U Maw Lai-Khlieh
ba la ïathuh da i
Labianglang Diengdoh
Mynba dang lung ka sngi u bai, ha ka por ba ki briew ki dang hok, dang shida, la don kawei ka shnong kaba paw nam ha ka akor ba bha bad ha ka jingjur u slap. Ym tang ha ka akor, ka burom hynrei na ka ruh la mih bun ki simpah, ki simsong, ki kaitor, ki myllung, ki mawbynna. Ka don ruh ha ka shibun ki puriskam, ki purinam, ki khanatang ki ba dang iai kynud haduh mynta mynne ha ki lum-ki wah, ki khlaw-ki btap kum ka Noh-Ka Likai, U Khoh Ramhah bad kumta ter-ter. Kata ka shnong kaba don am kadei ka Shnong Sobra. Napdeng kine ki khana kiba lah paw, lah bna hapdeng jong ngi u khun Khasi-khara bad kiwei de ki jaitbynriew, dang don kiwei pat ki khana ki ba don ha lyndet jong ki ia ka jingjia ba sngew triem bad ba sngew ngiew ban sngap. Ka wei napdeng kita ki khana kaba ngi la iohsngew pateng kadei shaphang U Maw-Lai Khlieh.
U 'Maw-Lai Khlieh', u dei u wei na ki maw u ba don ha shiteng jong ka 'Riat-Mawiew' kaba don ha shnong Sohra. Ia une u maw ngi lah ban iohi narud surok, na u lum jngoh kulai lane u lum jingkhmih kulai. Lah ban iohi ruh na ka 'law-kyntang jong ka Hima Syiem Sohra (Madan Shad Seng-Khasi). Katkum ka jingiathuh jong ki longkpa-longkni, ki tymmen hyndai, ba ha uta u Maw-Lai Khlieh la don u Paia Ksiar bad u don la ka pharshi sha lyndet jong u.
Ha ka por ba ki phareng ki dang synshar ia ka ri jong ngi baroh kawei, la ong ba ha kawei ka sngi, ar ngut ki shipai phareng ki la leit ban iaid kai pyngngad sha kata ka Riat Mawiew ban leit jngoh kai ia uta u maw. Hadien ba ki la poi ha kata ka jaka bad haba ki dang jngoh ban peit kai ia uta u Maw-Lai Khlieh, uwei u shipai u la iohi ba don ka jingthaba bapher na uta u maw. Kata ka jingthaba ka la kthik ia ka mynsiem jong u ban kwah ban hiar bad ban peit ba kadei kaei kata ka jingthaba. Kumta, khlem da artatien bad khlem da sngap ia ka jingkhang jong uta uwei pat u shipai, u la hiar bad u khlem da wan phai shuh. Uta u paralok jong u, haba u lah iohi ba um shim la wan phai shuh u lah her bran-bran ban leit iathuh sha ka sorkar phareng ia kaei kaba la jia.
Ka Sorkar phareng marsien tip ia kata ka jingjia, ka la phah wad bniah ia kaei kata ka jingthaba kaba mih na uta u maw. Ka la phah ia ki briew jong ka ba kin wad bad kylli na ki trai shnong shaphang uta u maw. Ynda ki la ioh jingtip ba ha uta u maw la don uta u Paia Ksiar, mar-mar khlem pynslem ia ka por ka la phah sa ia lai ngut ki shipai ban hiar bad ka da kyntu ruh ba kin da tih dyngkhong ia uta u Paia Ksiar. Kumta, kita ki phareng ki la hiar bad marsynpoi ha uta u maw, la wan mih uwei u bsein uba don lai tylli ki khlieh bad u ta u bsein u la bam ia arngut kita ki shipai phareng. U ta u shipai u ba la lait phet im, u la kiew pynsted shalor bad u la phet ban leit iathuh ia kaei kaba la jia bad iohi.
Ka Sorkar Phareng, hadien jong kata ka jingjia, ka la wad da ka buit-ka bor ba kumno kan ioh ban pyniap ia uta u bsein. Kumta ka la phah pynap da ka sapoh, ka kyiad, u buiam, da kaba pyrkhat ba uta u bsein un bam, un buaid bad ba kin iohi ban pyniap ia u da ka basuk. Ha ka step kaba bud ynda ki shipai ki la hiar ban leit ban pyniap ia uta u bsein, ki la lyngngoh ngain hadien ba ki iohi ba ka bam ka dih ka lah lut hynrei kim shim la lap satia ia u bsein. Kita ki shipai phareng ki la pyrkhat ba uta u bsein u la iap bad kumta ki la sdang ban tih ia uta u Paia Ksiar. Katba ki dang tih kynsan-kynsan uta u bsein u la mih biang bad u la bam duh noh syndon ia ki.
