebirds come down to the villages the Lepchas knowthat it is time for them to get down to work in thefield.

Many years ago a brave man came across astream while hunting in a remote forest. Flowingdown the stream he saw the branch of a tree. Atonce he knew that there was something special aboutit. "Such a tree can grow only in Mayel", he said.

That meant Mayel should he along the streamand he walked along up the stream expecting toreach the valley. He crossed the forest and came tosnow-clad hills and passed high mountains andpeaks. After several days he came to a placewhere he saw a lot of feathers scattered allover. On closer examination he found that thevwere the feathers ofthose birds who came to the

THE MAYEL VALLEY 33

village year after year during the seasons. They musthave shed their feathers here during their flights.Now he was sure that he was on the right path.

He walked along till he reached a green, lushvalley surrounded by tall mountains—that wasMayel, the home of the ancestors of the Lepchas.The sun was already setting when he came acrossthe first house in the valley. There an old couplewelcomed him. They took him in, made him washand fed him with nice things.

But the hunter did not see any children aroundand he asked in surprise, "Don't you have any children ?"

"No, we have no children !" they replied.However, in the morning he saw two children, a

little boy and a girl, playing about in the house. Hethought that the old people must have gone to workin the field.


"Ha, no", the children told him,same old people. In the morning we areBy midday we grow up to become adults. In theevening we are old. But then in the morning weare children again—this way we live forever."

The hunter then saw in the valley seven housesbelonging to seven brothers. And he stayed with allof them in turn, a day with each of the brothers. Atthe end of seven days the people of Mayel askedhim to go back. They gave him as gift the seeds ofseven grams and said, '̂Go back and sow this andyou and your people will have plenty to eat. Butsay nothing of what you saw here."

TheLepchas believe that that was how thevcame to have grams. The seven brothers, they say.still live m Mayel valley. They consider them thegods ofgrams. So the Lepchas pray to the gods ofMayel for a good harvest.

i i; _• ,

V ....

/ •.

' It:

"We are thechildren.

¥

TISTA AND RUNGEET

'ylSTA and Rungeet are the two big rivers ofSik-kim. Starting from the high snow mountains

they come down the slopes of the Himalayas throughlovely valleys, thick forests and steep hills. Theyjoin to become one after they flow to the plains inWest Bengal.

Tista flows straight while Rungeet twists andturns in many places. Is this, then, Rangeet'sfault ?

The story is that once the two river gods lived inhappiness on the lap of the Himalayas. Rungeet wasthe god and Tista was the goddess and playfullythey said that they would take difierent routes whileflowing down to the plains. "Let us see who willreach there first", they said and they agreed to afriendly race.

They decided that each must have a guide to leadthem to their common destination. Tista was cleverand got the snake king as her guide, while Rungeetselected the bird king as his guide. He thought thebird would be faster.

One day they started the race. Tista, guided bythe snake king, went straight to her destinationwithout looking to the right or left. But the birdguide proved to be a loafer. "There is a nice littleworm there", it said and flew over to eat it. "Weare on a race !" Rungeet tried to remind the birdking. But the bird king only grumbled, "Well, onemust eat to fly."


"Ha, no", the children told him,same old people. In the morning we areBy midday we grow up to become adults. In theevening we are old. But then in the morning weare children again—this way we live forever."

The hunter then saw in the valley seven housesbelonging to seven brothers. And he stayed with allof them in turn, a day with each of the brothers. Atthe end of seven days the people of Mayel askedhim to go back. They gave him as gift the seeds ofseven grams and said, '̂Go back and sow this andyou and your people will have plenty to eat. Butsay nothing of what you saw here."

TheLepchas believe that that was how thevcame to have grams. The seven brothers, they say.still live m Mayel valley. They consider them thegods ofgrams. So the Lepchas pray to the gods ofMayel for a good harvest.

i i; _• ,

V ....

/ •.

' It:

"We are thechildren.

¥

TISTA AND RUNGEET

'ylSTA and Rungeet are the two big rivers ofSik-kim. Starting from the high snow mountains

they come down the slopes of the Himalayas throughlovely valleys, thick forests and steep hills. Theyjoin to become one after they flow to the plains inWest Bengal.

Tista flows straight while Rungeet twists andturns in many places. Is this, then, Rangeet'sfault ?

The story is that once the two river gods lived inhappiness on the lap of the Himalayas. Rungeet wasthe god and Tista was the goddess and playfullythey said that they would take difierent routes whileflowing down to the plains. "Let us see who willreach there first", they said and they agreed to afriendly race.

They decided that each must have a guide to leadthem to their common destination. Tista was cleverand got the snake king as her guide, while Rungeetselected the bird king as his guide. He thought thebird would be faster.

One day they started the race. Tista, guided bythe snake king, went straight to her destinationwithout looking to the right or left. But the birdguide proved to be a loafer. "There is a nice littleworm there", it said and flew over to eat it. "Weare on a race !" Rungeet tried to remind the birdking. But the bird king only grumbled, "Well, onemust eat to fly."


Another time he found some grains growingsomewhere at a good distance and he flew over topick up some. The poor Rungeet had to followhim wherever he went, and so he lost the race.Moreover, it is the bird guide which made himtwist and turn in many places.

While coming down a precipice Rungeet sawfrom a. distance his beloved Tista waiting for himpatiently to join her. 'How can I show my face inpublic now T he thought, 'Me, lost to a woman !'He was angry and began to flow all over the placecausing floods and uprooting trees and houses.

Tista was frightened and begged him to stop it:*'Please have mercy on the poor creatures, my dear!I know it was not your fault but that of the clumsvbird king!"

Rungeet heard her prayer and they made peace.Thereafter the two lovers fell into a long embrace

down the plams jointly. From a place called "Viewpomt on the Daijeeling-Kalimpong roadone could see them flow side by side for a bis distance as ifnever wishing to part again.

The place where they meet, the "Confluence" asIt IS called, is a holy place for the Lepchas Evervyear in the month of Magh, corresponding ' to December-January, they celebrate the feast of the ôriver gods. Lepchas come from far and wide to theplace where the rivers meet Th^ K+tu jgirls, after adip into th"T4r fdlate into the night. Thev sfne Wtwo great lovers-Tista and Rungeet. ^

r

THE STORY OF MARRIAGE

'T'ARBONG was the youngest son of the firstmother, Itponu. Being the youngest he lived

with his mother. The elder ones had all gone awayto live in distant places when they grew up. WhenTarbong grew up he wanted to go out and see theworld. "No, you are too young", said his mother."No, mother, I am old now. I want to go and seethe world", he insisted.

So his old mother allowed him to go. Shecooked rice for him and put it into his sack and toldhim: "Go, my son, but then don't be late. Comeback before nightfall."

And so he went. He went far till he reachedthe top of a high mountain where he saw a treeflushed with ripe fruits. He saw a bunch of birdsfeasting on it. On seeing them he felt hungry andsat down to eat his rice. Then he walked back andreached home before nightfall.

As was his habit he straightaway climbed uphis mother's lap and drank the milk which she gavehim. And his mother asked him what all he hadseen during his outing. On hearing about the birdson the tree his mother told him that he should makesnares with strings and bamboos and set them up onthe tree to catch the birds. Like a good son heshould do it for his mother, she said.

He did as he was told and the next morning


Another time he found some grains growingsomewhere at a good distance and he flew over topick up some. The poor Rungeet had to followhim wherever he went, and so he lost the race.Moreover, it is the bird guide which made himtwist and turn in many places.

While coming down a precipice Rungeet sawfrom a. distance his beloved Tista waiting for himpatiently to join her. 'How can I show my face inpublic now T he thought, 'Me, lost to a woman !'He was angry and began to flow all over the placecausing floods and uprooting trees and houses.

Tista was frightened and begged him to stop it:*'Please have mercy on the poor creatures, my dear!I know it was not your fault but that of the clumsvbird king!"

Rungeet heard her prayer and they made peace.Thereafter the two lovers fell into a long embrace

down the plams jointly. From a place called "Viewpomt on the Daijeeling-Kalimpong roadone could see them flow side by side for a bis distance as ifnever wishing to part again.

The place where they meet, the "Confluence" asIt IS called, is a holy place for the Lepchas Evervyear in the month of Magh, corresponding ' to December-January, they celebrate the feast of the ôriver gods. Lepchas come from far and wide to theplace where the rivers meet Th^ K+tu jgirls, after adip into th"T4r fdlate into the night. Thev sfne Wtwo great lovers-Tista and Rungeet. ^

r

THE STORY OF MARRIAGE

'T'ARBONG was the youngest son of the firstmother, Itponu. Being the youngest he lived

with his mother. The elder ones had all gone awayto live in distant places when they grew up. WhenTarbong grew up he wanted to go out and see theworld. "No, you are too young", said his mother."No, mother, I am old now. I want to go and seethe world", he insisted.

So his old mother allowed him to go. Shecooked rice for him and put it into his sack and toldhim: "Go, my son, but then don't be late. Comeback before nightfall."

And so he went. He went far till he reachedthe top of a high mountain where he saw a treeflushed with ripe fruits. He saw a bunch of birdsfeasting on it. On seeing them he felt hungry andsat down to eat his rice. Then he walked back andreached home before nightfall.

As was his habit he straightaway climbed uphis mother's lap and drank the milk which she gavehim. And his mother asked him what all he hadseen during his outing. On hearing about the birdson the tree his mother told him that he should makesnares with strings and bamboos and set them up onthe tree to catch the birds. Like a good son heshould do it for his mother, she said.

He did as he was told and the next morning


he could collect quite a number of birds. Afterresetting the snares he took the birds home. "Here,mother, take these birds. If they are good, acceptthem as my repayment for the milk you gave me.If they are no good, throw them away", he said.*'They are good to eat, and I accept them as repayment for the milk", his mother replied.

The next day when he went to check the snaresfor trapped birds he came across a beautiful girlnamed Naripnom. He fell in love with her andwanted to possess her, but she did not like it. Hedid not succeed when he tried to take her away byforce. At last he returned home disappointed.

When he told his mother about it, his motherthought for a moment and said, "If you want topossess that girl you better go and tell your brotherKomsi Thing, who lives in Patham."

The youngster went straight to Patham andsaw his elder brother. "I want her", he told him."Well, brother, you have to pay for it!" saidKomsi Thing, "and then you have to make a sacrifice with Chi and butter. But do you love her thatmuch T

"I love her very much. I will do anything topossess her", repUed Tarbong.

"Then go to Nepal and get from there a pigand a copper vessel", said KomsiThing.

When Tarbong brought these things fromNepal, Komsi Thing asked him to go to Bhutan andget from there the cloth Kamo. When that wasdone he asked him to go to Tibet and get a Numborug. Again Komsi Thing asked him to go and getmillet from Mayel valley and an ox from Kamyongvalley.

When all these things had been collected theythought about how to get fire to cook the millet to

THE STORY OF MARRIAGE 39

make the drink Chi for the sacrifice. The fire wasavailable only in the outer space between heavenand earth where the demons lived. It was beingkept there by the devil-smith named Diet Moong.Who would go there and fetch it ?

A friendly bird agreed to go and get it. Itflew to the house of the smith and fortunately foundthe house empty. It then quietly took a brand offire in its beak and flew back without being seen.On the way it felt hungry and laid the brand on abranch of a tree while it looked for fruits. But thewind blew on it and flames sprang up and a greatfire raged over the world. The poor bird was caughtup in it and was unable to return to Komsi Thing.

Then an insect which could fly agreed to goand went up to the smith's house. It was no ordinary insect. It looked the house upside down andthe whole house actually turned upside down !

When the smith. Diet Moong, returned he sawhis house turned upside down. Looking around hesaw the insect and understood that it was the insectthat had played this mischief. "Why have you upsetmy house this way ? I will kill you for it", the smiththreatened.

"And your house will ever remain upsidedown", the insect replied.

So they made an agreement. The insect wasto put the house straight and the smith would givehim a brand of fire. The smith also advised himhow to make fire with flint and tinder. While coming back to Komsi Thing, the insect had lost thebrand but it could still make fire with flint andtinder.

With the fire they cooked the millet in thecopper vessel. But to make Chi they had to getyeast. The question now was where to get it. The


he could collect quite a number of birds. Afterresetting the snares he took the birds home. "Here,mother, take these birds. If they are good, acceptthem as my repayment for the milk you gave me.If they are no good, throw them away", he said.*'They are good to eat, and I accept them as repayment for the milk", his mother replied.

The next day when he went to check the snaresfor trapped birds he came across a beautiful girlnamed Naripnom. He fell in love with her andwanted to possess her, but she did not like it. Hedid not succeed when he tried to take her away byforce. At last he returned home disappointed.

