Veer Lorik is part of the

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri may refer to: * Bhojpuri language, an Indo-Aryan language of India and Nepal * Bhojpuri grammar, grammatical rules of the language * Bhojpuri nouns, nouns of the language * Bhojpuri people, people who speak the language * Bhojpuri region ...

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

and eastern

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, India. According to S.M. Pandey, it is considered to be the ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'' by the

Ahir Ahir or Aheer (derived from the Sanskrit word: abhira) is a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most of whom now use the Yadav surname, as they consider the two terms synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...

. adav Pandey notes that the three Ahir subcastes whose members sing the Loriki are the Dhadhor (Danhor), Kishnaut and Gval (Gvalbansi). Veer Lorik is a divine character of the legend of the Ahir of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Veer Lorik Stone on the banks of the Son River in the

Sonbhadra Sonbhadra (also known as Sonebhadra) or Sonanchal is the second largest district by area of Uttar Pradesh after Lakhimpur Kheri. The district headquarters is in the town of Robertsganj. Sonbhadra is also known as the "Energy Capital of India" f ...

, Uttar Pradesh, contains a love story. He is sometimes known as the

Lorikayan Lorikayan is the most famous story in the folklore of Bhojpuri region, Bhojpuri. Its protagonist is Veer Lorik, Lorik. The sense in which the hero narrates the life-events of Lorik in this folklore full of heroic ''rasa'', is felt to be delightfu ...

, after the folkloric tale of that name.

Story

During the 5th century, there was a state called Agori along the Son River (now located in

Sonbhadra district Sonbhadra (also known as Sonebhadra) or Sonanchal is the second largest district by area of Uttar Pradesh after Lakhimpur Kheri. The district headquarters is in the town of Robertsganj. Sonbhadra is also known as the "Energy Capital of India" f ...

). Molagat bhar, the ruling king of the state, despite being a very good king, was jealous of a

Yadav Yadavs are a grouping of non-elite, peasant-pastoral Quote: "The Yadavs were traditionally a low-to-middle-ranking cluster of pastoral-peasant castes that have become a significant political force in Uttar Pradesh (and other northern states l ...

man named Mehra because of the power he wielded. One day King Molagat bhar invited Mehra to a gambling match. It was proposed that the winner of the gambling game will rule over the state. Mehra accepted the king's proposal and they began gambling. The king lost everything and had to leave his kingdom. Seeing the plight of the king,

Lord Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

came as a disguised monk and gave him some coins, assuring him that once he plays a game with those coins, his rule would return. The king obeyed, and won. Mehra lost six times and gambled everything away, including his wife, who was pregnant. In the seventh time, he lost his wife's womb as well. But the king seemed to show generosity towards Mehra. He said that if the upcoming baby is a boy then he will work in the stables and if it is girl, she will be appointed in the service of the Queen. Mehra's seventh child was born as a girl, and named Manjari. When the King discovered this, he sent soldiers to bring Manjari to him. But Manjari's mother refused to part with her daughter. Instead, she sent a message to the king that he would have to kill Manjari's husband if he wanted to take her with him. Hence, Manjari's parents were anxious to find a suitor for Manjari who could defeat the king after the wedding. Manjari asked her parents to go to the place of the people named Balia where they will find a youngster named

Veer Lorik. He was her lover in a previous life, and also capable of defeating the king. Manjari and Lorik's fathers met and the marriage gets fixed. Lorik comes over with half a million people for the wedding, to marry Manjari. When they reached the bank of the river son, the king sent his troops to fight Lorik and capture Manjari. Lorik seemed to be defeated in the war by molagat bhar. Manjari, being an extraordinary girl, goes to Veer Lorik and tells him that there is a village named Gothani near the Agori Fort . She tells him that there is a temple of Lord Shiva in that village and if he goes there and prays to the god, victory will be his. Lorik does what Manjari said and wins the war so the both married each other. Before leaving the threshold of the village, Manjari tells Lorik to do something great so that the people remember that they loved each other to such an extent. Veer Lorik asked Manjari that what must he do so that it becomes a symbol of true love and no loving couple would ever return disappointed from here. Manjari, pointing at a stone, asked Lorik to cut the stone with the same sword he used to kill the King. Lorik did the same, the stone got cut in two pieces. Manjari applied vermilion to her head from a fragmented rock and made the ''Veer Lorik Stone'' as Sign of true love, to stand there forever. SM Pandey called it the national epic of the

Veer Lorik Stone

Veer Lorik Stone, also known in Hindi as ''Veer Lorik Patthar'' (from ''veer'' 'brave', and ''patthar'' 'stone'), is situated around 5 km from

Robertsganj Robertsganj (), formally known as Sonbhadra (), is a city and a municipal board in Sonbhadra district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh. Robertsganj is located in the south-eastern corner of the state. Roberts ...

on Markundi Hill, in the northern Indian state of

. It is a symbol of love and bravery of Lorik and Manjari, the main characters of the local folklore ‘Loriki’. According to the folk tale,

Veer Lorik cut this stone, using his sword, in a single stroke, as proof of his true love. Several folk songs, sung by native folksingers, are based on Loriki.

Govardhan Puja Govardhan Puja (), also known as Annakut or Annakoot (meaning a “mountain of food”), is a Hindu festival celebrated on the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartika, on the fourth day of Diwali. Devotees worship Gova ...

, a Hindu festival, is celebrated here every year. During

, many couples come here to pray for everlasting love, like that of Veer Lorik and Manjari.

Nearby locations

Son View Point {{Infobox park , name = Son View Point , alt_name = Eco Point Robertsganj , photo =File:Eco point Robertsganj.jpg , photo_width = 256 , photo_caption = Son View Point in Robertsganj , photo_alt = , map =Uttar Pradesh , map_width = , m ...

Salkhan Fossils Park Salkhan Fossils Park, officially known as Sonbhadra Fossils Park, is a fossil park in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located 12 km from Robertsganj, near Salkhan village on state highway SH5A in Sonbhadra district. The fossils in the park are ...

Legacy

* Veer Lorik Statue, Bandihuli, Baheri (

Darbhanga Darbhanga is the fifth largest city and municipal corporation in the state of Bihar in India, and is considered an important city in North Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of the Darbhanga district and the Darbhanga division. Darbhanga ...

) * In 1970, a caste-based militia named " Lorik Sena" was also established in Lorik's name and operated in Bihar. *''Veer Ahir'', a 1924 Indian silent film directed by

Homi Master Homi Master (?–1949) was an actor-director of early Indian cinema. His work extended from the silent era to the talkie era and up to his death. He produced his best films for Kohinoor Film Company and he has been referred to as "silent cinema ...

Story

Veer Lorik Stone

Nearby locations

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading