Kei Onba water

Kei Onba Water, also known as Kei Onba Kom Gi Eshing (), or Water That Turns Everyone Into a Tiger, or Kei Oiba Gi Ishing (), or Keioibi Pat (), or Keioibi Lake, is a Meitei folktale from the region over the mountains, in ancient Kangleipak (early Manipur). It tells the story of a woman who drank water from a forbidden pit and turned into a tiger. The water body is described either as a pond or a lake or a stream in different variations of the story.Sharma, B. Jayantakumar. Fungawari Singbul (also known as Phungawari Shingbul) (in Manipuri). Sahitya Akademi.

 Setting 

The story takes place in a small village over the mountains. A couple lived there happily with their children. They cut a large area of forest and turned it into farmland, making their living by growing crops.

 Forbidden water pit 

One sunny day, the couple was working in their farm. The wife became very thirsty, but there was no water nearby. She asked her husband to let her search for water. He warned her not to go alone, saying:

Despite her husband’s warning, the wife promised not to drink from the pit and went to search for water. She could not find any water except the forbidden pit. At first, she resisted drinking from it, but eventually, she could not control her thirst and drank the water.

 Transformation 

After drinking from the pit, the woman returned to work and did not tell her husband what she had done. Soon, she began to act strangely, showing tiger-like behavior. Her husband realized that she had drunk from the forbidden pit.

The woman regretted her action and confessed to her husband, asking for forgiveness. He accepted, and they finished their work and returned home.

 Life as a tiger 

At home, the woman lived normally during the day. At night, she would leave the house, turn into a tiger, and hunt for prey in the forest. She continued this routine for some time, maintaining her love for her husband and children.

 Conflict with villagers 

One day, villagers found a human carcass in the backyard of the woman’s house. They became scared and suspicious of her. As her tiger-like behavior increased, the villagers decided to expel her from the village.

The woman fully transformed into a tiger and made the forest her home. She often returned to stand near her family’s house, but the villagers chased her away.

 Covered pit 

To protect future generations, the villagers worked together to cover the forbidden water pit. They built a strong fence and warned everyone not to enter the area.

 Moral 

The folktale warns against disobeying rules or doing forbidden things. The woman, who did not listen to her husband, spent the rest of her life as a tiger in the forest.

 Related pages 
 Temba Laithak
 Ngangbiton
 Thabaton

 References 

Category:Meitei folklore
Category:Meitei mythology
Category:Tigers
Category:Animals in culture