When he told his mother about it, his motherthought for a moment and said, "If you want topossess that girl you better go and tell your brotherKomsi Thing, who lives in Patham."

The youngster went straight to Patham andsaw his elder brother. "I want her", he told him."Well, brother, you have to pay for it!" saidKomsi Thing, "and then you have to make a sacrifice with Chi and butter. But do you love her thatmuch T

"I love her very much. I will do anything topossess her", repUed Tarbong.

"Then go to Nepal and get from there a pigand a copper vessel", said KomsiThing.

When Tarbong brought these things fromNepal, Komsi Thing asked him to go to Bhutan andget from there the cloth Kamo. When that wasdone he asked him to go to Tibet and get a Numborug. Again Komsi Thing asked him to go and getmillet from Mayel valley and an ox from Kamyongvalley.

When all these things had been collected theythought about how to get fire to cook the millet to


make the drink Chi for the sacrifice. The fire wasavailable only in the outer space between heavenand earth where the demons lived. It was beingkept there by the devil-smith named Diet Moong.Who would go there and fetch it ?

A friendly bird agreed to go and get it. Itflew to the house of the smith and fortunately foundthe house empty. It then quietly took a brand offire in its beak and flew back without being seen.On the way it felt hungry and laid the brand on abranch of a tree while it looked for fruits. But thewind blew on it and flames sprang up and a greatfire raged over the world. The poor bird was caughtup in it and was unable to return to Komsi Thing.

Then an insect which could fly agreed to goand went up to the smith's house. It was no ordinary insect. It looked the house upside down andthe whole house actually turned upside down !

When the smith. Diet Moong, returned he sawhis house turned upside down. Looking around hesaw the insect and understood that it was the insectthat had played this mischief. "Why have you upsetmy house this way ? I will kill you for it", the smiththreatened.

"And your house will ever remain upsidedown", the insect replied.

So they made an agreement. The insect wasto put the house straight and the smith would givehim a brand of fire. The smith also advised himhow to make fire with flint and tinder. While coming back to Komsi Thing, the insect had lost thebrand but it could still make fire with flint andtinder.

With the fire they cooked the millet in thecopper vessel. But to make Chi they had to getyeast. The question now was where to get it. The


only person who had yeast was an old woman in theplains.

Another insect named Takder offered to goand get yeast from the old woman. He first wentand hved with her for some days and thus gainedher confidence. The old woman began to look uponit like her own grandson. But then when she prepared Chi to drink she made sure that she coveredTakder with a basket.

"Oh, grandmother, I can see everythingthrough these holes", Takder cried out. Actuallythere were no holes in the basket, but the foolishold woman thought it true and removed the basket.Then she covered it with another which really hadmany holes.

Takder could see clearly what she was doingand found out that the old woman kept the yeast ina pot at the back of her neck. For two days hetried to get hold of the pot, but could not. At lasthe thought of a plan. He told her that he could seea lot of lice on her head and offered to remove themto which she gladly agreed. While removing them

clever Takder quietly removed and ran

*u it run the old woman shouted, "Ithought you were like my grandson, but I see nowthat you are nothmg but a thief. You have stolenmy yeast and you will give it to everybody all overthe world and so I set my curse on it May it mJkeeverybody who drinks it drunk and quarrelsome "

drunk®anTquarrded'"''®' 5°^When Takder returned with the yeast Chi

was made But when it was ready it was at first sostrong that a snake who was speciallv chown tr,the first to drink it simply vanished into the air likehghtning. Only after many trials was it made into

-if-


a drink with no harmful effects.Now that Chi was prepared, the mother,

Itponu, supplied the butter. Komsi Thing sent thepresents to Naripnom and she agreed to get niarnedto Tarbong. A lot of people assembled for theceremony, where all the gods were worslupped withChi and butter and sacrifices.

Thus, Tarbong and Naripnom were marriedand the custom of marriage originated from thatday !


only person who had yeast was an old woman in theplains.

Another insect named Takder offered to goand get yeast from the old woman. He first wentand hved with her for some days and thus gainedher confidence. The old woman began to look uponit like her own grandson. But then when she prepared Chi to drink she made sure that she coveredTakder with a basket.

"Oh, grandmother, I can see everythingthrough these holes", Takder cried out. Actuallythere were no holes in the basket, but the foolishold woman thought it true and removed the basket.Then she covered it with another which really hadmany holes.

Takder could see clearly what she was doingand found out that the old woman kept the yeast ina pot at the back of her neck. For two days hetried to get hold of the pot, but could not. At lasthe thought of a plan. He told her that he could seea lot of lice on her head and offered to remove themto which she gladly agreed. While removing them

clever Takder quietly removed and ran

*u it run the old woman shouted, "Ithought you were like my grandson, but I see nowthat you are nothmg but a thief. You have stolenmy yeast and you will give it to everybody all overthe world and so I set my curse on it May it mJkeeverybody who drinks it drunk and quarrelsome "

drunk®anTquarrded'"''®' 5°^When Takder returned with the yeast Chi

was made But when it was ready it was at first sostrong that a snake who was speciallv chown tr,the first to drink it simply vanished into the air likehghtning. Only after many trials was it made into

-if-


a drink with no harmful effects.Now that Chi was prepared, the mother,

Itponu, supplied the butter. Komsi Thing sent thepresents to Naripnom and she agreed to get niarnedto Tarbong. A lot of people assembled for theceremony, where all the gods were worslupped withChi and butter and sacrifices.

Thus, Tarbong and Naripnom were marriedand the custom of marriage originated from thatday !

8

THE GREAT FLOOD

T ONG, long ago, when there were only Lepchasliving in Sikkim, there came once a big cyclone

which brought with it very heavy rain. The waterin the streams and rivers began to rise higher andhigher and began to flow into homes and villages.In panic the people sought refuge at the top of bigmountains.

The rain kept on pouring and the water continued to rise, covering vast areas including all thebeautiful valleys and hills of the Himalayas. Therewas no place which was not covered by water excepttwo peaks, Tendong and Motnom peaks. These tvTopeaks were brother and sister. They rose higher andhigher above the water hoping to save the livinethmgs that had taken refuge on them.

K, Yl®' ft™® Motnom thought that she saw herbeloved brother Tendong sink. She then anxiouslybent forward to have a better look and while bend-ing the water rose high above her and she herself

1, people and other living things whohad taken refuge on her thus went under water.

The people who had taken refuge on Tendonssaw this happen and were more frightened than everThe water was still rising and they felt that they toowould sink. We are all doomed !" they cried infear.

THE GREAT FLOOD 43

They began praying to God: *^Save us, OLord,from this danger. We know that you are displeased.If this is not a sign of your displeasure then what isit ? But have mercy on us, poor creatures, and makepeace, we beg thee, O Lord !"

At last God heard their prayer and sent apigeon. When they saw the godly pigeon, the Lepchas knew that now they would besaved. The pigeonis a bird ofpeace and it showed God's mercy. Thebird had brought to them the message of forgivenessand hope and so they rejoiced and praised God.

The pigeon perched on the top of the peak,looking down with pity on all those beings whichhad taken refuge there. The people lookeo up to itwith reverence and worshipped it as the messengerof God and made to it the customary offering ofChi.

The pigeon drank the Chi and felt thirsty. Soit began to drink the flood waters and thus the waterslowlv began to go down. After a time the peoplewere able to see their houses, lands and fields. In aweek's time the flood had gone and the rivers andstreams became normal.

But the grateful Lepchas never forgot the peakTendong who had given them refuge and kept hishead high even though he saw his sister sink underwater.

Every year they offer prayers to Tendong. Itis said that from the top of Tendong it is possible tosee on any day the top of Motnom peak alwayscovered with dark clouds. The Lepchas believe thatone could hear at times from the top of Motnomthe groans of those who were drowned in the flood.

i\0 ^

•f


Neither did they forget the good pigeon whichhad brought to them the message ofhope. It wasthe pigeon with its divine powers that drank all thewater and thus saved them from certain deathToday the bird is worshipped at every Lepcha homeand offermgs are made to it every year.

• - •

«8P

AN ADVENTURE STORY

Once upon atime there was a prosperous villagein a distant mountain valley. The land was very

fertile and got water from a smooth flowing river.There never was a crop failure and so the villagerslived happily with nothing to trouble them.

However, the young people, full of life and energy, were not satisfied. There was not enough todo in the village, they complained. What type offun could one have by sowing and reaping throughout the whole year ?

Of course, they had few enjoyable activities likedancing and singing after the harvest, but that cameafter a long time. What could one do in the interval ? They wanted a real adventure in some distant place.

They soon formed a group and decided to go insearch of adventure. One young man said : "Let usgo to the king because we may get what we wantthere."

"And we will be back before the next harvest",cried another bright young lad. All of them agreedto it.

For a few days everybody in the village spokeabout this departure of the brave young men insearch of adventure. On the appointed day therewas big rejoicing in the village and special prayerswere offered to the gods for their safe return. The


older people, proud of their young folks, blessedthem and wished them a good time.

Thus, all the young men of the village started ina big group on their way to the distant capital. Thebeautiful maidens hned up both sides of their pathwith garlands and flowers to cheer the heroes.And they all marched out with their heads heldhigh, proud like pumpkins.

On the way they came across a bunch of birdsflying up and down the trees. For some time theywatched them with fascination. "What a pity wecannot fly like the birds", said one of them. "Whycan*t we ? Why can't we fly like birds ?" wonderedanother. "Why can't we ?" yet another asked.

''What is needed is courage !" said a wise littlelad, "One has to go high on the trees and stretchone's arms and fly off like the birds and there isnothing more. Only, one must be brave."

"That is it! That is it!" the others shouted"One must be brave ! Have courage !"

"I have it", said one and he began climbing upon a big tree nearby.

"Me too, me too !" shouted the rest and thevall followed the brave young man.

One after another they reached the top of thetree. They were so high that they could hardly seethe ground below. Then, stretching out their armslike the wmgs ofa bird, they jumped out in fullforce. And one by one they fell flat on the ground-only to die in pain !

When already quite a few had died in this adventurous way, one wise fellow said : "There is nnfun in dying for nothing " "Flying is for birds andnot for men , cried a still wiser one.

AN ADVENTURE STORY 47

The rest agreed silently and began to climb downthe tree.

"Alas, they are all dead !" someone exclaimed,pointing out to their dead companions.

"So what ?" replied a young man who lost notime to end this fooUsh talk. "They are brave men!"

"They are martyrs", said another. "They haveproved that only birds can fly."

"That is it, my friend", agreed the rest, "Theyhave died for us all."

"Let us not waste time talking", suggested oneangrily. "We have still a long way to go !"

And so the heroes continued their journey tothe capital to see the king.

Finally they reached the capital. They lost notime and met the king himself Proudly they toldhim what they had come for. "O great king !" theycried, "We have come all the way from our village.Only tell us what you would like us to do."

The king was very amused and said, "Thankyou, my young people. We have plenty of workhere for you." He then called his minister and asked him to give the young men some work to do.The minister put them to work in the palace. Theywere asked to look after the palace gardens.

"What is the fun in tending gardens ?" complained one after sometime.

"We could tend gardens in our village too", saidanother.

"But this is the king's own garden", said yetanother.

"So what ? A garden is a garden 1" they allshouted. They were bored and they decided toleave.


older people, proud of their young folks, blessedthem and wished them a good time.

Thus, all the young men of the village started ina big group on their way to the distant capital. Thebeautiful maidens hned up both sides of their pathwith garlands and flowers to cheer the heroes.And they all marched out with their heads heldhigh, proud like pumpkins.

On the way they came across a bunch of birdsflying up and down the trees. For some time theywatched them with fascination. "What a pity wecannot fly like the birds", said one of them. "Whycan*t we ? Why can't we fly like birds ?" wonderedanother. "Why can't we ?" yet another asked.

''What is needed is courage !" said a wise littlelad, "One has to go high on the trees and stretchone's arms and fly off like the birds and there isnothing more. Only, one must be brave."

"That is it! That is it!" the others shouted"One must be brave ! Have courage !"

"I have it", said one and he began climbing upon a big tree nearby.

"Me too, me too !" shouted the rest and thevall followed the brave young man.

One after another they reached the top of thetree. They were so high that they could hardly seethe ground below. Then, stretching out their armslike the wmgs ofa bird, they jumped out in fullforce. And one by one they fell flat on the ground-only to die in pain !

When already quite a few had died in this adventurous way, one wise fellow said : "There is nnfun in dying for nothing " "Flying is for birds andnot for men , cried a still wiser one.


The rest agreed silently and began to climb downthe tree.

"Alas, they are all dead !" someone exclaimed,pointing out to their dead companions.

