Colonel McCulloch, in his account of the Valley of Manipur, 1859, page 32, mentions the belief of the Manipuris in a snake god, and in fact the royal family is supposed to have sprung from a snake god known as "Pakhangba." Colonel McCulloch also relates that a Kuki--i.e., a Thado--who had left him in perfect health, "saw a black snake as large as his thigh, which uttered a sound like that of an ox bellowing." "On his reaching his home he became ill, his belly swelled, and he has not recovered his health." Compare this with the following translation of a statement made to me by Hrangzova, a Lushai political Chaprassie, in 1904:-- "When I lived at Thenzawl, I once saw a curious object about 18 inches long, and about 6 inches thick, like a snake, which kept standing up on its stumpy tail, and then falling forward. I called my friend, who also saw it. When I got home I told my father and mother, who were very frightened, and said it was 'thianglo.' They both died within the year. This was 12 years ago. The rulpui which I saw had not got feathers, but perhaps that was because it was not big enough, as I am told the real rulpui has feathers like that of a cock." There are various places named after rulpui. On one hill the body of a large snake is said to have been raised up on a pole, and so big was it that its shadow fell on a hill many miles away, called thereafter "Rulpui-thlin"--i.e., Rulpui's Shadow. The following is the translation of the story of the origin of "rulpui." Chhawng-chili and the Rulpui.