View source for Henjunaha and Lairoulembi

{{Infobox folk tale
|Folk_Tale_Name = Story of Henjunaha and Lairoulembi
|Image_Name     = Henzunaha Lairoulembi and Seven Brothers.jpeg
|Image_Caption  = A book art depicting Henjunaha fighting the evil spirits, holding a polostick, and Lairoulembi, committing suicide by thrusting a knife into herself, in the second [[epic cycles of incarnations]] of the two divine lovers in [[Moirang]], [[Ancient Kangleipak]] (early [[Manipur]]) 
|Aarne-Thompson Grouping       = no
|AKA            = Henjunaha Lairoulembi ({{lang-omp|Hensunaha Lailoulempi}}) 
|Mythology      = [[Meitei mythology]] ([[Manipuri mythology]]) 
|Country        = {{flagicon image|Flag of Manipur (stripes variant).svg}} [[Ancient Kangleipak]] (historical) <br /> {{IND}} (present) 
|Region         = [[Moirang]], [[Manipur]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kqJVDwAAQBAJ&dq=henjunaha&pg=PT81|title=A Glimpse of Manipuri Literary Works|last1=Devi|first1=Nunglekpam Premi|date=14 April 2018}}</ref>
|Origin_Date    = 
|Published_In   = 
|Related        = [[Meitei folklore]] ([[Manipuri folklore]]), <br /> [[Meitei literature]] ([[Manipuri literature]]) 
}}
{{Meitei mythology}}
The '''Henjunaha Lairoulembi''' ({{lang-omp|Hensunaha Lailoulempi}}), also known as the '''Henjunaha Lairuklembi''' ({{lang-omp|Hensunaha Lailuklempi}}), shortly known as the '''Henjunaha''' ({{lang-omp|Hensunaha}}), is a legendary epic [[Romance (love)|love story]] of Henjunaha Yangleingamba ({{lang-omp|Hensunaha Yangleingampa}}) and Thongnang Lairoulembi ({{lang-omp|Thongnang Lailoulempi}}). It is one of the [[epic cycles of incarnations]] of [[Meitei mythology]] and [[Meitei folklore|folklore]], that is originated from [[Moirang]] province of [[Ancient Kangleipak]] (early [[Manipur]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kqJVDwAAQBAJ&dq=henjunaha&pg=PT81|title=A Glimpse of Manipuri Literary Works|last1=Devi|first1=Nunglekpam Premi|date=14 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S_4dAAAAMAAJ&q=henjunaha|title = The History of Manipur: An early period|last1 = Singh|first1 = Wahengbam Ibohal|year = 1986}}</ref>

The legend accounts for the unconditional [[Romance (love)|love affairs]] between Henjunaha, a fatherless lad brought up by a poor widowed mother, and Lairoulembi, a lady, brought up by a rich father, who were separated by their [[fate]]s with the murder of Henjunaha by the [[evil spirits]]. However, defying all the odds, Lairoulembi followed her lover by committing suicide and succeeded in pleasing [[Thongalen]] ([[Thongaren]]), the [[God of death]] to send both of them back to the human world once again.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Henjunaha Part 1 Folktale By James Oinam |url=http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Folks.Folk_Tales.Henjunaha_Part_1_Folktale_By_James_Oinam |access-date=2022-10-13 |website=e-pao.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Henjunaha Part 2 Folktale By James Oinam |url=http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Folks.Folk_Tales.Henjunaha_Part_2_Folktale_By_James_Oinam |access-date=2022-10-13 |website=e-pao.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Henjunaha Part 3 Folktale By James Oinam |url=http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Folks.Folk_Tales.Henjunaha_Part_3_Folktale_By_James_Oinam |access-date=2022-10-13 |website=e-pao.net}}</ref>

[[File:"Henjunaha Lairoulembi" (Modern Meitei) and "Hensunaha Lailoulempi" (Ancient Meitei) names of the hero and the heroine in the second incarnations (cycles of rebirth) of the divine lovers in Moirang, Kangleipak.jpg|thumb|300px|"Henjunaha Lairoulembi" ([[Meitei language|Modern Meitei]]) and "Hensunaha Lailoulempi" ([[Ancient Meitei language|Ancient Meitei]]) names of the hero and the heroine in the second [[incarnations]] (cycles of [[rebirth]]) of the divine lovers in [[Moirang]], [[Kangleipak]] (early [[Manipur]])]]

== Story ==
God [[Thangching]] ([[Thangjing]]) created two persons and made them the extreme lovers. Henjunaha Yangleingamba is the hero and Lairoulembi (alias ''Thongnang Lairuklembi'') is the heroine. Henjunaha's father died at an early age and so, Henjunaha was brought up by his widowed mother Khoiju Hongbi. On the other hand, Lairoulembi grew up under the parentage of her father Thongnang Ningthouba. As the two grew up, they became devoted lovers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Ch Manihar |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_History_of_Manipuri_Literature/yiBkAAAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=A History of Manipuri Literature |date=1996 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |others=Original from:the [[University of Michigan]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-81-260-0086-9 |location=India |pages=63 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharma.k.b. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.466018/page/n11/mode/2up |title=Henjunaha |collaboration=[[Internet Archive]] |date=2010 |publisher=Dr. Laishram Lokendro, Nagamapal Singjubung Leirak, [[Imphal]]; [[Digital Library of India]] |others=[[Manipur University]] Library, [[Imphal]] |year=2010 |pages=12–28 |language=mni}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dasumati |first=Peban |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.310148/page/n9/mode/2up |title=Eeraokhol |collaboration=[[Internet Archive]] |date=2000 |publisher=Nohakhol; [[Digital Library of India]] |others=[[Manipur University]] Library, [[Imphal]] |year=2000 |pages=10–14 |language=mni |chapter=Henjunaha}}</ref> 