"So what ?" replied a young man who lost notime to end this fooUsh talk. "They are brave men!"

"They are martyrs", said another. "They haveproved that only birds can fly."

"That is it, my friend", agreed the rest, "Theyhave died for us all."

"Let us not waste time talking", suggested oneangrily. "We have still a long way to go !"

And so the heroes continued their journey tothe capital to see the king.

Finally they reached the capital. They lost notime and met the king himself Proudly they toldhim what they had come for. "O great king !" theycried, "We have come all the way from our village.Only tell us what you would like us to do."

The king was very amused and said, "Thankyou, my young people. We have plenty of workhere for you." He then called his minister and asked him to give the young men some work to do.The minister put them to work in the palace. Theywere asked to look after the palace gardens.

"What is the fun in tending gardens ?" complained one after sometime.

"We could tend gardens in our village too", saidanother.

"But this is the king's own garden", said yetanother.

"So what ? A garden is a garden 1" they allshouted. They were bored and they decided toleave.


The king agreed and rewarded them for theirpf/butter and an ox's headPacking them up in a neat bundle the brave mento rMch^ hoTe^^hrf They hurriedknew that there wou^rbe aÎoSdanci'nvnlage maidLs'!''rn^ ea®h bêautifSadventurous story of his own to teU hS'gfrf^"Lel'u^ ''Sokânffat"^ bank.And I need some resr said ZfTw ^""^^body.hausted. ' ' falling down ex-

frienKlserhim '̂'''® courage?" hisdecided and eat", they all

They then openedtL^bundle ^given them anftook ouUh^.f'""i had" put it in the pot of water'tobread too, and the|pm'̂ a kraL-r'̂ °"'1fire and kept the butter on ?•flour ready to be baked. thinking that it was

And then with the nY*c .1the riverside to break it and rnt -t- toput the head on the rock anH Theystone. The head sloped rand fell into the rive^r^ra ,n?,H ^ê air,men looked on with alarm j The youngtJie fast current. while the head went down

foolish"fel?ow.' with alost head", said aotoQefL% SLoWeZte- by

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that there was something cooking and hurried totheir camp, but there was nothing left there either.The salt had disappeared in water and the butterhad melted and had flown down to the fire to beburnt off.

Now there was really nothing to look forwardto. So they sadly walked back to their village, having become a little wiser.

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10

TWO FRIENDS

QNCE upon a time there were two young friendswho earned their livelihood by trapping birds

fr^ Sungzoom mountain. They belonged to twodifferent villages, Karlyong and Sabeun. Everymorning the young man from Karlyong came toSabeun and together with his friend, would so up tothe mountain and climb the trees to see the trapsplaced on the previous day. Together they wouldcollect the birds and after replacing the traps on thetrees would come d9wn again to Sabeun, dividetheir catch and go their own ways.

. , day the young man from Sabeun had abright idea. He said that there was no need for hisfnend to come all the way to his village as he couldas well go straight to the mountain. "We will meetthere", he told his friend from Karlyong.

Both agreed with the idea, but thev dirlknow that a devil had heard them talk. It had deci-

himself, 'I might as well start work.' 'And so he climbed the tree to see thp j

collect the birds. Half-way through he thougM hesaw his friend approaching. "I tried to catch you up!

TWO FRIENDS 51

but could not", said his friend, 'T see that you havecome quite early."

The voice did not sound like his friend's. Theyoung man from Sabeun became suspicious andthought that his friend would not have talked likethat. He would have simply come up the tree tojoin him in his work. 'Could it be the devil T hewondered.

"How did you climb up ?" he heard his friendcomplaining, which meant that he had thoughtright. He looked down intently. 'Surely, it is thedevil', he said to himself, 'that is why it is unable toclimb the tree in the ordinary way.'

The devil was standing on its head and wastrying to reach the tree by its legs. Naturally it didnot succeed. He was reheved to see that he was inno immediate danger since the devil could not climbthe tree, but then he had to think of some way toescape.

And what do you think the devil took outfrom the fold of its dress ? The head of his frienddripping with blood ! "Come on and taste a little ofmy cucumber", the devil invited him. When helooked down he found the devil gnawing at thehead.

This sight frightened him all the more. Hethought that if he ever came down the tree whilethe devil was there at the bottom, that would be theend of him. The devil would surely kill him and eathim up. He then thought of a plan and collected allthe birds from the traps and made three bundles ofthem—one small, another little bigger, and yet another very big.

At first he threw the big bundle a little awayfrom the tree. The devil thought that it was theman and ran to it to attack, but then when it found


Unfortunately for the monkey, the earth belowiJie tree was so muddy that it went down into it asif in a ditch. However, much it tried it could notget out of the mud in which it was almost buriedby the force of the fall. "If nobody comes forwardto help ^me out of this, I will surely die of starvation", it mourned.

^d it happened that an elephant came thatway. "Oh, my good friend", shouted the monkey, "Iam so glad that you have come this way. I am dyingin this mud unable to come out, so please pull meout of this."

The elephant appeared to have been in a bighurry or did not want to get mixed up in otherpeople s business. It walked on pretending that ithad not heard anything. Then came a rhinoceros,to whom the monkey made the same appeal •"Please, my good friend. Kill me after pulling meout and eat me if you Hke, but help me to get out ofthis." But the rhinoceros too walked away as if itheard nothing.

Similarly, more animals followed the rhinoceroswithout waiting to listen. When the poor monkeypleaded with a wild goat, it only said ; "I am but agoat. How can I ever succeed in pulling you out ofit ? But cheer up, my good fellow, others arecoming behind and one of them will surely pull vouout." ^

Then came an old tiger which was in such bighurry that it did not even turn its head to look atthe monkey as it pleaded. The cheetah was the nextand it only followed the tiger without a wordFinally, a leopard came along and was willine tolisten. ®

"Pull me out ofthis place, please ! Then youcan boll me and eat me", cried the monkey.

THE CLEVER MONKEY 55

"No, I am late, and I mustgetalong and catchup with the others", the leopard replied.

^ 'A ^

But>fter: going for" some distance the leopardhad second thoughts ; 'I might aswell take the fellowout', it thought to itself, 'why not boil the monkevand eat it ?'

1. thought after a time.Well, there is still time, I can easily run and catchup with the others' It hesitated for a moment onlvand then turned and ran back to the monkey. "

"Well, well", he told the monkey. "I havedecided to accept your offer."

"Very good !" said the monkey, which wasnow not very happy when it knew it was to beeaten. "But then first ofall you must dig a pit andget firewood and cooking stones. And agate youmust take me out and dry me up before I im readyto be cooked. It added.

The leopard did as he was told, and taking themonkey out, it put it on a stone to dry. And while


Unfortunately for the monkey, the earth belowiJie tree was so muddy that it went down into it asif in a ditch. However, much it tried it could notget out of the mud in which it was almost buriedby the force of the fall. "If nobody comes forwardto help ^me out of this, I will surely die of starvation", it mourned.

^d it happened that an elephant came thatway. "Oh, my good friend", shouted the monkey, "Iam so glad that you have come this way. I am dyingin this mud unable to come out, so please pull meout of this."

The elephant appeared to have been in a bighurry or did not want to get mixed up in otherpeople s business. It walked on pretending that ithad not heard anything. Then came a rhinoceros,to whom the monkey made the same appeal •"Please, my good friend. Kill me after pulling meout and eat me if you Hke, but help me to get out ofthis." But the rhinoceros too walked away as if itheard nothing.

Similarly, more animals followed the rhinoceroswithout waiting to listen. When the poor monkeypleaded with a wild goat, it only said ; "I am but agoat. How can I ever succeed in pulling you out ofit ? But cheer up, my good fellow, others arecoming behind and one of them will surely pull vouout." ^

Then came an old tiger which was in such bighurry that it did not even turn its head to look atthe monkey as it pleaded. The cheetah was the nextand it only followed the tiger without a wordFinally, a leopard came along and was willine tolisten. ®

"Pull me out ofthis place, please ! Then youcan boll me and eat me", cried the monkey.

THE CLEVER MONKEY 55

"No, I am late, and I mustgetalong and catchup with the others", the leopard replied.

^ 'A ^

But>fter: going for" some distance the leopardhad second thoughts ; 'I might aswell take the fellowout', it thought to itself, 'why not boil the monkevand eat it ?'

1. thought after a time.Well, there is still time, I can easily run and catchup with the others' It hesitated for a moment onlvand then turned and ran back to the monkey. "

"Well, well", he told the monkey. "I havedecided to accept your offer."

"Very good !" said the monkey, which wasnow not very happy when it knew it was to beeaten. "But then first ofall you must dig a pit andget firewood and cooking stones. And agate youmust take me out and dry me up before I im readyto be cooked. It added.

The leopard did as he was told, and taking themonkey out, it put it on a stone to dry. And while

14

THE LUCKLESS PUNSHOHANG

A X- before the holy lamas came^ ^ to Sikkim and drew away all the devils, therewas a family ofdevils called Meloan who lived ina cave under a huge white cUff. In the valleybelow there were two houses only. One day thepeople who stayed in one house went away towork in their fields leaving a baby boy in thecare of his elder brother, the luckless Punshohang.

Taking this opportunity the mother devilcanie to the house and captured Punshohang. Shetook him to her cave dweOing and planned to killand eat him one day. At nightfall, locking him upwith the children m the cave, the father andmother devils went to work because it was normallyat night that the devils worked ! When they were1°"® Punshohang was frightened more than ever.The devils will kill me and eat me", he mourned.

• The child devilsseeing the tears running down his face, came andlicked it up just to see what would happen. Thisactually made Punshohang angry, so he tookout his knife and began cutting them up right andleft, chasing them to every corner of the cave..

In the morning the father and mother devilscame with food, which consisted of hard nuts androots with earthworms. All the devils ate it butPunshohang threw his share away as he could noteat it.

THE LUCKLESS PUNSHOHANG 63

The next day too at nightfall the father andmother devils went out, leaving Punshohang lockedup inside the cave with their children. As on theearher day he cried and the devil children lickedhis tears again. This again angered Punshohangwho drew his knife and began cutting the childrenright and left and chasing them away. He was sotired that he felt sleepy and laid down to restusing the scabbard of his knife as a pillow.

When he was sleeping the devil childrenwoke him up and told him where the key was.Actually the children were frightened of him andhis knife and therefore wanted to get rid of him.

Punshohang could easily find the key. Hegot up in a hurry, took out the key and openedthe door and after looking out for a moment, heran back home with all his might.

Soon, the mother devil came home and sawwhat had happened. She went after Punshohangby following his foot-prints. Punshohang saw herfollow him and when he found a pit where hecould hide himself, he went down and pulledleaves and grass over him so that she could notsee him.

When the mother devil saw that the footprints had stopped, she did not know which wayto go. She stood up by the side of the pit andconsulted her oracle.* The oracle simply said thatthe fugitive was just below her, but below her shesaw notliing but ground.

She consulted the oracle again and again andevery time she got the same reply, and she sawnothing but ground below her. Getting fed up,

♦ In this story, something which has divine powers.

64 FOLK TaLES of SIKKIM

she shouted: "My oracle is telling me lies", andwent back to her house.

Punshohang nowcameout ofthepitandranback home. He had been lost for two days andtwo nights and everybody had been searching forhim. ne told his anxious parents what all hao-

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15

THE JEALOUS DEVIL

GINOO Moong is a jealous devil. She strik^wherever there is prosperity and plenty. It is

because of her that the people are afraid to showoff their wealth, and for the same reason thatit is not good for anybody to talk about theprosperity of another because should Ginoo Moonghear of it, she is sure to destroy that person'sprosperity.

There is a story about the origin of GinooMoong. Before she became a devil she was amember of the Ginoo family of Lingthem. TheGinoo family had seven brothers and one sister.The seven brothers lived in one house with theirseven wives. Each of them had a son and a daughter. The seven sons with their wives and the sevendaughters with their husbands also lived in thesame house. Indeed, the house was full.

The brothers were very poor. Though theywere so many that they could all eat a whole goatat one meal, they could seldom afford anythingbetter than wild fruits and roots or some grainsoccasionally. They had neither cattle nor pigs, northey did even have enough good land to cultivate. They lived by cultivating some fallow landhere and there. And when they went t6 workthey always left two people behind at home, oneto cook and the other to collect firewood.

On the other hand, their sister who lived in


the valley below, was prosperous. She had sixtyheads of oxen as cattle and many pigs besides. Shealso had many necklaces and jewels so heavy thatthey altogether weighed six kilograms. But she

daughter to caretor. while she herself slept in the house, herdaughter slept in a shed outside. On top of it all,she was a Mun too, a powerful priestess who couldperform miraculous feats.

