Veer Lorik - The Ramayan of Ahir’s

The Bhojpuri folklore of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in India includes Veer Lorik. S.M. Pandey claims that the Ahirs believe it to be their Ramayana. Veer Lorik is a divine figure from an eastern Uttar Pradesh tribe called Ahir mythology. The primary characters of the regional folktale "Loriki," Lorik, and Manjari, are represented by it as being valiant and in love.

(hindi.webdunia.com)   Veer Lorik on the battle field

Literature has often left us in admiration of the high values and morals it brings along with it. One such unsung literature of the Bhojpuri hero Veer Lorik is worth giving a mention. The literary piece stands as an example of ideal love and is regarded as the Ramayana of Ahir.

Along the Son River (today in Sonbhadra district), lived the Agoris in the fifth century. Despite being a very good ruler, Molagat harbored jealousy for a Yadav man by the name of Mehra because of the influence he held. King Molagat once invited Mehra to a game of chance. The idea was put forth that the state would be ruled by the game's victor. After Mehra agreed to the king's request, they started playing cards. The king was forced to flee his realm after losing everything. When Lord Brahma, a disguised monk, saw the king's suffering, he came and offered him some monies and promised him that once he played a game with them, his rule would once again be in place. King obeyed and triumphed. Mehra lost six times and lost everything in his gambling, including his wife, who was carrying their child.. But it appeared like the king was kind to Mehra. If the unborn child was a male, he continued, he will work in the stables, and if it was a girl, she would be appointed to the Queen's service.

Manjari, Mehra's seventh child, was born as a girl. The King learned of this and dispatched soldiers to bring Manjari to him. However, Manjari's mother was adamant about keeping her child. Instead, she informed the king that he would have to assassinate her husband if he wanted to take Manjari with him.

Because of this, Manjari's parents were eager to find a husband for their daughter who could overthrow the monarch after the wedding. Manjari requested that her parents travel to the home of the Balia people to locate a small boy by the name of Yadav Veer Lorik. In a prior life, he had been her lover and was strong enough to overthrow the monarch.

The fathers of Manjari and Lorik eventually met, repairing the marriage. For the wedding, Lorik travelled with 500,000 guests to wed Manjari. The king dispatched his warriors to fight Lorik and seize Manjari when they arrived at the river's bank. In the war, Lorik appeared to have lost. Being a remarkable young lady, Manjari informs Veer Lorik that the Gothani village is close to the Agori Fort. She informs him that the village has a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and that if he visits it and offers prayers to the deity, victory will be his.

As a result of Lorik following Manjari's advice and winning the battle, the two got married. Manjari instructed Lorik to do something admirable before leaving the community so that everyone will remember how much they cared for one another. Veer Lorik questioned Manjari about what needs to be done for it to become a representation of pure love and for no loving pair to ever leave unsatisfied. Manjari requested Lorik to use the same sword he used to kill the King to chop the stone Manjari was pointing at. Lorik followed suit, splitting the stone in half. Manjari created the Veer Lorik Stone as a symbol of true love that would stand there forever by applying vermilion to her head using a piece of broken rock.

The stone exists even today and stands as a representation of love and valor and is worshipped by the community. Modern perspectives of love have changed over the period however the stories from the past do bring in hope and understanding of how it was exhibited.