JovitaMcClinton at 17:48, 28 September 2025

2025-09-28T17:48:11Z

New page

{{Short description|Demoness in Meitei folklore}}
{{See also|List of creatures in Meitei folklore}}
{{Infobox mythical creature
|name=Lai Khutshangbi
|image=Lai Khutsangbi.jpg
|image upright=1.0
|caption=Lai Khutshangbi, the long handed demoness.
|Grouping=[[Mythology]]
|Sub_Grouping=[[Meitei mythology]] ([[Manipuri mythology]])
|Similar_entities=[[Yenakha Paodabi]], [[Keibu Keioiba]]
|Family=[[Hingchabi]] (demoness)
|Folklore=[[Meitei folklore]] ([[Manipuri folklore]])
|AKA=Lai Khutsangbi
|Country =
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Manipur (stripes variant).svg}} [[Ancient Kangleipak|Ancient Manipur]] (historical)
* {{IND}} (present)
|Region=[[Manipur]]}}
{{Meitei mythology}}
'''Lai Khutshangbi''' (/laai-khoot-shaang-bee/) is a demoness ([[hingchabi]]) in [[Meitei mythology]] and [[Meitei folklore|folklore]] of Antique Kangleipak ([[Ancient Kangleipak|Ancient Manipur]]). She has very long hands. The word "Lai" means "deity or divinity," "Khut" means "hand," and "Sangbi" or "Shangbi" means "long" in [[Manipuri language|Manipuri]] ([[Meitei language|Meitei]]).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TpM8DAAAQBAJ&dq=Khut+hand+Sangbi+long+manipuri&pg=PT53|title=New Folktales of Manipur|last=Oinam|first=James|date=2016-05-26|publisher=Notion Press|isbn=978-1-945400-70-4|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F29jAAAAMAAJ&q=lai+khutshangbi+demoness+long+hands|title=Indian Literature|date=1981|publisher=Sahitya Akademi.|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q5eBAAAAMAAJ&q=lai+khutsangbi+fairy+long+hands|title=Folk Culture of Manipur|last=Singh|first=Moirangthem Kirti|date=1993|publisher=Manas Publications|isbn=978-81-7049-063-0|language=en}}</ref>
The legend says that when she walks, her long hands touch the ground. Her fingers are as sharp as thorns. She has a large mouth with a long tongue. Her appearance is very frightening.<ref name="Folktales of Manipur">{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/dli.language.1358/page/n96/mode/1up|title=Folktales of Manipur|last1=B. Jayantakumar Sharma|last2=Dr. Chirom Rajketan Singh|date=2014|pages=96}}</ref>

== Story ==
There was a man and woman with a little child named Shasi (or "Shachi" or "Leirik" or "Naocha" in other versions) living in an isolated house in a hamlet. Nearby was the forest where Lai Khutsangbi lived.<ref name="Folktales of Manipur"/> She usually stole and ate livestock and human babies from the village. She took advantage of people's loneliness, sowing terror in the people in the village.

Lai Khutsangbi especially wanted to eat the child Shasi. But Shasi's father, Shasipa was so brave that the Lai Khutsangbi was afraid of him. One day, Shasipa left home to work somewhere far away. He would be gone for days. Lai Khutsangbi came to the house at night and asked Shasi's mother, Shasima if her husband was at home or not. Shasima was wise, so she lied and said her husband was at home. Lai Khutsangbi left. But she came back night after night and asked the same question again and again. Shasi's mother also gave the same reply, hiding the true fact that Shasipa was away. After some time, Shasi's father returned home and Shasi's mother told him what had happened. Hearing this, Shasi's father devised a plan to defeat the demoness. That night, he waited for Lai Khutsangbi with a sharpened sword. At midnight, the demoness, as usual, came to ask Shasima if her husband was home.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.language.1358/page/n97/mode/1up|title=Folktales of Manipur|last1=B. Jayantakumar Sharma|last2=Dr. Chirom Rajketan Singh|date=2014|pages=97}}</ref> This time, Shasi's mother replied that he was away from home. Unaware of the trick, Lai Khutsangbi broke through the wall of the house with one of her powerful hands, trying to find Shasi, the child. Shasi's father, who was waiting for this opportunity, chopped off the hand with his sword.<ref name="archive.org">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.language.1358/page/n98/mode/1up|title=Folktales of Manipur|last1=B. Jayantakumar Sharma|last2=Dr. Chirom Rajketan Singh|date=2014|pages=98}}</ref>
Then, the demoness screamed painfully,
<blockquote><poem>
Ayo Ema, I am dead!
Ayo yo Ema ayo yo
Leimadeng deng Ningjaobi
You a big liar
Ayo yo Ema ayoyo<ref name="archive.org"/><ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.language.1358/page/n99/mode/1up|title=Folktales of Manipur|last1=B. Jayantakumar Sharma|last2=Dr. Chirom Rajketan Singh|date=2014|pages=99}}</ref>
</poem></blockquote>
Lai Khutsangbi fled from the house, dragging her remaining long arm. The blood flew out of her cut arm and fell onto many plants growing on her way to the forest. It is said that the red patches seen on some plants is her blood. Shasi's father followed her blood trail into the woods. The demoness could not run fast as fast as she usually could because she was injured. Shasi's father caught her and stepped on her other remaining hand. Then, he chopped off that arm too.
The villagers thanked Shasipa for his bravery. From that day onwards, Lai Khutsangbi, the long handed demoness, was never seen again.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Lai Khutsangbi 2.jpg|Lai Khutsangbi
File:The family of Shasi, the child who is desired by Lai Khutsangbi.jpg|The family of Shasi, the child who is desired by Lai Khutsangbi
File:The family of Shasi, the child who is desired by Lai Khutsangbi 2.jpg|The family of Shasi, the child who is desired by Lai Khutsangbi
File:Lai Khutsangbi aiming to the lonely house.jpg|Lai Khutsangbi aiming to the lonely house
File:Lai Khutsangbi coming to human settlement.jpg|Lai Khutsangbi coming to human settlement
File:Lai Khutsangbi coming to the village.jpg|Lai Khutsangbi coming to the village
File:Lai Khutsangbi penetrating the wall of the house with her powerful hand.jpg|Lai Khutsangbi penetrating the wall of the house with her powerful hand
File:Lai Khutsangbi's hand about to chopped off by Shasipa, Shasi's father.jpg|Lai Khutsangbi's hand about to chopped off by Shasipa, Shasi's father
File:Lai Khutsangbi - The first hand being chopped off.jpg|The first hand being chopped off
File:Lai Khutsangbi being followed by Shasi's father.jpg|Lai Khutsangbi being followed by Shasi's father
File:Lai Khutsangbi - The second hand being chopped off.jpg|The second hand being chopped off
</gallery>
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== Other websites ==
{{Commonscat|Lai Khutsangbi}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=TpM8DAAAQBAJ&dq=khut+hand+sangbi+long+manipuri&pg=PT53 The Secret of Lai Khutsangbi]
* [https://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=features.Spotlight_On_Women.Lai_Khutsangbi_female_power_and_punishment_By_Rubani_Yumkhaibam Lai Khutsangbi, female power and punishment]
[[Category:Meitei culture]]
[[Category:Folklore]]
[[Category:Fictional monsters]]
[[Category:Fictional female demons]]

Lai Khutshangbi - Revision history

JovitaMcClinton at 17:48, 28 September 2025