• 1- brothers naturally compared their povertywith the prosperity of their sister. They grumbled:Look at the injustice of it all. We have nothing,

no cattle, no jewels! And we are the people whoneed them and could really use them. Our sisteris excessively rich and she is a widow. She has nouse for It " So they decided to kill her and takeaway all her wealth.

They then made a plan and went down to herhouse late m the night and cut her to pieces. Thenquietly they crept back to their house without beineseen. ®

However, the noise woke up the daughter whowas sleeping in a shed outside. "What is the matter with my mother?" she wondered and shehurriedly ran to the house.

• •, she found the verandah spatteredwith blood. Very much frightened, she went in andtound her mother sitting on her bed and trembUngUsing her magical powere she had come back tolife by joining all the pieces of her body togetherWhen she saw her daughter, she cried "Well mvdaughter! See what your uncles have done Thevhave killed me in cold blood!"

•j thought for some time andsaid. Why did you come now? Anyway, since

*

1

THE JEALOUS DEVIL 67

you are here, go and gather the twigs of that treethere that grows on the side of the chff. Make surethat the twigs are of that tree alone and not fromany other tree."

The daughter at once went out and gatheredthe twigs as asked by her mother and brought themto the house. The mother took them out to theverandah and threw them up so that the sun wascovered and she told her daughter: "See what I did.ôw that I have covered the sun with these magicaltwigs, I can go all over the world like a spirit."

Then the mother took her inside the houseand told her, "You better go soon to your shed,because my brothers will be coming here to lookfor my body. They will take away three bags ofjewels and only leave you three tiny pieces. Youmay wear those jewels. They will take away all thecattle and will leave you only one baby calf, whichyou must look after. Do not be sad because in sevendays a man will come and marry you and youwill be happy. Your children will be chiefs of thisplace."

Soon after the brothers came to fetch the deadbody, but they could not find it. There was onlya trail of blood leading to a lake. The mother hadgone away to a cave on a cliff behind the lake toperform Topas, that is deep prayer, for seven daysto gain spiritual powers.

Meanwhile, the brothers divided her propertyjust as she had prophesied leaving the girl onlythree necklaces and a baby calf. She did not complain, but took them and began to live all by herselfIn seven days a hunter came and married her andlived with her.

/

The mother came out of the cave after sevendays; she had changed into a powerful devil

w


and was called Ginoo Moong. She vowed vengeance on all those who had great wealth and manychildren and was so powerful that she called all thedevils and sent them out to destroy all who wereprosperous. Within a year all the big families hadbeen destroyed. Nothing much was left of theonce prosperous houses.

She still continues her destroying and makeseverybody poor. The people beheve that it is betternot to invite the attention of this jealous spirit byshowing off one's riches or by talking about it.

16

THE IDIOT

^NCE upon a time there lived two brothers. The^ elder was big and strong like a giant, but he wasan idiot, while the younger brother was small andweak, but was more intelligent.

One day the two brothers went to Tibet withquinine* to trade it for salt. They had goneabout thirty kilometres when they felt tired andwanted to camp for the night. But the night hadalready set in and they could not find any betterplace for shelter except a big tree. So they decidedto spend the night under the tree.

The younger brother sent the elder to fetchwater. While roaming about in the forest the elderbrother came across a tiger eating a deer. He couldnot make out what it was and thought that it was abig cat eating a deer. He naturally was amazedhow big a cat could grow and picking up a largestone, he threw it for fun at what he thought to be acat.

Coming back, he told his brother : "Oh, brother! I saw a big cat there, and guess what it waseating ? A fully grown deer!"

Hearing this the younger brother became verycurious and he too wanted to see the cat eating adeer. So they both went to see, but by that time

♦A liquid used in some medicines.

w


and was called Ginoo Moong. She vowed vengeance on all those who had great wealth and manychildren and was so powerful that she called all thedevils and sent them out to destroy all who wereprosperous. Within a year all the big families hadbeen destroyed. Nothing much was left of theonce prosperous houses.

She still continues her destroying and makeseverybody poor. The people beheve that it is betternot to invite the attention of this jealous spirit byshowing off one's riches or by talking about it.

16

THE IDIOT

^NCE upon a time there lived two brothers. The^ elder was big and strong like a giant, but he wasan idiot, while the younger brother was small andweak, but was more intelligent.

One day the two brothers went to Tibet withquinine* to trade it for salt. They had goneabout thirty kilometres when they felt tired andwanted to camp for the night. But the night hadalready set in and they could not find any betterplace for shelter except a big tree. So they decidedto spend the night under the tree.

The younger brother sent the elder to fetchwater. While roaming about in the forest the elderbrother came across a tiger eating a deer. He couldnot make out what it was and thought that it was abig cat eating a deer. He naturally was amazedhow big a cat could grow and picking up a largestone, he threw it for fun at what he thought to be acat.

Coming back, he told his brother : "Oh, brother! I saw a big cat there, and guess what it waseating ? A fully grown deer!"

Hearing this the younger brother became verycurious and he too wanted to see the cat eating adeer. So they both went to see, but by that time

♦A liquid used in some medicines.

A


the tiger had run away. When they reached theplace they only saw the deer lying dead.

"We will take this deer, cook it and eat it ourselves," suggested the clever younger brother. Sothey carried the deer to their place of shelter. Thenthey made a fire and cooked a nice curry out of it.

Soon the tiger smelt its way and came along.It said the deer belonged to it since it had killed it.And so a fight started between the younger brotherand the tiger. The elder brother was only anxiousabout the curry and shouted, "I don't care whofights or who dies. But the one who throws mycurry better beware."

The younger brother, small and weak as hewas, could not stand the strain very much. But heknew that his idiot brother would think of nothing

THE IDIOT 71

but the curry. So while fighting he quietly toppledthe curry without being seen.

This angered the giant idiot and he became sofurious that he caught hold of the tiger by the tailand swung it round so hard that its tail came off.The tiger became so scared that it ran for its life.Then the two brokers continued their journey toTibet.

A


the tiger had run away. When they reached theplace they only saw the deer lying dead.

"We will take this deer, cook it and eat it ourselves," suggested the clever younger brother. Sothey carried the deer to their place of shelter. Thenthey made a fire and cooked a nice curry out of it.

Soon the tiger smelt its way and came along.It said the deer belonged to it since it had killed it.And so a fight started between the younger brotherand the tiger. The elder brother was only anxiousabout the curry and shouted, "I don't care whofights or who dies. But the one who throws mycurry better beware."

The younger brother, small and weak as hewas, could not stand the strain very much. But heknew that his idiot brother would think of nothing

THE IDIOT 71

but the curry. So while fighting he quietly toppledthe curry without being seen.

This angered the giant idiot and he became sofurious that he caught hold of the tiger by the tailand swung it round so hard that its tail came off.The tiger became so scared that it ran for its life.Then the two brokers continued their journey toTibet.

17

THE TOWER OF DHARAMDIN

'yHERE was once a village called Dharamdin,which was situated on the top of a hill. It was

very prosperous and had plenty of food and drinksfor everybody. The villagers never had much workto do and so they had a lot of time to think andtalk. They thus became famous all over the countryfor their wisdom.

The wise men of the village met one day andhad a big problem to discuss, which was how far upwas the sky from the village.

"One mile! Perhaps two miles," said one.

"Oh, no. It must be higher up!" saidanother.

While those who believed that they were wiserthan the rest said, "There is no such thing as asky. It is all foolish talk."

However, nobody agreed with this seriouslyand a majority of them agreed that it was there foreverybody to see. "Perhaps one maybe able toreach it from the top of a hill." they said.

"That is impossible!", cried many. Nobodyhad ever heard of somebody having reached the skyfrom a hill. Their own hill was high indeed, butthe sky was still far away.

THE TOWBR OF DHARAMDIN 73

Some of the villagers said, "Let us build atower to reach the sky." All agreed to this. "Whata clever idea!" they said, "The tower can be madeofclay pots going up like a ladder to the sky.

For a few days there was great activity in thevillage and they began to collect clay pots from allover the country. People were sent far and wideto bring to them all the available pots. Such a largenumber was collected that the village becamenothing but a heap of clay pots.

Then two brave men were chosen to do theclimbing. Early one morning they began to climb,putting the pots step by step as they climbed up.

The pot tower rose and rose to a dizzy height,and it even became difficult to see the top. Thepeople below thought their men were about to reachthe sky.

Actually the two men at the top also thoughtthat they were about to reach the sky. It hadbecome evening, and seeing the setting sun in theclouds, they felt that they were very near the sky.Since the pots they had were over and it was toolate to ask for more, they thought that they couldstrike at the sky with a long pole.

They shouted to their friends Kok bing yantang, which in the Lepcha language meant "Sendus two long poles."

The people below could hear only a hissingsound which they thought to be Chakta whichmeant "Fell it down" in the Lepcha language.

"What? Fell down the tower? Impossible!"they cried. Just to be sure they shouted back,"Chakta?"


Again the two men shouted, Kok bins yontang, and again the people below heard Chakta.

This shouting back and forth went on forsome time, till they were tired and exhausted withthe day's labour. Finally the wise men belowdecided to fell the tower.

They only had to remove the lowest pot and thepot tower came crashing down with a big noise!^

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18

THE GIANT FROG

There once lived adeer in asnow-clad mountain valley. It was a friendly deer and ever

ready to give a helping hand to anybody in distress.The deer never hurt a thing and the other animalsof the valley loved and respected it.

In summer it roamed about in the valley,when only a few patches of grass grew here andthere on the rocky hill sides. But it was scanty andthe deer just managed to live on them.

In winter it went to Tibet where the chmatewas warmer and the grass grew in plenty. Therewas yet another reason why it went there and thatwas because it was very fond of salt. And Tibet hadthem in abundance on its rocks. The deer thusnever missed its winter trip to Tibet.

One winter it was on its way to Tibet when itcame across a tiger.

*'I am hungry and I want to eat you," said thetiger.

The deer got a fright. "Who, me?'* it asked.''Yes. who else ?" roared the tiger.

"Look at me, I am all skin and bones," thedeer cried, trembling.

"There is nothing I can do. Something isbetter than nothing," said the tiger.


"Oh you are really clever. How are vou sosure that it is on this way?" the frog asked agahi

the"storT'® '̂Ser told

a^d';" '̂l^Sy^he°sTdeWhal S.SrS?L®t=r *1' S ™imatter'' interfere in the

come from afrog?" it thought and invitedTheTdJto come closei as a sign offriendship.

«r"SgSe^ft„f°'' ™""agreed '̂ ^go°d idea," the tiger

As bugs are not found on the body ofa froethe frog began to search the tiser's hnHu fx i!It could not find any but it nref^X^ f uand eating bugs. A'ctuallJ'̂ re frogIvas pullh^?'"f

hair one by one and swallowS^^^^^Tnd groomLg""® Pretending -to be searching

The tiger liked to have somebody groom himfree of cost It was pleased especially wWi th^searching and even dozed off for a while.

J

k

THE GIANT FROG 79

After a time the frog pretended to be sick andcoughed and screeched and finally vomitted thewhole lot of the tiger's hair.

'Oh, my. What type of a frog is this whichvomits a tiger's hair? This is certainly not an ordinary frog because it has just eaten a tiger. All thisis a pretence/ thought the tiger.

The tiger was very frightened at this. There wasonly one thing it could think of and that was to runfor its life. And it did run as fast as it could, noteven looking back when the frog called after him ina weak voice. "Oh, no ! You cannot bluff me anylonger," the tiger shouted back while running.

The giant frog had a hearty laugh.Soon the deer came along and hearing how the

tiger had run away danced with joy. It embracedthe giant frog and thanked it heartily.

-/'.vr;4':v' • ^ V } r -' .. f' vA*^''-/.V.'..r' . ; • .w>-. *

:k t:™-.—•

,V •„

19

A GREAT ANCESTOR

T ONG, long ago in a cave on the banks of theriver Tista there lived a snake god who fell in

love with a charming mermaid in the river andmarried her. They had two sons who were veryhandsome and who were so attached to their parentsthat they too lived in the cave. It was thus a happvfamily. ^

One day the elder of the two sons came across aLepcha girl while hunting in the forest. The girl wasvery young and charming. The young god was sofascinated by the Lepcha's beauty that he fell inlove with her and that was the beginning of a loveaffair between them. They met everyday in theforest in a secret place and finally they got marriedsecretly.

The snake god's father became suspicious."Certainly, my eldest son has something in hismind !" he said one day to his mermaid wife.

"Yes, my dear," agreed the mother, "I havefound him queer too."

5^?^ every morning without speakinga word, the father said.

"And when he comes back he sings and swearsforno reason," added the mother.

"Perhaps the fellow is in love," guessed thefather.

A GREAT ANCESTOR 81

"Or already married?" added the mother.

At that moment the son himself returned home."Where have you been, my son?" asked themother.

"Out hunting," he replied without bothering.

"No, mv son! Tell me truly what have you beendoing all this while?" the mother pleaded anxiously.

"Oh, my good mother! I have fallen in lovewith a beautiful Lepcha girl and I have married hersecretly," he confessed to.his mother.

"That means I have a daughter-in-law now !"said the old snake god happily. "And pray! Whenare you going to bring her home?"

The eirl was too shy to come to her father-in-law's house. The next day again the snake godasked his son, "When are you going to bring mydaughter-in-law home?"

"Only if she does not laugh when she sees meshould you bring her to me,'* the snake god warnedhis son. "And she should respect me."

The very next day the son went to his Lepchabride and told her everything, saying that she couldno longer avoid meeting her father-in-law. So shegot from her parents some very good vegetables asgifts for her father-in-law —fresh sugarcane, pumpkins, ginger and so on—all packed in green leaf.With these presents she accompanied her husbandto the snake god.

And when she entered the home the father-in-law vanished as if by magic and was never seenagain. The son lived there with his Lepcha brideand they had many children. The descendants ofthese children are the people of Bathung.

20

THE SWEET POTATOES

in a small hut near

them and at times they dug for roots K

rwTerii,ss'wiffpS;*faile?:"dTherr was '̂famine' SorJnt V'dried up, trees becamnê, Ifth lo fr^fplants withered too and they could dig out no roots^

animals became wild with hungerand thirst so they roamed about in distress and ftpup everythmg. There was not even S

Smeta^rerwiS SLWhfrrwould°tLyJe^®anyt^^There was nothmg near about in their fo?ecf ^

"^me fa t"' wallcT'bui th^brothertl"sTster wTth Sy'vJhL^L'wIntroun^lhrfo^

THE SWEET POTATOES 83

One day it became very bad. After a long andtiring walk they came to a place where they thoughtthey could dig some sweet potatoes and the sisterat once began to dig. The thought of sweet potatoes alone made the young brother ^more hungry.He hopefully cried : meaning sweet potatoesin the Lepcha language. He repeated, "jRTew/'•'Kewr

^^Kyon r replied the sister, which meant in theLepcha language : "I will give you!"

She dug and dug but could get nothing. And asher brother's cry grew fainter and fainter the sisterused all her strength to dig. To the boy's pitiablecry of "iCevv" she repeated, "Kyon, Kyon!"

The hole grew bigger and deeper but no sweetpotatoes were to be found. It was late and the sunhad begun to set. Then all of a sudden the walls ofthe pit caved in and the poor girl was buried alive!

Seeing this the brother fainted and never recovered. He had died without satisfying his hunger.

The souls of the unhappy brother and sister tookthe forms of birds, which the people called ^^Kew-Kyon."

Today one can hear from the forest a bird sing"Kew^' and some bird from the wilderness answer"Kyon.^' Then the people would repeat the storyand think of the helpless brother and sister.

sfi'L/'ifJ'lL'flMrffilHClIlu:^

m

21

LAMA LHATSUN CHHEMBO

the patron saint oftv,<. ! T been an incarnation* of

M't™, he is said to

?n Ri.Hrfh- for tlie conversion of Sikkimrhnavfll P^' t appointed the first

'tif Namgyal. Many of the monas-tê <=. ntInH ''ee" foundedIhom thA stories in the countryabout the heavenly powers of this holy monk.

• Chhembo was born in 1595 A D.m south-eastern Tibet. When he was still very

Tibet^ sûdvW™® ^ Lama and travelled all overmade' such a hi of the monasteries. Hemaae such a big name for his creat learninfr andwisdom that m a short time 1all over Tihpt Tu^l "me lie had become famousknew him and hiohK Lama of Lhasa himself

Lhatsun that the GrLd LaZ went tSL fhe^Chêv1ntrtao?y"ofT^,êt^ STfore he reached Potala Palam iu 7the Grand Lama in LhaM fnr'i • ®fithe Grand Lama, the Grand "I®""®

»" .bom r^STo'j.'rss:♦ Rebirth

rrssm

LAMA LHATSUN CHHEMBO 85

So he instructed the palace guards beforehand toreceive the visitor with honours.

But somehow the guards failed to recognizeLama Lhatsun Chhembo when he blew aloud histrumpet made of a human thighbone as was hishabit. The guards became angry, seized him and tiedhim to a rock in the neighbourhood as a punishmentfor daring to blow his trumpet so close to thepalace. The saint then shook the whole Potala hill,and it was in this way that he brought his arrival tothe notice of the host.

On being admitted to the presence of the GrandLama, Lama Lhatsun walked boldly up to him andstruck him with his fist to the astonishment of alllamas present. Then he vomitted in everybody'spresence, and said : "You are soon going to China;on the way you would face a great danger but bystriking you as 1 did I have rid you of that danger.In China you will find yourself in great danger someday! Then read this paper I now give you and youwill be all right."

Then he gave to the Grand Lama a scroll ofpaper, and said again : *'My vomiting in your presence means that you will finally have great powersand riches through me."

This prophecy of the sainj came true. Soon after,the Grand Lama visited China and was received bythe Chinese emperor with great honour. But theheavenly emperor to test his divine knowledge askedhim about the real meaning of the rainbow colours.This was the danger predicted by Lama Lhatsun,but the Grand Lama remembered the scroll given tohim by Lama Lhatsun and gave a satisfactory answer. The answer pleased the emperor so much thathe gave the Grand Lama great honour and manyriches.


Coimng back to Tibet the Grand Lama in grati-tude off®''®'! 'o. Lhatsun a great position inthe Tibetan priesthood, but Lama Lhatsun wasnot interested m position of any kind. He had bv

''k meaning of some hiddenmessage left by Guru Rimpoche, the great GuruT Tibet to Buddhism

"T mn,f ^ B"ddhist monks.I must go and open the Northern sate ofthe hid-

"Thatls what r p"''® Sikkim," he said.That IS what Guru Rjmpoche wants me to do andI must develop that country rehgiously."

Lama Lhatsun attempted to enter Sikkim bvway of Jongn but he could not find a path the™ tocross over to S.kkim. So he stayed for the thêbeing macave for meditation and prayer Hê itIS said, the Lord of Moiint • tiere, ithim in the form of awiW loosesaint. Inspired by the mafes^cLama wrote abook of pray r f^Z T' ^^ship of Lord Kangchenjunga

FinSnô^wafsoSSeacnis de't'® 'determined saint flew over the peak 'powers. Here he was met by two othe 1 T®had come from the South lamas whoThere they met at the footLepchas named Yoksam ttia • ^^^^^^junga theof three superior ones. ' ''J® meeting place

phecy ofSu RfmS^^hoTad'noble brothers would come tn ^country to establish a kinedomreligion of the Buddha would which thequestion was where to find the fonrH twas to come from the East? Lama, who

LAMA LHATSUN CHHEMBO 87

Through divine grace they found PhuntshogNamgyal, perhaps of Chumbi valley. This fourththey appointed Chogyal, meaning ruler, of the wholeofSikkim. In Dubdi monastery in Yoksam, the oldcapital of Sikkim, a stone seat is still preservedwhich is supposed to be the throne on which thefirst Chogyal was crowned.

22

KHYE BUMSA

Chogyals of Sikkim trace their ancestry to aegendary hero named Khye Bumsa Khve Lmsa

cra m''bInoH' Tibet whTch 3moMrch<° TTil, ° TibetanGuru Tashe Tibetan capital, his father<juru lashe had a divine revelation which said thathe should go south-west to seek his fortine

faniiitôffiw accompanied by hisSS had one"nfTr' south-west,tCt part of met Th ""r' monasteries in

»f.\SoS'bf?' ¥»•"'» tT '.rsmany sS ones The'̂ f® piHars withbrought rireat exLplaces-one%hitrfrom Khl Kfrom Mochu valley; the third red"Vm°'̂ r' u®"T'of Nepal, and the fourth blarV f borderthousands of men Snatheir attempt to raise the nill failed inpositions. to tlieir proper

noting could™to their positions. 'Now who cjdo '̂it?^® was^ltemost important question in his mind.

The eldest son ofGuru Tashe now came forwardand agreed to do it alone. Without any help L

•<

%

KHYE BUMSA 89

raised the pillars to their proper positions. Thereafter he came to be known as Khye Bumsa, meaning the superior of ten thousand heroes.

The Sakya chief monk was very pleased and outof gratitude to the hero, he gave him his daughter,Gurmo, in marriage. The family later moved Westwhere they themselve.s built a monastery for fourhundred monks and left it in charge of the youngestof the brothers. While on their way further SouthGuru Tashe died. The three younger brothers nowmoved to the Ha valley of Bhutan and settled downthere. The eldest, Khye Bumsa, settled down inthe Chumbi valley, East of Sikkim.

Soon Khye Bumsa became famous as a man ofgreat strength and courage. He defeated manywicked men and evil spirits who had been troublingthe people in the area. In single combat he defeatedand chased away an equally-famous Bhutanese hero,Nawang Gep Pulbar.

But for many years Khye Bumsa had no children. On the advice of the lamas he went on pilgrimage to many holy places of the land and performed many sacrifices, but they did not help. At lasta holy lama advised him to go to Denjong, that isSikkim, and seek the blessmgs of the Lepcha chief,

"O great one!" said the lama, "that is youronly hope now. That holy man has divine powers."

Khye Bumsa at once started with seventeen ofhis trusted followers and crossing over Denjong,he enquired about the Lepcha chief He came toknow that the Lepcha chief was a holy man namedThekonc Tek and bis wife was Myekong Nal, but hecould not find out where the couple lived.

<;n fhev proceeded to Gangtok, hoping to collectmore information about the Lepcha chief and onSe way they saw an old man working mhis field.


The field had been recently cleared by burning forcultivation and working there the old man hadturned quite black in colour.

"Greetings, old man! You must have heard of1 j Lepcha people/'Khye Bumsa asked the old man respectfully.

_ "The chief of the Lepcha people?" the old mansimply repeated without giving a direct reply.

hopSly'°" asked"Do I know him?" the old man again reoeated

S\Tthe lie stupidly answered all the questions put to him and joLdf

set disgusted as he could notwiv hJ jnformation from the old man, but on theway he thought again and began to think whethpr

.oS'ES~ '»reoM 1° that,"replied some ofhis men, who had their own doubts.

"Perhaps he does.agreed Khye Bumsa.

So ttey went back and hid themselve'! in thp

S'stefSo'?',,"'-s'"»"»s;Sswhen he left The lôuse and

=s"is'?.

Let us go back to him!^ >

KHYB BUMSA 91

around in a manner of respect as if they were indivine presence. Khye Bumsa guessed that the oldman was Thekong Tek whom they were searchingfor. He then put before him the rich gifts that hehad brought for Thekong Tek. "Oh, wise man," hesaid "bless me, so that I may have children."

The chief was pleased and blessed him, "Soon,your wish will be fulfilled and you will have threesons."

Having thus got the blessing from the Lepchachief, Khye Bumsa returned home where he wassoon blessed with three sons. This, it is said, wasthe beginning of an era of friendship between theLepchas and the Bhotias.

V M i*!"'

• .i- V";

23

THE HOLY WATER

•^HE lamas are very holy because for them life isalways full of prayer and meditation. Wherever

a lama goes, he always carries with him a prayerwheel and a rosary. He is therefore the guardian01 nohness.

The prayer wheel used by the lamas and faithfuldevotees consists ofa cyhnder turning on a handleas a pivot. Outside, on the curved surface and on

is inscribed the prayer OmMam Padme Hum, which means "Hail! Jewel inthe lotus."

Every time the wheel is turned it is believed thatme prayers are automatically passed on to heaven.The prayer flags that one can find everywhere in thecountryside are also put up with the same idea. Itis said that when they flutter in the wind the prayerswritten on them are as good as when a personprays. ^

Lamas ordinarily live a community life in themonasteries, following a fixed routine in which religious observances are most important. Howeversome very holy lamas at times come to dis like theroutine in the monasteries and then become lama-hermits. They go to a cave dwelling to be in continuous prayer and meditation. There areany numberof stories praising the holiness and divinity of theselama-hermits.

THE HOLY WATER 93

Once upon a time there lived on a very secludedhill-top a lama hermit. The nearest village was faraway and the approach to the hill-top was so ruggedthat very seldom anybody dared to take up thedifficult task of going up to the hill. It was mainlybecause of this reason that the hermit-lama hadchosen this sanctuary.

But the hill was considered holy by the peoplebecause they believed that it was sacred to goddessDolma and occasionally a pilgrim would go up tooffer prayers to the goddess.

