Agartala: A serpent-shaped rock unearthed at Bhagirathpara in Ganacherra under Dhalai district of Tripura has revived widespread public interest in the Raima–Saima legend, long regarded as the traditional origin story of the Gomati River, known in Kokborok as “Khumtwii”.
The discovery, reported just ahead of the Maha Shivaratri festival, has prompted many devotees to draw connections with folklore associated with Lord Shiva and Tripura’s hill regions.
After being relocated and installed inside a temporary shrine, the stone has begun attracting visitors from distant areas eager to witness the unusual formation.
According to villagers, the rock symbolises the mythical python believed to have married Raima. In prevailing oral tradition, the python is considered an incarnation of Lord Shiva, while Raima is identified with Devi Parvati.
The folklore recounts that Raima and Saima were daughters of a priest who, along with his wife, remained deeply preoccupied with religious observances.
The two sisters tended the family’s jhum fields, practising shifting cultivation in the hills. When a violent storm destroyed their hut, Raima was distressed to see her younger sister shivering in the cold. Moved by compassion, she vowed to marry whoever rebuilt their shelter.
As the story goes, a python reconstructed the hut. Bound by her promise, Raima accepted the serpent as her husband. Though described differently across tribal traditions, the python is widely regarded as a guardian spirit of the forests and hills.
The tale takes a tragic turn when Raima’s father discovers the marriage and kills the python during her absence. On learning of her husband’s death, Raima wept inconsolably. Her tears, according to the legend, flowed into a stream that eventually became the river Khumtwii — today known as the Gomati.
Locals assert that the Bhagirathpara rock represents that forest guardian. Eyewitnesses said its form closely resembles the front portion of a python’s body, lending weight to the symbolic association.
Sources stated that a villager claimed to have received precise directions in a dream revealing the stone’s location. Acting upon the vision, he retrieved it. The following day, he reportedly received further instructions in another dream to relocate the rock to the sacred Khumpui shrine.
With assistance from fellow villagers, the stone was moved and ritually consecrated in accordance with local tribal customs. Since Saturday, worshippers have been offering prayers at the newly erected makeshift shrine, where the serpent deity has now been installed, sources added.
The Khumpui shrine is believed to stand at the very site where the priest killed the python. Every year on Shivaratri, a state-sponsored fair is organised there, drawing thousands of devotees who participate in religious ceremonies and community gatherings.
Although the fair has been conducted for many years, it was during the tenure of Rampada Jamatia as in charge of the Tribal Welfare Department that initiatives were undertaken to expand and popularise the annual Khumpui festival.
The Raima–Saima legend has also been incorporated into English textbooks prepared by SCERT, reflecting its enduring cultural and historical significance in Tripura’s collective memory.
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