Dr. Jane Orton – Himkatha

The Rabbit, the Fox and the Snow Leopard

Himkatha

Once, there was a rabbit, a fox and a snow leopard. They lived together in the wild pastures of Pin Valley. The snow leopard was very fond of getting drunk, and loved to drink the blood of animals he had killed, just like humans get drunk when they drink alcohol.

Because the snow leopard was the strongest of all the animals, he would make the fox and the rabbit do all the work. The other animals grew tired of this and decided to get rid of the snow leopard.

One day, there was a wedding in the human village and the animals went into the village to partake in the humans’ food and alcohol and to enjoy the party. When the party was in full swing, the rabbit and the fox put on some jewelry and started to dance. Soon, all the animals had started dancing.

The snow leopard was the most drunk of all the animals and started singing loudly. He sang so loudly that his song caught the attention of the human villagers.

The rabbit and the fox smiled at each other mischievously. This was their chance. They got a very long gun and trained it on the snow leopard.

The snow leopard paused mid-song. Even in his very drunk state, the snow leopard had noticed the gun. He froze on the spot.

Meanwhile, the villagers had come running along to see what had caused all the commotion. The fox and the rabbit ran away, but the gun was still trained on the snow leopard, so he could not move.

The villagers saw the mess that the animals had made: the food, the alcohol, the scattered jewelry and the disheveled, drunk snow leopard. The villagers killed the snow leopard, while the fox and the rabbit gained their freedom.

Of course, snow leopards are very precious to us now in Spiti and none of us would ever harm them. But you might still hear local people telling stories of snow leopards who like to drink blood and get very drunk…

Balu Thukangbu

Himkatha

Balu Thukangbu is a little man who lives in the Himalayas. In the Spiti region, you will hear stories of him from Kaza to Kibber, from Chicham to Tashigang, from Kee to Bur, from Demul to Sagnam.

No-one is quite sure where Balu lives. In Pin Valley, they say that Balu comes from biyul, a hidden land that only holy people can enter. In Kibber Valley, they say that Balu comes from a place just above Gete village, but no-one has seen him for a long time.

Balu is said to be one foot tall. He wears a one-foot-tall hat and carries a one-foot-tall stick. He can grant wishes, but first you must overpower him and take his stick and his hat.

This, however, is no easy task, because Balu has the strength of a bear.

He is also very hard to see. Some people say they once glimpsed something from the corner of their eye and wondered if it could have been Balu. Others say that only holy people or those with a fearful spirit can see him.

This does not stop people from trying, though. People love the idea of having their wishes granted. Some people even try to catch Balu and keep him as a servant.

Balu dislikes such treatment. If he is caught, Balu will try to escape and punish those who held him captive.

In early times, Balu used to play in Key pond, but some of the villagers tried to catch him. After that, he was afraid and did not want to come back.

This did not stop people from trying, all over Spiti. People love wishes.

One of the villagers did manage to get hold of him one day and put the stick and the hat in a place too high for him to reach. They made Balu live in the kitchen as a servant. At ploughing time, Balu was sent to help in the fields.

Ploughing is hard work and requires help from everyone. The villagers made sure that Balu was always on hand. He was charged with the task of maintaining the equipment and mending anything that got broken.

One day, the stick from the plough was broken, so a boy was sent back to the village to get a new stick. The boy was in a rush. He saw a stick on one of the high shelves in the kitchen and grabbed it. He ran back to the field and gave it to Balu so he could mend the plough.

As you have probably guessed, the boy had taken Balu’s stick by mistake. He handed the stick to the little man. With his stick returned to him, Balu was able to escape.

Balu was still angry at the way he was treated and cursed the village. From Kaza to Kibber, from Chicham to Tashigang, from Kee to Bur, from Demul to Sagnam, people talk about the fate of the village cursed by Balu. They agree that Balu is very formidable, despite his size.

Of course, that doesn’t put people off trying to catch him. People love wishes. Some people still try to catch a glimpse of him, and discuss whether they would try to catch him themselves if they saw him. What would you do?

Chicham, Tashigang, Kee, Demul and Gete are villages in the Spiti valley and fall on the left bank of the Spiti river.
Pin valley is a small valley inside Spiti which is known for its scenic beauty and very hospitable people, much like the rest of Spiti.
Bur and Sagnam are villages in Pin valley.
Key pond is a lovely pond near the Kee village.