Veer Lorik

Veer Lorik Stone
Veer Lorik Stone
Location	Markundi Hill, Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, India
Nearest city	Robertsganj, Uttar Pradesh, India

Last updated November 28, 2023

Veer Lorik is part of the Bhojpuri folklore of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. According to S.M. Pandey, it is considered to be the Ramayana by the Ahir.^[1] Veer Lorik is a divine character of the legend of the Ahir of eastern Uttar Pradesh.^[2]^[3]^[4] The Veer Lorik Stone on the banks of the Son River in the Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, contains a love story. He is sometimes known as the Lorikayan, after the folkloric tale of that name.

Story

During the 5th century, there was a state called Agori along the Son River (now located in Sonbhadra district). Molagat, the ruling king of the state, despite being a very good king, was jealous of a Yadav man named Mehra because of the power he wielded. One day King Molagat invited Mehra to a gambling match. It was proposed that the winner of the gambling game will rule over the state. Mehra accepted the king's proposal and they began gambling. The king lost everything and had to leave his kingdom. Seeing the plight of the king, Lord Brahma came as a disguised monk and gave him some coins, assuring him that once he plays a game with those coins, his rule would return. The king obeyed, and won. Mehra lost six times and gambled everything away, including his wife, who was pregnant. In the seventh time, he lost his wife's womb as well. But the king seemed to show generosity towards Mehra. He said that if the upcoming baby is a boy then he will work in the stables and if it is girl, she will be appointed in the service of the Queen.

Mehra's seventh child was born as a girl, and named Manjari. When the King discovered this, he sent soldiers to bring Manjari to him. But Manjari's mother refused to part with her daughter. Instead, she sent a message to the king that he would have to kill Manjari's husband if he wanted to take her with him.

Hence, Manjari's parents were anxious to find a suitor for Manjari who could defeat the king after the wedding. Manjari asked her parents to go to the place of the people named Balia where they will find a youngster named Yadav Veer Lorik.^[2]^[1]^[4] He was her lover in a previous life, and also capable of defeating the king.

Manjari and Lorik's fathers met and the marriage gets fixed. Lorik comes over with half a million people for the wedding, to marry Manjari. When they reached the bank of the river son, the king sent his troops to fight Lorik and capture Manjari. Lorik seemed to be defeated in the war. Manjari, being an extraordinary girl, goes to Veer Lorik and tells him that there is a village named Gothani near the Agori Fort . She tells him that there is a temple of Lord Shiva in that village and if he goes there and prays to the god, victory will be his.

Lorik does what Manjari said and wins the war so the both married each other. Before leaving the threshold of the village, Manjari tells Lorik to do something great so that the people remember that they loved each other to such an extent. Veer Lorik asked Manjari that what must he do so that it becomes a symbol of true love and no loving couple would ever return disappointed from here. Manjari, pointing at a stone, asked Lorik to cut the stone with the same sword he used to kill the King. Lorik did the same, the stone got cut in two pieces. Manjari applied vermilion to her head from a fragmented rock and made the Veer Lorik Stone as Sign of true love, to stand there forever.^[5]

SM Pandey called it the national epic of the Ahirs.^[6]

Veer Lorik Stone

Veer Lorik Stone, also known in Hindi as Veer Lorik Patthar (English veer;brave, patthar;stone), is situated around 5 km from Robertsganj on Markundi Hill, in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is a symbol of love and bravery of Lorik and Manjari, the main characters of the local folklore ‘Loriki’. According to the folk tale, Yadav Veer Lorik cut this stone, using his sword, in a single stroke, as proof of his true love. Several folk songs, sung by native folksingers, are based on Loriki. Govardhan Puja, a Hindu festival, is celebrated here every year.^[7]

During Govardhan Puja, many couples come here to pray for everlasting love, like that of Veer Lorik and Manjari.^[8]

Near By

Legacy

Veer Lorik Statue, Bandihuli, Baheri (Darbhanga)^[9]
In 1970, a caste-based militia named "Lorik Sena" was also established in Lorik's name and operated in Bihar.^[10]
Veer Ahir, a 1924 Indian silent film directed by Homi Master.^[11]