The lama kept up a strict routine of prayers andmeditation. According to the strict diclipline necessary for deep meditation he kept six months Chamevery year when he neither ate nor drank. Buthaving been a devotee of the goddess Dolma he usedto get up every day before the break ofdawn and godown the hill to fetch water from the spring at thebottom of the hill to make offerings to the goddess.

This way he had already attained great spiritualpowers but he still kept up the ascetic* life hopingthat one day he would be rewarded with the divinepresence ofthe goddess herself. And so it happenedone morning when he approached the spring he feltan unusual hush all around. It looked as if naturewas expecting some divine presence.

The holy hermit at once knew that a divinemiracle was going to take place and he watched indeep reverence and found the spring glow with astrange aura of light. /Tt is the divine goddessDolma in all her majestic brightness, he said andknelt down in respect.

Soon the beautiful goddess herself appearedbefore him and gave him a small jar. '̂Keep this

♦ The strict life of a hermit.

M


jar," she said, "at the altar of my temple. Andevery year it would be filled with water. Give it tothe faithful devotees and their sins will be washedaway from them."

When the goddess departed, the lama followedthe advice given by the goddess and kept the jaratthe most sacred place at the altar of her shrineWhen divine water started filling in it as if fromnowhere, the holy man gave it to whomsoever cameup the shrine to pray and their sins were washedaway.

The lama died long back, but the practice ofdistributing holy water in the shrine for pilgrimscontinues every year to this day. The holy waterfrom the spring came to be a divine remedy for allillnesses.

I •

> . I',

24

THE WICKED ANTS

ONCE upon a time there lived a lama namedGhumchen Tenzing Takpu, who was a devotee of

Tormu, a divine symbol of God made out of boiledrice and butter. He spent a lot of time in the templein the worship of the Tormu and as a resul the hadacquired great spiritual merit.

One day an ant passing by the temple came tonotice the Tormu, fully covered with a lot of butter.It crept in unnoticed, climbed on the Tormu andbegan eating up the butter. When the lama sawthis his anger knew no bounds and at first he thoughtof killing the ant. But on second thoughts he wasangry against himself: "How can a monk like mewho follows the compassionate* Gautama think ofeven killing an ant?"

Now, full of sorrow for the wicked thought hehad, he soon shut off such ill-feelings from his mindagainst the offending ant. But he still could notallow the ant to destroy the Tormu, so he verycarefully picked up the ant and put it out of thetemple.

The ant disappeared in the jungle, but in a shortwhile it was back with three companions. They allfour crept in unnoticed, climbed up the Tormu andbegan to eat up the butter. Again Lama Ghumchensaw them and was angry, but he again suppressedhis anger, picked them up carefully without hurtingany one of them and put them out of the temple.

* Having pity.

..It;

M


jar," she said, "at the altar of my temple. Andevery year it would be filled with water. Give it tothe faithful devotees and their sins will be washedaway from them."

When the goddess departed, the lama followedthe advice given by the goddess and kept the jaratthe most sacred place at the altar of her shrineWhen divine water started filling in it as if fromnowhere, the holy man gave it to whomsoever cameup the shrine to pray and their sins were washedaway.

The lama died long back, but the practice ofdistributing holy water in the shrine for pilgrimscontinues every year to this day. The holy waterfrom the spring came to be a divine remedy for allillnesses.

I •

> . I',

24

THE WICKED ANTS

ONCE upon a time there lived a lama namedGhumchen Tenzing Takpu, who was a devotee of

Tormu, a divine symbol of God made out of boiledrice and butter. He spent a lot of time in the templein the worship of the Tormu and as a resul the hadacquired great spiritual merit.

One day an ant passing by the temple came tonotice the Tormu, fully covered with a lot of butter.It crept in unnoticed, climbed on the Tormu andbegan eating up the butter. When the lama sawthis his anger knew no bounds and at first he thoughtof killing the ant. But on second thoughts he wasangry against himself: "How can a monk like mewho follows the compassionate* Gautama think ofeven killing an ant?"

Now, full of sorrow for the wicked thought hehad, he soon shut off such ill-feelings from his mindagainst the offending ant. But he still could notallow the ant to destroy the Tormu, so he verycarefully picked up the ant and put it out of thetemple.

The ant disappeared in the jungle, but in a shortwhile it was back with three companions. They allfour crept in unnoticed, climbed up the Tormu andbegan to eat up the butter. Again Lama Ghumchensaw them and was angry, but he again suppressedhis anger, picked them up carefully without hurtingany one of them and put them out of the temple.

* Having pity.

..It;


Thereupon the four ants disappeared into thejungle. But these soon came back with millions oftheir friends. This time they did not creep in unnoticed, but their leader, Tashi Golay, asked thelama : "You say that you are a holy lama! Butthen what sort of holiness is this? Does your religion allow such small innocent creatures hke antsbeing kicked about and killed for nothing? Indeed,you must be ashamed of yourself to keep those holyrobes!"

"They climbed the Tormu and ate up thebutter, protested Lama Ghumchen.

Indeed, they did not eat any of your butter.Ihey were looking at those beautiful Tormusjust out of curiosity, and you got angry and kickedthem out for nothmg. Perhaps it was all your fault.You must have forgotten to put butter and are nowblaming my poor companions." The leader of theants then began to speak ill of the lama.

But the lama refused to argue and calmly toldthem : "Look here, my friend, I have not kickednor killed any of your people. I only picked themup and put them out so that they would not do anyfurther mischief on my Tormu."

These words did not calm down the ants. Infact, it only made them more angry because theirplans were not good. Full ofanger, they rushed tothe holy man, climbed on him and began biting himwith all their might. The poor monk was interrible pam.

At last he prayed to God to save him from thistorture. He was being killed by the wicked ants forno fault of his. The god heard his prayer and by amiracle his body turned into a burning torch forthe ants. In a moment they all jumped down andran out for their lives.

KARTHAK UCKDAY

'T^HERE was once a wicked king who was very•®- fond of hunting and fishing and this way he

killed many poor creatures for his pleasure. TheGod was angry with him and decided that the kingshould be converted and made into a good andholy man.

One day as the king was returning from hishunting trip in the jungle riding on his horse, the


Thereupon the four ants disappeared into thejungle. But these soon came back with millions oftheir friends. This time they did not creep in unnoticed, but their leader, Tashi Golay, asked thelama : "You say that you are a holy lama! Butthen what sort of holiness is this? Does your religion allow such small innocent creatures hke antsbeing kicked about and killed for nothing? Indeed,you must be ashamed of yourself to keep those holyrobes!"

"They climbed the Tormu and ate up thebutter, protested Lama Ghumchen.

Indeed, they did not eat any of your butter.Ihey were looking at those beautiful Tormusjust out of curiosity, and you got angry and kickedthem out for nothmg. Perhaps it was all your fault.You must have forgotten to put butter and are nowblaming my poor companions." The leader of theants then began to speak ill of the lama.

But the lama refused to argue and calmly toldthem : "Look here, my friend, I have not kickednor killed any of your people. I only picked themup and put them out so that they would not do anyfurther mischief on my Tormu."

These words did not calm down the ants. Infact, it only made them more angry because theirplans were not good. Full ofanger, they rushed tothe holy man, climbed on him and began biting himwith all their might. The poor monk was interrible pam.

At last he prayed to God to save him from thistorture. He was being killed by the wicked ants forno fault of his. The god heard his prayer and by amiracle his body turned into a burning torch forthe ants. In a moment they all jumped down andran out for their lives.

KARTHAK UCKDAY

'T^HERE was once a wicked king who was very•®- fond of hunting and fishing and this way he

killed many poor creatures for his pleasure. TheGod was angry with him and decided that the kingshould be converted and made into a good andholy man.

One day as the king was returning from hishunting trip in the jungle riding on his horse, the


God saw him and came down in the form of a hugevulture. When he reached the king he fluttered hiswmgs so hard that the king fainted and fell down onthe ground.

The God now changed into an handsome youngman and caught hold of the reins of the horse toppvent It from running away and waited for theKmg to come to his senses.

When the king got up he was surprised to see theiiandsome young man with his horse. "Who areyou? he asked.

your horse would have run away," the young man

awavi"t''- ""T'' your hLeandÎ am goingtl^ HnA threw the reins tothe kmg and pretended to go away.

are'fânnn' S® ^ây like that. YouThe kinp wac !? to the palace,king was pleased and wanted to reward him-

Uclâv and"fiifname was KarthakinftheVa?^^^^ter. ' appointed him as his minis-

d virtuous. example they became hoiy

ordered ali^ his^nplnu to have afeast andground in their best clotViP? ^^^f^ble in the palaceeverybody came to the n^? ^ Jewellery. And soclothes and glittering jewellery their finest

The king had two queenc: tt, ..H ns. The elder queen also

KARTHAK UCKDAY 99

wanted to be in her best and asked the king to giveher the costliest of all the necklaces in the palace,but the king refused and that made her angry.

While the dancing and singing were going on inthe palace ground the elder queen went inside andfound the king having his dinner with the youngerqueen and enjoying himself She also found thenecklace in his hand which made her all the moreangry. She snatched away the necklace and brokeit into pieces and threw away the gold plates inwhich they were eating.

Naturally the king felt insulted and became furious. He ordered his minister Karthak Uckday toput her to death at once. But Karthak pleaded :"O great king 1 Indeed, the queen has done wrong,but to kill her for that would be a great folly. Youwill come to regret it."

"No, I will not. Dothe king demanded.

As a minister he had to obey the king's orders,so Karthak took the queen away to the forestto kill her. But he did not kill her and instead lefther hiding in a thick jungle and came back to reportthat everything had been done as the king ordered.This cooled the king's anger and he was pleased.

But from the next day Karthak began to advicethe king. He told the king that to kill anything wasbad and that man must be compassionate. He said,"And perhaps one day it may be that you come toknow that it was not her fault. And then whateveryou do you will not get her back."

Karthak then told the king a story : "A longtime back in the jungle there lived two birds, a cockand a hen. They built their nest in the bush andstored food there for the lean days. They collectedbeans from the jungle and stored it all in one place

as you are told, Karthak,'

m


God saw him and came down in the form of a hugevulture. When he reached the king he fluttered hiswmgs so hard that the king fainted and fell down onthe ground.

The God now changed into an handsome youngman and caught hold of the reins of the horse toppvent It from running away and waited for theKmg to come to his senses.

When the king got up he was surprised to see theiiandsome young man with his horse. "Who areyou? he asked.

your horse would have run away," the young man

awavi"t''- ""T'' your hLeandÎ am goingtl^ HnA threw the reins tothe kmg and pretended to go away.

are'fânnn' S® ^ây like that. YouThe kinp wac !? to the palace,king was pleased and wanted to reward him-

Uclâv and"fiifname was KarthakinftheVa?^^^^ter. ' appointed him as his minis-

d virtuous. example they became hoiy

ordered ali^ his^nplnu to have afeast andground in their best clotViP? ^^^f^ble in the palaceeverybody came to the n^? ^ Jewellery. And soclothes and glittering jewellery their finest

The king had two queenc: tt, ..H ns. The elder queen also

KARTHAK UCKDAY 99

wanted to be in her best and asked the king to giveher the costliest of all the necklaces in the palace,but the king refused and that made her angry.

While the dancing and singing were going on inthe palace ground the elder queen went inside andfound the king having his dinner with the youngerqueen and enjoying himself She also found thenecklace in his hand which made her all the moreangry. She snatched away the necklace and brokeit into pieces and threw away the gold plates inwhich they were eating.

Naturally the king felt insulted and became furious. He ordered his minister Karthak Uckday toput her to death at once. But Karthak pleaded :"O great king 1 Indeed, the queen has done wrong,but to kill her for that would be a great folly. Youwill come to regret it."

"No, I will not. Dothe king demanded.

As a minister he had to obey the king's orders,so Karthak took the queen away to the forestto kill her. But he did not kill her and instead lefther hiding in a thick jungle and came back to reportthat everything had been done as the king ordered.This cooled the king's anger and he was pleased.

But from the next day Karthak began to advicethe king. He told the king that to kill anything wasbad and that man must be compassionate. He said,"And perhaps one day it may be that you come toknow that it was not her fault. And then whateveryou do you will not get her back."

Karthak then told the king a story : "A longtime back in the jungle there lived two birds, a cockand a hen. They built their nest in the bush andstored food there for the lean days. They collectedbeans from the jungle and stored it all in one place

as you are told, Karthak,'

m


in the nest along with other things. While the henremained in the nest, laying her eggs, the cock

foo?^ ill jungle searching for more4.U u to his alarm, the cock found that allme beans had disappeared. 'You must have eatenIt! he accused his mate.

