08/09/2024
An ancient Garo folklore as documented in the 1909 book “The Garos” by Major A. Playfair.
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The Fight Between the Brahmaputra and Tura Hill
Once upon a time Tura mountain went to the Brahmaputra to ask for the latter’s son Singra for his daughter Siméra. His mother, the Brahmaputra, said, “If you do not dislike him take him.” So Tura took his nephew home with him, and married him to his daughter Siméra. Afterwards, Siméra cooked a capon for her husband without herbs or condiments; she also cooked a pig with white sides in the same manner. Singra said, “I will not eat this.” Then Siméra added dried bamboo shoots and the seeds of a pumelo.
Then, because the flour was not quite cooked, and the ginger was underdone, he would not eat the food. So for seven days and nights, though Siméra cooked rice and vegetables for him, he would not eat. Then Singra, the son of the Brahmaputra, said, “The country is not good, I will not stay; the water is not fit to drink, I will not drink,” and for seven days and nights he fasted. Then being hungry, Singra wound a hundred cubits of cane round his waist.
As he was starving, he went to his mother, and said, “Mother, I am starving and for want of water and food that is dry; for seven days and nights I have not been able to eat owing to the bad smell of the food.” Having said this, he undid the cane from round his waist and fell dead before his mother the Brahmaputra.
Then the Brahmaputra and Singra’s brother Jangra were very angry, and in order to fight with Tura, they loosed the rain (i.e. so as to rise and reach the mountain). And they prayed to the spirit whose name is Nangni, and also Tengaju, to wash away the earth and to pierce the rocks, and they made an alliance with the bugha Radêpa, and with the eel Sing-sipa. The name of the rain is Noré-Chiré and that of the spirit Simbu-Ratcha Karu-nokma. These all were called to their aid. Then rising in the east, they (the spirits) caused it to rain for seven days and seven nights, and tried to kill Tura mountain by flooding it.
Tura, weeping, prayed thus to the sun and wind: “Oh Salgira, the river is trying to flood and kill me; oh Balgira, blow strongly if thou lovest me; Oh Salgira, shine brightly if thou likest me.” Then for seven days the wind blew and the sun shone. For this reason, the Brahmaputra was not able to drown Tura mountain or to pierce its rocks with water channels. But in the fight between the Brahmaputra and the Tura mountain two gaps were pierced in the mountain by the water, which are now known as the Pass of the Cormorant and the Pass of the Vulture.
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This folklore reminds us of the ancient connection between natural landscapes, the environment and the Garo people. 🌞🌧️
What do you think the symbolism behind Tura Mountain's survival represents? Is it resilience, divine intervention, or something else?
