Champawati

The Tale

Once upon a time, in a certain place, there lived a rich man. He had two wives: the elder was Laagee, the favourite, and the younger was Aelaagee, the alienated. Each of the two wives gave birth to a daughter. Following the elder wife’s advice, the husband built a small hut in the backyard for the younger wife and her daughter to stay. Aelaagee lived there in misery with her daughter, Champawati.

One fine day, her father ordered Champawati to look after his paddy field. Champawati kept watch over the crops from a high platform and drove away the birds. Many days passed in this manner. One day, as she climbed onto the high platform to guard the paddy, she sang out softly,

“Go away, quails, do not eat my paddy, I will give you parched rice instead.”

As she said this, someone from the nearby forest replied,

“I will eat paddy as well as rice, I will marry Champawati and take her home.”

Startled, Champawati looked around but saw no human being. When she returned home that evening, she told her mother everything. The next day, her mother went with her to the paddy field, wanting to hear the voice for herself. Champa sang again, just as before, and the same reply floated back from the forest. The mother was amazed. She asked her daughter to sing once more, and again the answer came. Frightened and confused, they returned home.

Aelaagee told her husband what had happened. He went to the field along with Aelaagee, Champa and a few neighbours. Champa was asked to sing, and when she did, the same reply echoed from the forest. They went into the forest to find the speaker, but no one was there. Then Champa’s father called out to the forest, “If you really want Champawati, then whoever you are, appear before us. I promise to give her in marriage to you.”

At once, a huge python slithered out of the forest. The people panicked and ran, but Champa’s father stopped them and called them back. He invited the python to his house. Aelaagee and her daughter clung to each other in tears. She begged her husband not to give their daughter to the python, but following Laagee’s advice, he gave Champawati in marriage to the serpent. He even arranged a separate house for the mother, daughter and son-in-law. Laagee rejoiced, convinced that Champawati would be devoured that very night.

The python was kept in the same room as Champawati. Terrified, she prayed to God for mercy. But in the morning, her mother hurried to her room and found her daughter safe, her body adorned with glittering gold ornaments, while the python had vanished. Champawati awoke in astonishment and joy. Her father and Laagee arrived, expecting to find her gone, but were struck dumb to see her shining with gold. Laagee’s heart burned with jealousy. She begged her husband to bring a python for her own daughter as well. He took some men into a dense forest, found one and brought it home. Laagee married her daughter to the python as well.

That night, she waited excitedly outside the door, imagining the gold ornaments her daughter would receive. But the python began to swallow the girl from her feet upward. As the girl cried out, “Mother, my foot tickles,” Laagee replied cheerfully, “Dear, my son-in-law adorns you with anklets.” When the python reached her waist, she called, “Mother, my waist tickles,” and Laagee said, “Dear, he is dressing you in a waistband.” At her chest, Laagee said, “He dresses you with a shawl.” At the neck, she answered, “He adorns you with a string of beads.” And when the python reached the head, the daughter’s voice faded into silence. Laagee thought her daughter had fallen asleep after receiving the ornaments and went to bed in delight.

In the morning, she discovered the truth. The python lay with a swollen belly, and her daughter was gone. Laagee wailed and collapsed. The villagers gathered, scolded the couple, and cut open the python to retrieve the girl’s body. After the cremation, Laagee and her husband grew bitter toward Aelaagee and Champawati. They plotted day and night to get rid of them.

One night, when they crept forward with swords to kill the mother and daughter, the python suddenly appeared again. It swallowed the conspirators and carried Champawati and her mother, still asleep, to a house deep within a forest. When they awoke in the strange place, they cried out in fear, but the python comforted them and told them what had happened. Grateful, they began living there peacefully. But one day, the mother suddenly fell ill and died, leaving Champawati alone.

After some time, when the python was away, an old woman appeared at the house. Champawati had not seen a human being for a very long time and welcomed her warmly. The woman told her, “Dear, the python who is your husband is actually a god. Every night, he pinches you gently to make sure you sleep, then he sheds his skin and goes to heaven for a while. If you wish to see him in his divine form, pretend to sleep tonight. When he sheds his skin and leaves, burn the skin. He will feel the burning and come back at once. Fan him till he rests, and in the morning greet and garland him.”

Champawati listened with joy. She gifted the woman pots of silver and gold before she left. That night, she did exactly as she had been told, and a handsome man appeared before her. She bowed to him, and from then on, the two lived happily for months.

One day, when her husband was away, the old woman returned with new advice. She spoke sweetly but with hidden malice. She told Champawati to eat with her husband from the same dish and to tell him afterwards that she had seen many villages in his mouth, then insist on seeing the whole world inside it. The woman hinted that this would bind his heart to hers forever. Champawati, delighted and trusting, again gave her pots of gold and silver.

The next day, she followed the woman’s instructions. Her husband warned her that her intentions were becoming strange, but he still ate from the same dish. When she insisted on seeing the world in his mouth, he said, “If you see it, you will not see me again.” But Champawati insisted, wanting both him and the world. He opened his mouth and showed her the world, then gave her a gold ring and said, “The old woman who misled you is my mother’s head-maid. My mother is a cannibal. She wants to part us so she can devour you. This ring will protect you from demons and harm. If you lose it, great danger will come. Keep it safe. Under its influence, you will find me after six years at my mother’s place.” After handing the ring to Champawati, he plunged into the river and disappeared.

Realising her mistake, Champawati wept and wandered through forests, holding the ring close. Her husband’s mother tried many times to devour her, but the ring kept her safe. Six long years passed. One day, she suddenly found her husband again, and the two were overjoyed.

On the other hand, the mother was furious to see her daughter-in-law return. The moment Champawati reunited with her husband, the ring vanished, but the mother could do her no harm while her son was nearby. One day, she secretly wrote a letter saying, “This woman is my worst enemy. Kill and devour her, but send me a portion of her flesh.” She handed the letter to Champawati and sent her off to a certain demon. Obeying her mother-in-law, Champawati hurried to deliver it, unaware of her husband’s suspicions. He arrived just then, sensed something amiss, and rushed after her. Stopping her midway, he seized the letter and read it. Its contents filled him with uncontrollable rage. He returned home and, without a word, killed his mother. Afterwards, he and Champawati left the demon village behind, founded a new settlement of their own, and lived happily there among family and friends.