"She hadn't even seen them, busy as she wasmymg her eggs, but the cock wouldn't listen to her.He was sure that she was the one, as who else couldcome to eat the beans, he argued.

"And he started pecking her hard and he did itso hard the poor hen died a few days later. Thecock went away still angry.

tu beans had only fallen down the nest;tney began to grow m the monsoon. They grewhigh and fast and gave flowers and fruits. By chancethe cock happened to go that way and he looked tosee what had happened to the nest which was hishome once. He now realized his folly. But what

to hfe? couldn't have brought the hen"And that Oking, is what would happen ifone

acts rashly And one should never kill, because lifecan never be given back."

The king now began to have second thouehtsabout his elder queen whom, he thought he hadcause" Bû?he sufficientanvbodv whn convinced and felt thatanybody, who did not act according to his wisheswas to be put to death. ^ wisneb

kind^ss afw^ '̂̂ minister, "You should act withSagrfat kTnl'• are not worthySlowly the king began to see the truth and saw

KARTHAK UCKDAY 101

that to kill was to sin. He agreed that he had sinnedin killing his elder queen and repented, ''How canI atone for my sins?" he asked.

"Say that you will not kill/* said the minister.

"No, I will not kill I Never again," cried the kingand gave his promise. But he still mourned : "Ifonly 1 got back my good queen."

Karthak Uckday now brought the queen backfrom the hiding place. The king was overjoyed andhanded over to him the whole kingdom. "Karthakyou are the one fit to rule," he said.

But Karthak Uckday was not interested as hehad done his work and blessed the king : "O king,enjoy your kingdom as you should, but be kind andconsiderate to the poor creatures."


in the nest along with other things. While the henremained in the nest, laying her eggs, the cock

foo?^ ill jungle searching for more4.U u to his alarm, the cock found that allme beans had disappeared. 'You must have eatenIt! he accused his mate.

"She hadn't even seen them, busy as she wasmymg her eggs, but the cock wouldn't listen to her.He was sure that she was the one, as who else couldcome to eat the beans, he argued.

"And he started pecking her hard and he did itso hard the poor hen died a few days later. Thecock went away still angry.

tu beans had only fallen down the nest;tney began to grow m the monsoon. They grewhigh and fast and gave flowers and fruits. By chancethe cock happened to go that way and he looked tosee what had happened to the nest which was hishome once. He now realized his folly. But what

to hfe? couldn't have brought the hen"And that Oking, is what would happen ifone

acts rashly And one should never kill, because lifecan never be given back."

The king now began to have second thouehtsabout his elder queen whom, he thought he hadcause" Bû?he sufficientanvbodv whn convinced and felt thatanybody, who did not act according to his wisheswas to be put to death. ^ wisneb

kind^ss afw^ '̂̂ minister, "You should act withSagrfat kTnl'• are not worthySlowly the king began to see the truth and saw

KARTHAK UCKDAY 101

that to kill was to sin. He agreed that he had sinnedin killing his elder queen and repented, ''How canI atone for my sins?" he asked.

"Say that you will not kill/* said the minister.

"No, I will not kill I Never again," cried the kingand gave his promise. But he still mourned : "Ifonly 1 got back my good queen."

Karthak Uckday now brought the queen backfrom the hiding place. The king was overjoyed andhanded over to him the whole kingdom. "Karthakyou are the one fit to rule," he said.

But Karthak Uckday was not interested as hehad done his work and blessed the king : "O king,enjoy your kingdom as you should, but be kind andconsiderate to the poor creatures."

26

THE PRINCESS JOLASI

COME years ago when" the Lepchas were still theonly inhabitants of Sikkim, the Koche tribe in-

habied Jolasi in the plains which roughly are nowcalled Jalpaiguri and Alipur Duars. Their king wasDhanchand who had only one daughter, the princess Jolasi, She was so beautiful that her fame as thepretty princess spread all over the country and manykmgs wanted to marry her.

When the Lepcha king of Sikkim heard of thisprmcess s beauty he wanted to marry her So hecollected his arniy and went down, crossed the Tistaand entered the Kmgdom of the Koche king. Andthis was the important time when the princess Jolasiwas going somewhere accompanied by her maidsand some friends. By chance she happened to seethe Lepcha king and his followers and fell madly inlove with him.

princess became moodyfh^ nr?n ^lîck to noticc the change inf.u SSf'SX.,. •»= '"PP-'O"

ed to her mother. the prmcess confess-King Dhanchand did not lilcp tt,» vi ^ ti Tf

his daughter was to marry fte lit® of theother more powerful kings of the jfaim ST Lt

THE PRINCESS JOLASI 103

like it and might turn against him. This was notexactly what king Dhanchand was thinking aboutand he tried to persuade his daughter to give upthe idea.

"I want to marry him and him only !" the princess insisted.

King Dhanchand actually had little choice as hehad only one daughter and he wanted her to behappy by all means. She was clearly in love withthe Lepcha king and wanted him only and was infact ready to die rather than marry anybody else.

It was indeed a difficult decision, but then hefinally decided to allow his daughter to make herchoice. The princess was married to the Lepchaking in a big ceremony and was given a lot of presents. Her mother the queen gifted to her all herown jewellery. After a few days the Lepcha kingand his new queen began their return journey home,accompanied by their army.

When they reached the banks of the river Tistathe sun began to set, so they halted there for thenight. By that time the other kings of the plainshas joined their forces to follow the Lepchas. Theymet on the banks of the Tista and a fierce battlestarted.

The Lepchas fought bravely, but then it was anunfair fight as the enemy forces were far too numerous for the handful of Lepcha warriors. Seeing thesituation hopeless the king and the queen threw offtheir jewellery and robes and jumped into the Tista.All their warriors followed suit, and in a few minutes all the Lepchas had jumped into the river. Theyswam across and safely reached the other bank.

Exhausted after the day's forced march and nowdisappointed that they did not achieve their purposeof capturing the princess, the enemy forces made

26

THE PRINCESS JOLASI

COME years ago when" the Lepchas were still theonly inhabitants of Sikkim, the Koche tribe in-

habied Jolasi in the plains which roughly are nowcalled Jalpaiguri and Alipur Duars. Their king wasDhanchand who had only one daughter, the princess Jolasi, She was so beautiful that her fame as thepretty princess spread all over the country and manykmgs wanted to marry her.

When the Lepcha king of Sikkim heard of thisprmcess s beauty he wanted to marry her So hecollected his arniy and went down, crossed the Tistaand entered the Kmgdom of the Koche king. Andthis was the important time when the princess Jolasiwas going somewhere accompanied by her maidsand some friends. By chance she happened to seethe Lepcha king and his followers and fell madly inlove with him.

princess became moodyfh^ nr?n ^lîck to noticc the change inf.u SSf'SX.,. •»= '"PP-'O"

ed to her mother. the prmcess confess-King Dhanchand did not lilcp tt,» vi ^ ti Tf

his daughter was to marry fte lit® of theother more powerful kings of the jfaim ST Lt

THE PRINCESS JOLASI 103

like it and might turn against him. This was notexactly what king Dhanchand was thinking aboutand he tried to persuade his daughter to give upthe idea.

"I want to marry him and him only !" the princess insisted.

King Dhanchand actually had little choice as hehad only one daughter and he wanted her to behappy by all means. She was clearly in love withthe Lepcha king and wanted him only and was infact ready to die rather than marry anybody else.

It was indeed a difficult decision, but then hefinally decided to allow his daughter to make herchoice. The princess was married to the Lepchaking in a big ceremony and was given a lot of presents. Her mother the queen gifted to her all herown jewellery. After a few days the Lepcha kingand his new queen began their return journey home,accompanied by their army.

When they reached the banks of the river Tistathe sun began to set, so they halted there for thenight. By that time the other kings of the plainshas joined their forces to follow the Lepchas. Theymet on the banks of the Tista and a fierce battlestarted.

The Lepchas fought bravely, but then it was anunfair fight as the enemy forces were far too numerous for the handful of Lepcha warriors. Seeing thesituation hopeless the king and the queen threw offtheir jewellery and robes and jumped into the Tista.All their warriors followed suit, and in a few minutes all the Lepchas had jumped into the river. Theyswam across and safely reached the other bank.

Exhausted after the day's forced march and nowdisappointed that they did not achieve their purposeof capturing the princess, the enemy forces made

f


camp and slept soundly. This was exactly what theLepchas were waiting for. Under the cover ofdarkness they crossed the river and came over tothe enemy camp unnoticed and fell on the surprisedenemies. It was a terrific battle and the brave Lepchas killed most of the enemy forces. The rest theycollected and took off their clothes. Then theypainted them with black chilly powder and chasedthem away.

Jolasi cursed the enemiesi"en, you made me jump

Qprvpl . /i U clothes thrown away. IttSIn that now your clothes have beench^llv v have been painted black withFrom\h^n^^^ also black."andThev went ^^ê blackarag ^bout without any clothes except for

in herself born and brought upS,™ ae Ld nn.°' for sowingmother was now f?ai"y herasked Tiîta tn n^-rJ ^ Koche country. So shegood rlefl^strr^Ca®mother. Ask her this message to my dearthe corn on the hills," " ^ should sow

the mother^*^ But^ the ^^ver message toso her mother could not seL downwards andriver. When it waf tirêthe hills she sent instead fr "orn ongon bird, withthfre^^dragon bird appears in flip ^ 1°that it is time to sow the corn Lepchas say

27

THE DRAGON OF RABDENTSE

of the most historical places in Sikkim isRabdentse. Situated on the banks of a river, it

was once the capital of the state, but was surrounded on all sides by thick forests. So the king usedto keep many men to guard his palace and also toguide the people in the capital. Very often peopleused to get tost in the surrounding forests.

One day a guard who was guarding the palace atnight disappeared. They searched for him all overthe place and the adjoining jungles, but they couldfind no trace of liim. The mystery deepened whenthe next night also another guard disappeared. Thiswas repeated on the third night and the fourth andso on; every night a guard disappeared. Nobodycould give any clue about the mysterious disappearance of the guards.

Meanwhile the number of palace guards beganto decrease and there was panic. The captain ofthe guards decided that he should himself do something about it and started investigating but he stillcould not get any clue. Finally he decided that therewas nothing else to do but for himself to keep avigil throughout the night in the area.

Nothing extraordinary happened throughout thefirst half of the night, but then he did not relax hisvigil. At about midnight he thought that he heardsomething hke a groan from a distance as if somewild animal was about to wake up. Then there was


a loud roar which was not like any of the forestanitnals he had heard of He wondered what it

1 i?L'' something in itwhich he should find out. So he walked fast towardsthe forest from where he had heard the roar and

i ^^^nself under a. hnL^ and discovered that it wasa huge dragon. The dragon headed straight for theuo h?s pnarrl ^ tV K kmv/ what was eatinght c f captain thereupon drewhis sword and followed closely.

tain cut the ^?agon^nto*tô^^ palace the cap-sword. The front piece flew offagain, while the back piece fell in?it became a rock statue Thic i wherein Rabdentse. * statue can still be seen

28

THE TEMPLE OF LEGSHIP

^HE temple ofLegship is a famous Shiva temple-*• in Western Sikkim and its annual fair attracts a

lot of pilgrims from neighbouring areas. Thoughall communities worship there, it is mainly considered to be a Hindu shrine.

Once a group of people happened to pass throughLegship and saw in one place a nice, smooth stonewhich was formed in the shape of a Shiva Linga,


worshipped by the Hindus. One man became curiousand bent down to pick it up and see but thenthough it was a small stone he found it was soheavy that he could not lift it up. 'What type ofstone could this be?' he wondered.

Others began to try too, but no one could lift it.Then they altogether tried and still failed to raise itfor they found it too heavy even for their combinedstrength. They were surprised. "How could sucha small stone come to be so heavy?" they asked.

It IS no ordmary stone !"

_ Naturally the people began to talk about it, firstm whispers and then quite openly. "There is at^sterious stone in Legship/' the talk went round.Though an ordmary lookmg stone and really small

m size, it IS so heavy that no one can lift it !"

find in Legshiphfi it reachedtte holy monks, the lamas of Pemiongchi monastery,

who were highly respected throughout the co^tryfor their scholarship and holiness. So they camedown to Legship to investigate. ^

. saw the stone and thousht it sacredwith perhaps heavenly powers. That was whv it wasso heavy, they thought."^ They then Sded tLTItwas not to be left in a far-off nkcp Uv^t » J u Imust be kept with fitting hraour in aretp^fedplace of worship. Somehow they managed to ?eSôveIt to their own monastery. Wher^ „kept It locked inside the sanctuary, planninTtô keepIt man appropriate place the next day ^

During the night there was a big cyclone and thefury of It was so great that the monks •monastery itself might be blown off. An^the nofseof that dashing wmd made them almost deafthis fury of nature something to dTwith fhe mys-tenous stone? they wondered. ^

THE TEMPLE OF LEGSHIP 109

In the morning they were in a hurry to open thesanctuary and take out the stone to keep it for worship with fitting ceremonies. But alas, the stone wasgone !

