Poubi Lai

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with
Pakhangba
.
"Kabui Salang Maiba's kill" redirects here. For other uses, see Kabui Salang Maiba.
Poubi Lai
Manipuri folklore
)
Country
  • Ancient Manipur
    (historical)
  •  India (present)
Region
Loktak lake
Part of a series on
Meitei mythology
A tableau depicting Meitei divine mythical beings, like Hiyang Hiren and Pakhangba.
Deities
Heroes and heroines
Mythical creatures
Related
 Myths portal

Poubi Lai was an ancient dragon python, who dwelled in the Loktak Lake of Manipur, in Meitei mythology and folklore.[1][2][3] It is also referred to as "Loch Ness Monster of Manipur".[4]

Mythology

An illustration of Poubi Lai

In the

Loktak lake. He promised to save the kingdom from the gigantic evil creature. He transformed a Tou plant (an aquatic plant) (or a Khok Waa bamboo plant in another version) into a powerful "Long" (a 9 pointed javelin). Later, the maiba slayed Poubi Lai with the deadly weapon.[5][6][7]

In another version of the story, Poubi Lai (Paobirai) lives in the isle of the Karang Hill in the

Loktak lake. It hunted the fishermen of Moirang
coming to the lake and devoured them. It even attacked human settlement and hunted for its prey.

Text

Poubi Lai (Paobirai) is mentioned in the ancient Meitei manuscript called the "Khongul Lirakpa".[8]

In popular culture

In 2002, Karam Dineshwar, an artisan had a dream. In his dream, Poubi Lai asked him to craft its image. In the next day, he came across a big tree root at Leimatak. He completed making the 21 feet long wooden sculpture of Poubi Lai in the next 6 months.[5][7][9][10]

National Museum, New Delhi
on July 21, 2015.

The artwork of Poubi Lai was first exhibited in the

Indian Museum, Kolkata, the largest in India.[11]

National Museum, New Delhi
on July 21, 2015.

In 2015, the

National Museum, New Delhi organized an exhibition of the wooden sculpture of Poubi Lai for 42 days. The carving belongs to the permanent collection of the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), Bhopal. The object was declared as an "Object of National Importance". It was registered under "AA" Category of the Museum Collections.[5][7][9][10][12]

Artists performing a dance drama on the story of Poubi Lai in 2015

During the exhibition at Bhopal, 25 artists of Centre for Youth and Cultural Activities from Imphal, performed a dance drama on the story of Poubi Lai.[7][13]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 978-93-85676-20-8
    .
  2. ^ Culture, India Department of (2002). Annual Report. Department of Culture.
  3. ^ "Story of a Giant Poubi lai". www.dailypioneer.com.
  4. ^ "Manipur's Loch Ness monster and other folktales at Wari-Jalsa storytelling fest". www.theweek.in.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Poubi Lai : The story of a giant python ; Single object exhibition begins at National Museum". e-pao.net.
  6. ^ a b "Mystical reptile and enchanting folklore". www.deccanherald.com. 22 July 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Loktak's mythical python lives on in wood". www.telegraphindia.com.
  8. ISBN 978-93-91149-65-9
    .
  9. ^ a b c Bhanj, Jaideep Deo (22 July 2015). "The story of a giant python called Poubi Lai..." The Hindu.
  10. ^ a b c "'Poubi Lai-The Story of a Giant Python' Single object exhibition begins at National Museum in New Delhi". pib.gov.in.
  11. ^ National Museum New Delhi (2015). Bulletin National Museum New Delhi Number 15. p. 4.
  12. ^ "Snake tales". indianexpress.com. 28 July 2015.
  13. ^ "Exhibition on 'Poubi Lai' inaugurated at IGRMS". www.freepressjournal.in.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Poubi Lai.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poubi_Lai&oldid=1213028827"