From the Folklore of Uttarakhand
A person was taking 15 goats to his home. He met with a rahshasi (female giant) on the road. She followed him like a country woman or villager. In the evening they lodged on the road. They both ate their food and the person tied his goats and went to sleep. When the man was asleep, the woman devoured two goats. Now he had 13 left. On getting up early in the morning, seeing two goats less, he was perplexed. He could not find out about them. When the rahshasi was asked what had become of the goats, she told him that she did not know. “You and I both slept. I don’t know who has taken away the goats.” Afterwards he went towards his home.
Again the woman followed him. In the way they again lodged by the road. The second night she devoured four goats. Now he had nine left. When she was asked she made the same reply. In this way she devoured all the goats.
One day, the rahshasi in the shape of a country wife hid herself. On the second day, she appeared in a beautiful disguise of a 15 years’ old girl and came forward. He imagined her to be very beautiful. He told her he wanted to marry her. She agreed. He took her home. He reached home. He had four move wives in his house.
When night came they all went to sleep, she devoured one of the four. On the second night she devoured the second, on the third the third. On the fourth night it was the turn of the fourth. The fourth wife who was pregnant went away with his son of 14 years to a neighbouring house. Taking rest for some hours she told her son, “The new wife of your father has devoured all your step-mothers. Now we must consider a place. When I tell my husband, he, instead of killing her, will rebuke and kill me, and she will not be injured by him.”
Afterwards the son went on thinking of a place for getting rid of the new wife. He went to the bazar and met with an old woman who used to wipe the blood off the rahshasi’s mouth. The boy told the old woman he would give a gold mohar if she could ask the rahshasi where her soul lived. The old woman was an intimate friend of the rahshasi and the rahshasi used to come to her daily, and the old woman used to kill lice on her head and wipe the blood from her mouth. The boy went to his mother and told her that he had begun to make a plan for killing the rahshasi. On the second day the old woman asked the rahshasi, when she came to her as usual, where her soul lived. She replied, “I am the daughter of a distinguished rakshash (giant) and my soul lives across the seven oceans. There is a large peepul tree which has spread its branches long and which is a rest for travellers. In those branches many parrots live. On the top of that tree is a nest and there is a large parrot in which my soul lives.”
Next day when the boy came to the old woman, he asked her if she had inquired about the rahshasi’s soul. The old woman told him that she had asked, “If you give me two gold mohars, I will show you.” the boy gave her two gold mohars and was told by her the secret. Now the boy went home and began to think how he should manage to go across the seven oceans. He again returned to the old woman and asked her to inquire from the rahshasi how he was to cross them.
On the second day when the rahshasi came to the old woman and she was wiping her bloody mouth and killing lice began to tell her to be careful and not loose the thing by which the ocean is crossed. The rahshasi fell into the trap and told her that she had a sandal (of one foot) which was kept in a box under her bed (which she had brought with her). But said she, “Don’t tell anyone. I have told you these as my close friend. You must conceal all this as you have concealed my eating men and animals.” There in her husband’s house, the rahshasi ate all the horses and cattle and injured some of the suburbs of the city.
When the rahshasi had gone the boy came hiding and asked the old woman if she had inquired from the rahshasi. The old woman said, “Yes. I require 4 gold mohars from you for telling the secret.” He gave her 4 gold mohars. Then she informed him about the sandal under her bed in a box in her chamber. The boy returned home thoughtfully. He did not tell anything to his mother.
In the night he disguised himself as a faqir, and went to his father’s house, where she lived. He told the people that he wanted alms. The rahshasi came and brought some flour meal to give him. The faqir told her that he did not want the flour. He wants to see the owner of the house. Then hearing this from the upper house the father came downstairs and asked him what he wanted. He replied that he required a night’s lodging in the room next to his own, and gave him fuel for burning. He lit a fire and when he was given food he ate heartily. At two o’clock in the morning, he prayed, “If I had right in this house, a stone of this wall will slide away and there will be a hole.” According to his words the stone went aside and there was a hole. He went through the hole secretly to the next room, where his father and step-mother were lying. He took away the trunk under the bed and came back through the hole. Again putting the trunk into fire (to open it) he took out the sandal and again restored the trunk and came back and smoked tobacco, knowing that there would be questioning about the hole. He prayed it might be closed if he had any right in that house. The hole became as before; and at 4 o’clock he went towards the seven oceans.
He applied the sandal on one of his feet and by its help crossed the seven oceans in a moment. At 6 o’clock he was by the peepul tree and saw many parrots there. On the top he saw the large parrot sitting. He had taken a sword with him before crossing the ocean. Slowly he climbed up the tree and prayed to God that the life of the parrot would not be taken from her, but it would fall down. He at once darted on the parrot, and hit it with his sword and cut the parrot’s feet and wings. The pain of the parrot soon affected the rahshasi there. She began to die.
He took the parrot still alive with him and crossed the seven oceans and appeared before his father and told him all that had happened. He was much praised by his father and country men. The rahshasi came out and asked him, “What is this?” Showing her the parrot she replied, ‘This is my life. Don’t kill it any more. I will give you many lakhs of rupees from my father’s house.” The boy refused and before all the people and before his father and mother he killed the parrot and the rahshasi thereupon died.
Source:
Himalayan Folklore: Kumaon and West Nepal, E.S. Oakley and Tara Dutt Gairola, 1935
Kotharian Lightning 