Poubi Lai

Poubi Lai (Meitei: ꯄꯧꯕꯤ ꯂꯥꯢ; ꯄꯧꯕꯤ ꯂꯥꯏ; Old Manipuri: ꯄꯧꯄꯤ ꯂꯥꯢ; ꯄꯧꯄꯤ ꯂꯥꯏ) is a primordial antique serpentine dragon, often represented as a gigantic horned python, which dwells in the Loktak lake in Meitei mythology, folklore and religion.

According to folklore, it was an evil spirit which was awakened by the fishing activities of the fishermen in the lake. So, it created havoc, massacre and claimed the lives of many people. Next, it threatened the king of Ancient Moirang to offer him a basketful of meal and a human on daily basis. Else, it would destroy the entire kingdom. So, unable to disobey the tyrant's order, the king did so. The person, whose life is to be sacrificed, is selected from each household, having a pattern of rotation from one house to another, every day. When the turn comes to that of a family of a widow and her son, the mother told her son to visit the village of Kabui Salang Maiba, a learned priest of Kabui tribe. And when he reached there, the priest crafted a supernatural weapon from a particular bamboo plant and handed it over to the lad, as the ultimate weapon to kill the creature. And with this weapon, Poubi Lai met its end. However, in some version, the creature was killed by the priest himself.