One day, lady Khoiju Hongbi had an ominous dream. In her dream, she saw the incidents of her pasts during the untimely death of her husband. In her dream, she fetched water using a pitcher from a stream, during which the her headgear cloth fell into the water stream getting drifted away by the current before she could picked it up. In the same dream, she followed the trails and found some people getting it and giving it back to her. 
With that unusual dream, lady Khoiju Hongbi was anxious. So, she warned her son Henjunaha not to go out of the house.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Ch Manihar |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_History_of_Manipuri_Literature/yiBkAAAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=A History of Manipuri Literature |date=1996 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |others=Original from:the [[University of Michigan]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-81-260-0086-9 |location=India |pages=64 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharma.k.b. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.466018/page/n11/mode/2up |title=Henjunaha |collaboration=[[Internet Archive]] |date=2010 |publisher=Dr. Laishram Lokendro, Nagamapal Singjubung Leirak, [[Imphal]]; [[Digital Library of India]] |others=[[Manipur University]] Library, [[Imphal]] |year=2010 |pages=12–28 |language=mni}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dasumati |first=Peban |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.310148/page/n9/mode/2up |title=Eeraokhol |collaboration=[[Internet Archive]] |date=2000 |publisher=Nohakhol; [[Digital Library of India]] |others=[[Manipur University]] Library, [[Imphal]] |year=2000 |pages=10–14 |language=mni |chapter=Henjunaha}}</ref> 

One day before Khoiju Hongbi's warning to Henjunaha, a person died and the dead body was buried at a place called "Khundinbi" which was near the settlement of Henjunaha. When it was nighttime, lady Khoiju Hongbi had a dinner with her son and went to bed earlier than usual. Though his mother was fast asleep, Henjunaha could not sleep because he had a desire to meet his lover Lairoulembi. Taking advantage of the situation as his mother had slept, he sneaked out of the house and went to the house of Lairoulembi. He hold a polo-stick in his hand during his journey to meet his lover.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Ch Manihar |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_History_of_Manipuri_Literature/yiBkAAAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=A History of Manipuri Literature |date=1996 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |others=Original from:the [[University of Michigan]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-81-260-0086-9 |location=India |pages=64 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharma.k.b. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.466018/page/n27/mode/1up |title=Henjunaha |collaboration=[[Internet Archive]] |date=2010 |publisher=Dr. Laishram Lokendro, Nagamapal Singjubung Leirak, [[Imphal]]; [[Digital Library of India]] |others=[[Manipur University]] Library, [[Imphal]] |year=2010 |pages=28–34 |language=mni}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dasumati |first=Peban |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.310148/page/n9/mode/2up |title=Eeraokhol |collaboration=[[Internet Archive]] |date=2000 |publisher=Nohakhol; [[Digital Library of India]] |others=[[Manipur University]] Library, [[Imphal]] |year=2000 |pages=10–14 |language=mni |chapter=Henjunaha}}</ref> 

When he reached almost half of his way, he heard the sound of muffled drone near the "Khundinbi". At first, he thought that some villagers were talking there and the night was not late yet. However, in reality, it was actually a [[coven]] of evil spirits meeting to banquet on the corpse's fleshes. Hensunaha was panicked to find out the truth. However, he did not lose his senses yet. He thought that if he ran away, the spirits would surely discover him and capture him. So, he decided to join them with his head covered, disguising himself as a member of the [[coven]]. It was not long that the spirits smelt the strong smells of a living human flesh. So, they head-count their members and found out one number additional. However, Hensunaha tricked them by taking upon himself the task of recounting and declaring the number to be correct, thus making them confused. When they were again about to continue the feast on the flesh before the arrival of [[dawn]], Henjunaha slipped out and ran as fast as he could towards his lover's house. Realising the real living human now, the spirits chased him. They caught hold of him just on the point Hensunaha was about to set one of his foot on the verandah of his lover's house. Lairoulembi was fast asleep and could not hear the panic stricken calls of her lover Hensunaha. When she woke up and came out in the dead of night, she was horrified to find her lover in a pool of blood. On the very place, she committed suicide by thrusting a sharp knife into her own body.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Ch Manihar |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_History_of_Manipuri_Literature/yiBkAAAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=A History of Manipuri Literature |date=1996 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |others=Original from:the [[University of Michigan]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-81-260-0086-9 |location=India |pages=64 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharma.k.b. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.466018/page/n51/mode/2up |title=Henjunaha |collaboration=[[Internet Archive]] |date=2010 |publisher=Dr. Laishram Lokendro, Nagamapal Singjubung Leirak, [[Imphal]]; [[Digital Library of India]] |others=[[Manipur University]] Library, [[Imphal]] |year=2010 |pages=52–56 |language=mni}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dasumati |first=Peban |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.310148/page/n9/mode/2up |title=Eeraokhol |collaboration=[[Internet Archive]] |date=2000 |publisher=Nohakhol; [[Digital Library of India]] |others=[[Manipur University]] Library, [[Imphal]] |year=2000 |pages=10–14 |language=mni |chapter=Henjunaha}}</ref> 

