By: Himsiringdao Hapila
The legend of how villagers turned into tortoises mystifies visitors to this day
Deep into the virgin forests of Assam’s remote Dima Hasao district, lies the secrets of the existence of century old tortoises, mired in legends, mysteries and supernatural beliefs. The Hajong lake, situated in the Langting-Mupa reserve forest of the has been the attraction of biologists, zoologists and nature loving tourists since the last few years, the big mystery being the existence of hundreds of Hill Terrapin tortoises, that seem to have made this lake their home. It is the only natural tortoise habitat in Assam.
There are many superstitious myths associated with the origin and existence of the lake and its tortoises that it bewilders the listener to disbelief about such absurd myths passed on from generations to this modern day. As a matter of fact, these legends have added curiosity among the visitors, propelling the local authorities to declare a day as tortoise festival to promote tourism and turn the mystic lake into revenue earning source. Every year in the month of February, the Forest and Environment Department of the Dima Hasao district in collaboration with the Tourism Department organizes Hajong Lake Tortoise Festival, an event that has caught the interest of many adventure seeking tourists, nature lovers and tortoise enthusiasts as well as scholars of the relevant field of studies. The lake has generated lot of interest among the visitors as it happens to be the only natural tortoise habitat in Assam, and a rare one in the country. The objective of the festival has also been to create awareness among the local tribals living around the Hajong Lake to safeguard the endangered tortoise species. The lake, located 23 kms from Maibong town in Dima Hasao district covers an area of about 40,000 square metres and houses about 10 varieties of turtles.
The population around the lake is mostly Dimasa tribal, who have been following the traditional method of jhum cultivation since ages. Interesting tales abound in the area about the existence of numerous natural and breath-taking scenic locations.
THE LEGEND BEHIND THE LAKE
Legend has it that people of a village had earned the wrath of the gods and were turned into tortoise. This has propelled practices of rituals and rites and sacrificing of animals among many religious practices to appease the deities. Animism has been in practice among the tribals of this area since ages.
According to one belief, people had noticed strange happenings in the area where the lake now exists. The tribal people were using banana leaves and bamboos for any occasion, and the wastes were dumped here and there. On one occasion people noticed that the garbage had disappeared and this was very strange to them. The disappearance of garbage was observed time and again and people sensed something unnatural about it. Elders of the villages began to perform certain rites by sacrificing animals as appease the deity and sought protection from unnatural phenomenon. The sacrificed animals were first offered to the deity and then feasted upon by the community.
All the male members of the village participated in the ritual, with the exception of one family, where there was no male member. In that family only a widow and her daughter lived. So the villagers sent a share of the sacrificed animal meat to the widow’s family. When the neighbour brought the share, the widow asked him to hang it in the verandah, as they already had their dinner. Meanwhile, all the men of the village, irrespective of their age decided to stay near dumping ground, and waited with weapons as they were curious to know the actual reason behind the missing garbage. At midnight the villagers saw some moving lights. A monstrous snake came out of nowhere and was gulping up the waste materials. On seeing the size of snake, they were terrified. They tried to tie the snake but in vain, so they all decided to attack it. One of the men managed to cut it into two halves but they couldn’t kill the snake. The half portion of the serpent snake escaped, and the villagers weren’t able to find it. They returned to their respective dwellings.
It was almost dawn when the widow woke up from a frightful dream. She woke the daughter up and said “I dreamt that somebody had asked me to leave the village as soon as possible”. The daughter also shared the same dream. Just then the earth beneath them shook. They rushed out of the house and ran, they crossed the village gate, they heard a loud sound. When they turned back the hill top had turned into a lake. The mother and her daughter witnessed the village sink. Having no option left they reached the nearest village and took shelter while narrating the entire incident. The villagers of that locality gathered and went back to help, but nothing could be done. They could only see the pillars of the houses. The most shocking part was they could see many tortoises in the water. There was not a sign of human existence.
To this day, the elders of the present neighbouring village (Kachari Hajong) believe this myth that all the people who sank became tortoises. The Supreme Being disliked their acts so much that the whole village was destroyed. Tortoise as a species, has the longest life span of about 300-400 years and so for many years the people have borne the punishment brought upon by the angry deities.
The Hajong Tortoise lake located at the Langting-Mupa reserve forest, 23 km away from Maibang, the ancient kingdom of Dimasa Kachari. There is no inflow into the lake, while rainwater is the only source of water feeding from both sides of the hill. The forest department of Dima Hasao is taking up measures for the conservation of Tortoise lake. And to popularize Hajong- Tortoise festival is celebrated every year.
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