The lamas concluded that the stone could havegone to no place other than Legship, so they wentagain to Legship to investigate and found it in itsformer place. The holy lamas understood that thesacred stone did not want itself removed to anyother place and so left it there where it was. Afterworshipping it respectfully they departed to theirmonastery.

Now the mysterious stone began to attract manypeople, who came from far and wide to offer prayersto the immortal Linga, the symbol of Shiva. Ashrine was built around it and later on a templewas also built, which became the famous templeof Legship.


worshipped by the Hindus. One man became curiousand bent down to pick it up and see but thenthough it was a small stone he found it was soheavy that he could not lift it up. 'What type ofstone could this be?' he wondered.

Others began to try too, but no one could lift it.Then they altogether tried and still failed to raise itfor they found it too heavy even for their combinedstrength. They were surprised. "How could sucha small stone come to be so heavy?" they asked.

It IS no ordmary stone !"

_ Naturally the people began to talk about it, firstm whispers and then quite openly. "There is at^sterious stone in Legship/' the talk went round.Though an ordmary lookmg stone and really small

m size, it IS so heavy that no one can lift it !"

find in Legshiphfi it reachedtte holy monks, the lamas of Pemiongchi monastery,

who were highly respected throughout the co^tryfor their scholarship and holiness. So they camedown to Legship to investigate. ^

. saw the stone and thousht it sacredwith perhaps heavenly powers. That was whv it wasso heavy, they thought."^ They then Sded tLTItwas not to be left in a far-off nkcp Uv^t » J u Imust be kept with fitting hraour in aretp^fedplace of worship. Somehow they managed to ?eSôveIt to their own monastery. Wher^ „kept It locked inside the sanctuary, planninTtô keepIt man appropriate place the next day ^

During the night there was a big cyclone and thefury of It was so great that the monks •monastery itself might be blown off. An^the nofseof that dashing wmd made them almost deafthis fury of nature something to dTwith fhe mys-tenous stone? they wondered. ^

THE TEMPLE OF LEGSHIP 109

In the morning they were in a hurry to open thesanctuary and take out the stone to keep it for worship with fitting ceremonies. But alas, the stone wasgone !

The lamas concluded that the stone could havegone to no place other than Legship, so they wentagain to Legship to investigate and found it in itsformer place. The holy lamas understood that thesacred stone did not want itself removed to anyother place and so left it there where it was. Afterworshipping it respectfully they departed to theirmonastery.

Now the mysterious stone began to attract manypeople, who came from far and wide to offer prayersto the immortal Linga, the symbol of Shiva. Ashrine was built around it and later on a templewas also built, which became the famous templeof Legship.

rf / '•

29

GEBU ACHUK

^HE exploits ofthe Lepcha hero, Gebu Achuk,T He IS a historical personalityand hved m recent times and by his time the

British had already established their health resort inDarjeehng which was in Lepcha territory.

The Lepchas who came under the British rulewere happy because they were well-treated andlived mpeace. But those who remained in their

rI™ • I were troubled bythe Bhotias, who had forgotten the friendship thatexisted between the two peoples from the tme of^ye Bumsa and the holy Lama Lhatsun ChhemboThey began ill-treating the Lepchas and the olmes-sion had gone to such an extent that the very wordBhotia produced terror in the mind of the peaceful

Lepchas. The mothers used to frighten thei? bab e'!

that''S'SufZrbSn fot' L^family in Git-Dabling. When he grew up he SedBhStiL oppression rfthe

There was no choice for the Lepchas but to takeup arms against the oppressors and fight for thei?rights. Gebu Achuk organized them and gave themhope and courage and under his leadership theLepchas rose as one man to fight the Bhotias It

GEBU ACHUK 111

is said that in this great struggle the Lepcha womenwielded arms as much as men. After a long struggleGebu Achuk was able to free many Lepcha areasfrom Bhotia rule.

His fame as a hero spread far and wide and hispresence at any place was enough to inspire his menand frighten his enemies. He was such a good archerthat in Bhutan he once pierced a tree fourteen feetin circumference with his arrow. The tree, it is believed, can still be seen in Punakha, the old capitalof Bhutan.

It was in a conflict with the Bhotias that Achukwas killed by treachery. Finding that the Lepchasunder his leadership were being victorious in thebattle the Bhotias asked for a peace settlement. Someetings were started and a peace-treaty signedby them. The Lepchas celebrated the ending ofthe conflict with a lot of drinks and dance as wastheir habit. Soon they were drunk and went to sleepin their camp. Taking this chance, the Bhotias whowere waiting nearby, fell on them.

Gebu Achuk had his own doubts about Bhotiaplans and he knew that they wanted to kill him andso he slept with his men so as not to be seen. Buthe was identified by the Bhotias and was killedwithout being given a chance to defend himself.Achuk was so powerful that he kept on talking evenafter he had been cut to pieces. The Bhotias thencut him into still smaller pieces and fed the piecesto jackals and hawks.

People believe that he had divine powers andafter his murder it was discovered that his throatwas made of solid iron. If the Bhotias were a littlelate in killing him, his whole body would haveturned into iron.

r/'

i, t

112 folk tales of SIKKim

were defeated"'̂ But tten^the Lepchasfamine in the area in which h pestilence* andBhotias suffered equS Balldered it as a punishmput ^ people consi-hero, so they got tosethpr _ about by the deadand Prayed^tf\ref;'5fpaTtrd'h.P''''® ^P'"'from this danger. Atla<!?ni save themthe land and the Lepchas and rfhnt^® established infnends. " bhotias again became

.(/I-

•' • u._

* Infectious diseases.."•V'sr V-'«, •.

—

30

A LOVE STORY

ONCE upon atime aRhododendron tree saw thelovely daughter of the Utis tree and immedi

ately fell in love with her. The tall, lean beautyattracted the stumpy, hunchbacked Rhododendronso much that the poor ft How could think of nothingelse. "He is madly in love!" said all those whosaw him.

The Rhododendron decided that he could nolonger live without this slim Utis beauty and went toher old father. ''Respected Sir," he called out,"I am in love with your daughter and I want tomarry her!"

The old Utis burst out laughing. "Indeed, youwill?" he said, planning to make fun. "How doyou think she will take it? Have a look at yourself?Is there any place in your whole body which is notcurved and crooked? How could such a one as youever dream of marrying my charming daughter?"

The Rhododendron was very disappointed, buthe still pleaded : "Please, Sir ! At least for my sakeask your daughter only once whether, she will marryme? I am so much in love. Sir!"

The old Utis thought the whole incident veryfunny: "You think that I am such a fool as to askher? I tell you, my dear man, don't hope for theimpossible but get the thought out of your mind.Forget her and don't come here worrying me. 1

4*9H


would advise you not to even see her. Now begoneand don't show yourself about!" The proud fatherUtis was in a mood to give a lot of advice.

'Yes, you are right. Sir. It is better that I forgetabout her, the poor Rhododendron said sadly.'But, Sir, can I have a last request?" he added.

All right, all right," agreed the old Utis impatiently, only hopmg that the fellow would go awaysoon after making some foolish request.

In spring please allow your daughter to comeand see us mour grove just to have a look," theRhododendron pleaded.

nothing more?" insistedfather Utis. What harm could come out of it,' hetnought.

^ only," repeated theyoung Rhododendron hopefully.Then promise that you will never again think

said daughter," the father Utis"That is a promise. Sir. I will never again think

do^mlron^ daughter," replied the Rho-"Allright l wilt send her in the coming sDrine.

STbteoSllt"""" •"his promiseând sem his^L^Ster to th/llh^dodeSdron grove on the hill side : "You go and see thosemad people, my daughter. I have promised to Lndyou there to have a look, so now hurry up."

And so the lovely Utis went along to the Rhododendron grove and saw there all the Rhododen-

A LOVE STORY 115

dron trees in full bloom. They looked so beautifulthat she could hardly take her eyes off them. Shewas particularly impressed by a young tree whoappeared to have looked much better than theothers. He attracted the young maiden and shefell in love with him.

She was so much in love that she forgot her shyness and went straight and told him that she was inlove with him. "How handsome you are!" shesighed.

"Oh, my girl, there is no luck/' the young Rhododendron replied in distress. 'T have loved youever so much all these days. Last fall! approachedyour good father to ask for you as my wife, buthe refused. He also made me promise that I wouldnever think of marrying you."

The charming maiden was now very sad. "Howcould my father refuse to marry me to such a handsome lad like this?" she cried in grief.

But then the Rhododendron was an honest manand would not break his promise for anything, evenfor love! The disappointed Utis maiden nowsimply wandered about, unwilling to be away fromher lover.

And then came the monsoon and with it theusual landslides. The dejected daughter of Utisjumped down the landslide and killed herself.

So whenever there is a landslide, it is said thatthere is a Utis tree falling down with it. And whenthe people see the fallen Utis they repeat this lovestory and say, "The daughter of Utis has killed herself."


would advise you not to even see her. Now begoneand don't show yourself about!" The proud fatherUtis was in a mood to give a lot of advice.

'Yes, you are right. Sir. It is better that I forgetabout her, the poor Rhododendron said sadly.'But, Sir, can I have a last request?" he added.

All right, all right," agreed the old Utis impatiently, only hopmg that the fellow would go awaysoon after making some foolish request.

In spring please allow your daughter to comeand see us mour grove just to have a look," theRhododendron pleaded.

nothing more?" insistedfather Utis. What harm could come out of it,' hetnought.

^ only," repeated theyoung Rhododendron hopefully.Then promise that you will never again think

said daughter," the father Utis"That is a promise. Sir. I will never again think

do^mlron^ daughter," replied the Rho-"Allright l wilt send her in the coming sDrine.

STbteoSllt"""" •"his promiseând sem his^L^Ster to th/llh^dodeSdron grove on the hill side : "You go and see thosemad people, my daughter. I have promised to Lndyou there to have a look, so now hurry up."

And so the lovely Utis went along to the Rhododendron grove and saw there all the Rhododen-

A LOVE STORY 115

dron trees in full bloom. They looked so beautifulthat she could hardly take her eyes off them. Shewas particularly impressed by a young tree whoappeared to have looked much better than theothers. He attracted the young maiden and shefell in love with him.

She was so much in love that she forgot her shyness and went straight and told him that she was inlove with him. "How handsome you are!" shesighed.

"Oh, my girl, there is no luck/' the young Rhododendron replied in distress. 'T have loved youever so much all these days. Last fall! approachedyour good father to ask for you as my wife, buthe refused. He also made me promise that I wouldnever think of marrying you."

The charming maiden was now very sad. "Howcould my father refuse to marry me to such a handsome lad like this?" she cried in grief.

But then the Rhododendron was an honest manand would not break his promise for anything, evenfor love! The disappointed Utis maiden nowsimply wandered about, unwilling to be away fromher lover.

And then came the monsoon and with it theusual landslides. The dejected daughter of Utisjumped down the landslide and killed herself.

So whenever there is a landslide, it is said thatthere is a Utis tree falling down with it. And whenthe people see the fallen Utis they repeat this lovestory and say, "The daughter of Utis has killed herself."

FOLK TALES OF INDIA

(21 Volumes) .

General Editor : P, C. Roy Chaudhury

The books published in this series attempt at bringingtogether the ancient folk and oral literature of India^spreadover the length and breadth of the country. This is Vie firstattempt of its kind to assemble the colourful and fascinatingfolk tales of the different regions of the cditntry. The varietyof material presented will provide enjoyment and interestand will also give a glimpse into the A'egional complex whichoffers a background to the stories. Folk tales have also greatimpact in bringing in national integration of the country.This ambitious programme has been completed infive years.

Price : Rs.'12.50 each volume

FOLKTALES OF:

1. Tripura, Manipur, Mizoram 2. Arunachal Pradesh

and Nagaland and Meghalaya

3. Santals 4. Andhra Pradesh |

,5. Assam 6. Orissa

7. Himachal-Pradesh • 8. Uttar Pradeshô Punjab 10. Karnataka

11. Kashmir 12. Gujarat

13. Kerala 14. Madhya Pradesh15. Haryana - • 16. Bihar

17. Tamil Nadu 18. Bengal

19. Rajasthan 20, Maharashtra

21. Folk Tales of Sikkim

STERLING PUBLISHERS PVT LTDAB/9, Safdarjang Enclave, New Delhi-110016

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