Poubi Lai was an ancient dragon python, who dwelled in the Loktak Lake of

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

, in

Meitei mythology Meitei mythology (or Manipuri mythology) () is a collection of myths, belonging to the religious and cultural traditions of the Meitei people, the predominant ethnic group of Manipur. It is associated with traditional Meitei religion of Sanam ...

and folklore. It is also referred to as ''"

Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster (), known affectionately as Nessie, is a mythical creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps protrud ...

"''.

Mythology

In the Loktak lake, the spirit of Poubi Lai was awakened by the fishing activities of the fishermen of

Moirang Moirang () is a town in the Indian state of Manipur, best known for the tentatively listed UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Keibul Lamjao Conservation Area (KLCA), covering Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP), the world's only floating nation ...

. Being angered, Poubi Lai destroyed many human habitats and killed many people. It decided to destroy the whole Moirang kingdom. He threatened the King of

Ancient Moirang Ancient Moirang, also known as Keke Moirang, was an ancient civilization that flourished in the southern plains of the present day Manipur, India. The Keke Kangla served as the capital city of the kingdom since time immemorial. The major body of a ...

to offer him one Shangbai (basket) of rice and one human every day. The circumstance was sorrowful for the people of Moirang. Every household had to provide the offer turn by turn. When it was the turn of a young man, the lad sought help from ''Kabui Salang Maiba'' (or ''"Kabui Tomba"''). The

maiba A Maiba or an Amaiba (literally, "priest") is a male religious leader authorised to perform the sacred rites and rituals of Sanamahism (Sanamahism, Meitei religion), especially as a mediatory agent between human beings and one or more deities. T ...

was a shaman priest king of Kabui tribe in the Salangthel hill range of 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 A javelin is a light spear designed primarily to be thrown, historically as a ranged weapon. Today, the javelin is predominantly used for sporting purposes such as the javelin throw. The javelin is nearly always thrown by hand, unlike the sling ...

). Later, the

slayed Poubi Lai with the deadly weapon. 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

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".

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. The artwork of Poubi Lai was first exhibited in the Manipur State Museum,

in 2002. Next, it was exhibited in the

National Museum, New Delhi The National Museum in New Delhi, also known as the National Museum of India, is one of the largest museums in India. Established in 1949, it holds a variety of articles ranging from the pre-historic era to modern works of art. It functions un ...

and later in the

Quai Branly Museum A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 2010. It was also received by the

Indian Museum, Kolkata Indian Museum (formerly called Imperial Museum of Calcutta) is a grand museum in Central Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the ninth oldest museum in the world and the oldest, as well as the largest museum in Asia, by size of collection. It ...

, the largest in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. In 2015, the

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 Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya also referred to as the National Museum of Humankind, or Museum of Man and Culture is a museum located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. The museum spreads over an area of about 200 acres on the Shymal ...

(IGRMS),

Bhopal Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...

. The object was declared as an "Object of National Importance". It was registered under "AA" Category of the Museum Collections. Manipuri Dance Poubi Lai snake

During the exhibition at

, 25 artists of Centre for Youth and Cultural Activities from

Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...

, performed a dance drama on the story of Poubi Lai.

References

External links

{{Commons
Poubi Lai- One Object Exhibition on Poubi Lai; the Story of a Giant Python at National Museum, New Delhi_indiaculture.nic.in

Poubi Lai- The Story of a Giant Python_indiaculture.nic.in
Meitei dragons Meitei mythology Meitei folklore Water deities Water gods

Mythology

Text

In popular culture

See also

References

External links