CHAWNGCHILHI PUK
23.242200,93.122200
Description
A »large hole« (GHOSH & GHOSH 1998a: 11) near the village of Ruallung (note 1) is associated with the legendary Chawngchilhi and her lover, a serpent. ETYMOLOGY: With CHATTERJEE (1990, vol. 1: 168), the girl's name is once Chawngchilni (ending with …ni; in the header) but six times Chawngchilhi (ending with …hi; in the running text. The Mizo "Chawng" (note 2) is a feast and sacrifice (PARRY 1928 edited 1988: 109). SITUATION (GHOSH & GHOSH 1998a: 11): »On the main bridle path out towards Champhai at a place called Ruallung, where now there is a to be seen« (sic!). CAVE LEGEND (CHATTERJEE 1990, 1: 168): »CHAWNGCHILNI [sic!]: The village bards of the eastern Lushai people on the border of Manipur sing the song of Chawngchilhi. The story has some Burmese influences. Chawngchilhi, the elder sister, along with her younger sister, helped her father in the jhum cultivation. They passed the whole day in the field and returned home at night. The father found that the younger daughter was growing thinner day by day. He asked her of the reason of the decay but she did not disclose the cause of her bodily weakness. She said the cause was Chawngchilhi but she is afraid of her to tell the truth because she would kill her. But the father succeeded after a few days when the younger one said that Chawngchilhi was in love with a serpent, invited her daily to her bed in the jhum house and allow him to enjoy her body. She saw Chawngchilhi to embrace and kiss the serpent. Chawngchilhi became pregnant by the animal. Her father became angry and went to the jhum and seeing the serpent coming to the jhum house cut in into two with his dao (dagger). Love born Chawngchilhi fell sick and in her death bed gave birth to a number of serpent children. Her relatives killed all of them except one. That alone escaped somehow, grew in size and took shelter in a cave at Ruallung which is still to be found near the town Champhai .« GHOSH & GHOSH (1998a: 10-11) confirm that one of the progeny conceived by Chawngchilhi from the serpent dragon survived her father's and brothers' killing.
NOTE 1: Ruallung is shown near N23°14'32”: E093°07'20" on the map MIZORAM LEH… (ed. C.V. Ralte, ca. 1997) and a few kilometres south of Keifang on the road from Aizawl west to Champhai. NOTE 2: LORRAIN (1940: 65): chawng, (chawn), n. the name of a sacrifice and three days' feast and dancing given by a single individual or a family-the first of a series of sacrifices and feasts to ensure entrance to the Lushai Paradise. v. to make the above sacrifice, feast and dance. (See chawng in dêng and mual buh, also chawng buh dêng, chawng chên, etc.)chawng, n. a species of euphorbia. chawng, v. to be in bud, to be about to blossom (especially as the fartuah and nganbâwm trees).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6 | RALVAWNG PUK | ||
| 20.6 | LAMSIAL PUK | ||
| 22.2 | CHALCHIMA (Cave of) | ||
| 22.6 | PUKPUI, peak 5857 | ||
| 23.8 | FAR PUK | ||
| 23.9 | KUNGAWRHI PUK | ||
| 29.5 | BUKPUI, South | ||
| 35.3 | Bapui | ||
| 38.4 | Mura Puk |