MAWLENG, THE WONDERFUL ROCK

Written by Ex.Rev.K.Langrin, Seiñduli, West Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya, India.

Mawleng rock is the most wonderful, the biggest and the highest rock in Lyngngam area, West Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya, India. Mawleng rock is in the west of Nongïawnaw village (not Nongmawlong or Nongmawleng as somebody mentioned by mistake). Nongïawnaw village has a distance of about 8 KMs from Umdang village. Umdang village is on the National Highway 127 B which has a distance of 60 KMs from Nongstoin, the Hq of the West Khasi Hills District. If you want to go to the Mawleng Rock, from Umdang go straight to the north.

Mawleng rock has a very very interesting story how it was formed. The story goes like this as told me by (L) Diben Synshiang of Nongïawnaw village in 1994.

A very long long time ago, at Nongïawnaw village, there were two sisters. The elder named Pangñiang and the younger named Pangleng.

One day, Pangñiang said to her sister, “Let us go to the river to catch fish.” Pangleng agreed. Both of them went to the river, west from the village, carrying with a basket which was made of a cane.

When they reached to the river, both of them went down to the water and started to catch the fish. The elder was holding the immersed basket while the younger was running from the upper part to drive the fish to the basket. A lot of fishes they caught at the first and the second time. But at the third time, a wonderful small piece of stone attached to the right toe of Pangleng. So, Pangleng cried, “See my sister, why this stone attaches to my toe?” Pangñiang said to her, “Shake off, it may fall down.” Pangleng shook off but the stone flew to Pangñiang and attached to her toe. Pangñiang also shook off but the stone flew again to Pangleng and attached to her toe. Pangleng, once again shook off but the stone did not fall down anymore. So, both of them tried to scrape the stone with their hands but they could not.

At last, they came out from the river and started to run to the village. When they reached on the top of the hill, Pangleng could move no longer because that stone became bigger and bigger. Pangleng said to Pangñiang, ” This stone is too heavy and I cannot move anymore. You go alone to the village; and you inform what happened to me.”

Pangñiang alone ran as fast as she could. And when she arrived there she cried out hardly, “Kiw…people of this village, listen to me, a wonderful stone attached to the toe of my sister, Pangleng. It became bigger and bigger that my sister could not move anymore. Now, let us go to the place where my sister stood. Please bring hammers to break that stone so that my sister will not die.”

All men and women of Nongïawnaw village ran to the place where Pangleng was standing alone. But when they arrived there they could see only her head because the big stone became bigger and bigger; and swallowed her slowly and slowly. Some of the men tried to break the stone with hammers, but Pangleng said to them, “Please don’t break this stone, because he is my husband. You go back to the village and don’t worry, I’ll not die. From now on you call this stone by the name-MAWLENG”.

People left her alone in the jungle and went back to the village. But just after a few minutes, suddenly, the stone became very very big just like a hill.

After one year of the marriage of Mawleng to Pangleng a child was born. One day, Pangleng said to her husband, Mawleng, “Oh my dear husband, please allow me to go to the village so that my parents and my relatives will see our baby.” Then Mawleng said to her, “Yes, you may go but don’t allow anybody to touch the child.”

After getting permission from her husband, Pangleng went to the village carrying a baby on her back. When she reached to the village, all people were glad to see her again, especially a new born baby on her back. Her parents made a great feast on that night.

On the next day, the sun was too hot and Pangleng wanted to take bath. She said to her mother, “My mother, let me go to the river to take bath. Please look after this child but don’t touch him with your hands.”

Pangleng left her sleeping baby with her mother and went to the river. But after a few minutes while Pangleng was taking bath, the baby woke up from sleep; and he cried, cried, cried non-stop. Pangleng’s mother could not see only with her eyes for the crying baby. So, she took the baby on her hands. Just then, the baby became a stone and fell down into the cellar of the house. She tried to search him but she could not find anymore.

When Pangleng came back from the river, her mother told her everythings happened. That time Pangleng told her mother and all the villagers to leave their houses that night because it would be dangerous when Mawleng, her husband would come to search the baby.

All people of the village left their houses and hid themselves behind the trees far away from their dwelling houses.

When Pangleng went back to Mawleng, Mawleng came to the village in the form of a big cyclone and destroyed all houses of the village till he found the baby. The storm carried the baby back to Mawleng. The storm ended. Since that time people of Nongïawnaw could not see Pangleng anymore. And Mawleng also declared himself as the king of the Lyngngams, who can help for those who worship him.