The parents of Hensunaha and Lairoulembi were traumatized to see the conditions of their beloved children. Later, the dead bodies of the two lovers were buried together.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Ch Manihar |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_History_of_Manipuri_Literature/yiBkAAAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=A History of Manipuri Literature |date=1996 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |others=Original from:the [[University of Michigan]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-81-260-0086-9 |location=India |pages=64 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharma.k.b. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.466018/page/n55/mode/2up |title=Henjunaha |collaboration=[[Internet Archive]] |date=2010 |publisher=Dr. Laishram Lokendro, Nagamapal Singjubung Leirak, [[Imphal]]; [[Digital Library of India]] |others=[[Manipur University]] Library, [[Imphal]] |year=2010 |pages=56–58 |language=mni}}</ref> 

Hensunaha's soul was taken away into the underworld. However, Lairoulembi's soul was denied the entry into the [[netherworld|land of the death]] because she committed suicide, which means she made her own destiny, instead of obeying gods' destiny laid on her.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Ch Manihar |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_History_of_Manipuri_Literature/yiBkAAAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=A History of Manipuri Literature |date=1996 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |others=Original from:the [[University of Michigan]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-81-260-0086-9 |location=India |pages=64 |language=en}}</ref>
Lairoulembi's soul was prevented from crossing the [[Styx]] ({{lang-mni|Ashi Turel}}) in the netherworld. The river of the land of the death could be crossed through a tiny thread and a bar serving as the bridge. Getting disappointed, she kept weeping on the dry sands of the river bank of the another side. Meanwhile, the youngest wife of God [[Thongalen]] ([[Thongaren]]) came out to fetch water from river and saw Lairoulembi's soul. The goddess felt pity of her and so, she pleaded her beloved husband God [[Thongalen]] to provide a place for the poor Lairoulembi's soul. At first, Thongalen denied the request but later changed his mind and allowed both the souls of Hensunaha and Lairoulembi to return to the human world to enjoy the pleasures of life for one hundred years.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Ch Manihar |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_History_of_Manipuri_Literature/yiBkAAAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=A History of Manipuri Literature |date=1996 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |others=Original from:the [[University of Michigan]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-81-260-0086-9 |location=India |pages=65 |language=en}}</ref>

Meanwhile, on the human world, the smart dog of Lairoulembi's parents sensed some sounds from beneath the burial ground of the two lovers. The dog immediately brought its masters to the place. The ground was dug out and to everyone's surprise, Hensunaha and Lairoulembi got up again alive. Then, the two devoted lovers lived happily ever after.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Ch Manihar |url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/A_History_of_Manipuri_Literature/yiBkAAAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=A History of Manipuri Literature |date=1996 |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |others=Original from:the [[University of Michigan]] |year=1996 |isbn=978-81-260-0086-9 |location=India |pages=65 |language=en}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
* In 2015, four books based on folktales from Manipur, including one of Henjunaha, were published in Imphal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Folks.Folk_Tales.Four_folktale_books_based_on_traditional_Manipuri_folk_tales_released_on_23_December_2015|title=Four folktale books based on traditional Manipuri folk tales released on 23 December 2015|website=www.e-pao.net}}</ref>
* In 2017, at Lamboikhongnangkhong, Imphal, a show '''Henjunaha''' was shown, which drew great public responses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=19..200417.apr17|title=Folk Play Henjunaha thrills audiences : 20th apr17 ~ E-Pao! Headlines|website=e-pao.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=13..190417.apr17|title='Henjunaha' folk play premiered : 19th apr17 ~ E-Pao! Headlines|website=e-pao.net}}</ref>
* The book '''Henjunaha Lairoulembi''', was published in Hindi Sahitya Parishad, Imphal.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.manipur.org/news/2012/08/29/book-on-henjunaha/|title=Book on Henjunaha – Manipur News}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Lai Khutshangbi]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
* http://www.manipur.org/news/2012/08/29/book-on-henjunaha/

[[Category:Deal with the Devil]]
[[Category:Epic cycles of incarnations]]
[[Category:Female suicides]]
[[Category:Heroes who ventured to Hades]]
[[Category:Indian folklore]]
[[Category:Meitei folklore]]
[[Category:Meitei mythology]]
[[Category:Mythological lovers]]
[[Category:Recurrent elements in fairy tales]]
[[Category:Recurring elements in folklore]]
[[Category:Tropes]]
[[Category:Witchcraft in folklore and mythology]]
[[Category:Works about death]]
[[Category:Works about violence]]
[[Category:Works about suicide]]