The Legend of Tuisoi Waterfall: A Darlong Tale of Love and Tragedy

By Dr. Benjamin Darlong

February 18, 2023

It is an established fact, whether or not one says, that there is no denying, ‘Not every individual believes in myths, legends, and so on’. Nonetheless, there is a countable populace dependent on the fact that ‘there lies an unexplored truth in such miracles or rather superstitions and hence, believe in it. Let’s take a minute ride into one such legend relating to the ‘Tuisoi’ waterfall, located at Sȃikar Village, Longtarai Valley, Dhalai Tripura. The fall is located at a distance of 130 kilometers away from Agartala, the capital city of Tripura, 30 kilometers from Kamalpur, and 15 kilometers away from Kumarghat. The nearest village to the fall is Sȃikar, a residence of Darlong tribesmen and women.

The pristine elegance of Tusoi waterfall

‘Tuisoi’, in recent past, has become an attractive and equally developing spot for tourism in the state of present Tripura, India. A picturesque fall surrounded by verdant forests and steep rocks, ‘Tuisoi’ makes a trendy destination for nature lovers and adventurers. The fall is also known for its serene setting that reserved itself from sophisticated disturbances while the breeze it produces caresses your thought and mind. To be precise, the term ‘Tuisoi’ etymologically stands for ‘Fountain’ while ‘Tuithlȃk’ stands for ‘Waterfall’ in Darlong vernacular. Hence, among the Darlong common men and women, the fall is often addressed as ‘Sȃikar Tuithlȃk’ (Sâikar Waterfall). The legend says;

Once upon a time, there lived a couple, who had a very beautiful daughter. The daughter was endowed with all kinds of virtues to impress her suitors (as the Darlong tribe has several numbers of marriage systems). The couple would go to ‘Loi’ (jhum) every day while the daughter would prepare them ‘Bufȗn’ (lunch packed) and reach them out during the work interval (specifically known as ‘Bu pan hun’ in Darlong) to deliver it. Days, months, and years passed by; the monotonous routine of the family remained the same. The daughter has grown mature and was ready for marriage.

One fine day, as usual, the daughter, with her ‘Bufȗn’ in her hand was passing towards her parents’ workplace. On her way, she noticed a handsome young man was working at a ‘Loi’. She was impressed and fell in love with the young man at the very first sight. One fine afternoon, as the girl was passing by, the young man asked for a sip of water saying he had been working for several hours and was running out of water at the moment. The girl readily accepted and spared to give him her water (which of course is the lion’s share of her parents). The young man asked, ‘Are you really interested in wasting your parents’ share?’ While the girl replied, ‘I don’t care so long as it quenched the thirst of someone I cared’. From thence, the girl would often time the young man’s work timing instead of her parents’ work interval timing. This went on for quite some time until the parents realized ‘what was going on?’

As time passed by, the parents think it time for their daughter to start a family of her own. On the other hand, the couple were kept in the dark about their daughter’s admiring someone. Thus, each time, her parents propose a name, the daughter would deny saying ‘I’m still young’. In so doing, eventually, she had to reveal about her love for someone that her parents were not aware of. This annoyed the parents for they wanted their daughter to a man with a title (The Darlong in pre-Christian era award individuals a ‘village title’ based on his achievements). As a result, the marriage was ruled out. At this, the young girl was shattered and left heartbroken.

The next day, she visits a forest and prayed to the ‘Lungṭan Pathian’ (God of Rock & Mount in Darlong pre-Christian period) to do her favour. In reply to her prayer, the god transformed her into a fountain where the young lover can quench his thirst every day. From thence, the lover would spend his days by the side of the fountain. However, the lover was mocked and ridiculed for falling in love with a fountain. Subsequently, he took his own life out of utter shame. At this, the fountain (a transformed form of the young girl) began to snatch lovers who ever visit the fountain. The more she devoured, the bigger she got. Eventually, she became the ‘waterfall’ she is at present known as ‘Tuisoi’.

Apart from the legend, there is no denying the fact that quite a number of young men have lost their lives visiting the fall. In accordance with Darlong mythology, the waterfall is a female and has the tendency to devour a male (till date).

Dr. Benjamin Darlong is an Assistant Professor of English at Michael Madhusudan Dutta College, Sabroom