Ka Sorkar Phareng haba ka lah ioh jingtip ia kata ka jingjia, sa shisien ka la kyntu biang ia ki briew jong ka ba kin wad jingtip na ki trai shnong da kumno pat ban ioh lad ban pyniap ia uta u bsein u ba don lai tylli ki khlieh. Ka Sorkar Phareng hadien ka jingwad bniah ka ba jur ka la ioh jingtip ba uta u dei u 'lei lum uba ju wan ha ka dur jong u bsein ban iada ia ka jingsniew ne ka jingshah pynjulor jong uta u Paia Ksiar namar wei ba la tih ia uta u Paia Ksiar, uta u Maw-Lai Khlieh ruh yn twa yn kyllon bad ka pyrthei ruh kan sa wai. Kumta ka sorkar Phareng kam banse bad shu ieh shrah noh ia ka jingkwah rhah jong ka ia uta u Paia Ksiar.
Kumta, kane khana ka shu sahkut noh tang hangne bad haduh mynta mynne dang don ki ba dang ngeit ba uta u Paia Ksiar u dang neh haduh mynta lem bad uta u bsein u ba ker ba da ia u, ha uta u Maw-Lai Khlieh.
When the sun and the moon were still young and when mankind was honest and simple in his ways, there was a town which was well-known for its refined manners and also for the heavy rain which fell there. There also arose from this town musicians, artists, poets and individuals of integrity. The town possessed an array of legends, folktales and myths which continue to echo in its rivers and streams, in its forests and groves like Ka Nohkalikai and U Khoh Ramhah and others. This well-known town is the town of Sohra. From these stories of the Khasi community which tell of gruesome events which have been heard, there are other stories terrifying to listen to. One of these stories is the story about U Maw-Lai Khlieh or the three headed stone.
U Maw-Lai Khlieh is a boulder which stands midway on Ka Riat Mawiew which is a gorge in Sohra. One can see the boulder from a hill called U Lum Jngoh Kulai or Lum Jingkhmih Kulai. This boulder can also be seen from the sacred grove of Ka Hima Syiem Sohra (Madan Shad Seng Khasi). According to what has been told by forefathers and elders there was U Paia Ksiar or a golden pillar in U Maw Lai-Khlieh and there is a fable behind it too. When the Khasi Hills were ruled by the British, it is said that one day when two English soldiers went for a relaxing walk to Ka Riat Mawiew in order to see U Maw Lai-Khlieh, one of the soldiers noticed something like a glitter coming from the boulder. Without waiting for anything and not listening to the protestations of the other soldier, this soldier left and did not come back.
When the soldier realized that his friend was not going to return, he raced to inform the British administration of what had happened.
Once the British administration came to know of the incident, it ordered an investigation into what was glittering from the boulder. It sent people to find out about the boulder from the natives. When they came to know that there was a golden pillar in the boulder, the British sent three more soldiers with the order to extract the golden pillar. When the soldiers reached the boulder a snake with three heads slithered out of the stone. The snake then ate two of the soldiers while the remaining soldier scurried up the stone, horrified by what had happened and relating all that he had seen to his officers.
After this incident, the British administration planned to take strong measures to kill the three headed snake. It sent some soldiers to place sapoh or rice grains mixed with yeast along with some kyiad or alcohol, with the hope that the snake would eat these and become sedated, so as to allow them to kill it. The next morning when the soldiers go down to the boulder to kill the snake, they were shocked to see that the rice and alcohol had disappeared but they could not find the snake. The soldiers assumed that the snake had died and began to dig up the golden pillar. At that moment, the snake emerged suddenly and ate all of them.
When the British administration came to know of what happened it tried again to find out from the people about ways in which they could kill the three headed snake. After a thorough search for information, it was told to the British that the three headed snake was the guardian spirit of the hill, who appeared in the form of a snake to protect the golden pillar from being destroyed because if it was dug up, the three headed boulder would fall and that would be the end of the world. Thus, left without any options the British government abandoned its greedy plan to possess the golden pillar.
The story ends in this wat and there are still many who believe that there is a golden pillar protected by a snake in the three headed boulder.
"U Maw Lai-Khlieh" ka dei ka jingïathuhkhana kaba la phah da i @the_lostsoul_dreamer ✒️🗣️ Khublei Shibun ïa kane ka jingïathuhkhana kaba sngewtynnat! 😄🙏
"U Maw Lai-Khlieh" is another story which has been handed down from generations and here it has been retold by @the_lostsoul_dreamer
🟡 English translation by @speakyourroots