Related Research Articles

Purvanchal is a proposed state in the Bhojpuri region of eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Sonbhadra or Sonanchal or Switzerland of India is the second largest district by area of Uttar Pradesh after Lakhimpur Kheri. It is the only district in India which borders four states, namely Madhya Pradesh to the west, Chhattishgarh to the south, Jharkhand in the south-east and Bihar to the north-east. The district has an area of 6,788 km² (2,621 sq mi) and a population of 1,862,559, with a population density of 270 inhabitants per square kilometre (700/sq mi). It lies in the extreme south-east of the state, and is bounded by Mirzapur district to the northwest, Chandauli district to the north, Kaimur and Rohtas districts of Bihar state to the north-east, Garhwa district of Jharkhand state to the east, Balrampur District of Chhattisgarh state to the south, and Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh state to the west. The district headquarters is in the town of Robertsganj. Sonbhadra district is an industrial zone and it has much bauxite, limestone, coal, gold, etc. It is called the "Energy Capital of India" because there are multiple power plants.

Robertsganj also known as Sonbhadra City is a city and a municipal board in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Dhadhor, also known as Dharhor or Dhirhor, is an inferior (lowly) subcaste of the Ahir community, predominantly found in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This subcaste has played a significant role in the socio-political landscape of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, marked by their the establishment of the Bhiti Rawat State of in Gorakhpur.

Yadav refers to a grouping of traditionally non-elite, peasant-pastoral communities or castes in India that since the 19th and 20th centuries have claimed descent from the mythological king Yadu as a part of a movement of social and political resurgence. The term Yadav now covers many traditional peasant-pastoral castes such as Ahirs of the Hindi belt and the Gavli of Maharashtra.

The Bhuiyan or Bhuiya are an indigenous community found in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. They are not only geographically disparate but also have many cultural variations and subgroups.

Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav, known with the honorific "Sher-e-Bihar", also known as Ramlakhan Babu, was an Indian freedom fighter, educationist, social reformer and politician. The half a century long political journey of Ramlakhan Babu, which started in post-independence era as a member of the Zilla Parishad in 1947, reached the pinnacle of becoming a Union Minister in the Central Government in 1994.He was elected to the 10th Lok Sabha, lower house of the Parliament of India from the Arrah, Bihar in 1991 as a member of the Janata Dal but joined the Congress in controversial circumstances which helped save Narasimha Rao Government in the 28 July 1993 no confidence vote. He was the Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers in the Narasimha Rao Government.

Bhojpuri literature includes literature written in Bhojpuri language. Bhojpuri has developed over a course of 1300 years, the development of the language started in 7th century. The earliest form of Bhojpuri can be seen in the writings of Siddha Saints and Charyapada. Distinct literary traditions in Bhojpuri language date back to medieval periods when saints and bhakts of the region adapted a mixed language for their works.

Agori Fort is a fort located at distance of about 10 km from Chopan near Obra at riverside of Son River, in the Sonbhadra district, which is 35 km from Robertsganj, on SH 5 Road in the Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh India. There is a temple of Goddess Kali. This is Religious place for the Agori Baba. Agori Fort was the residential palace of the Khayaravala dynasty and Chandel dynasty.

Phagu Chauhan is an Indian politician serving as the 20th Governor of Meghalaya. He previously served as the 29th Governor of Bihar. He is a former member of 17th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh from Ghosi, a seat he won a record six times, representing various parties like Lok Dal, Bahujan Samaj Party and Bharatiya Janata Party.

Dabang Sarkar is a 2018 Indian Bhojpuri-language action drama film directed by Yogesh Raj Mishra and produced by Deepak Kumar and Rahul Vohra. It stars Khesari Lal Yadav and Akansha Awshthi. Sanjay Pandey, Deepika Tripathi, Anoop Arora, Samarth Chaturvedi, CP Bhatt, Jayashankat Pandey, Vineet Vishal and others play supporting roles. Kajal Raghwani makes a special appearance in a song.

<i>Muqaddar</i> (2017 film) Bhojpuri Film

Muqaddar is a 2017 Indian Bhojpuri-language action-romance-musical drama film written and directed by Sekhar Sharma and produced by Wasim S. Khan. The film stars Khesari Lal Yadav and Kajal Raghwani are in lead roles, while Shubhi Sharma, Shamim Khan, Awadhesh Mishra, Baleshwar Singh, C P Bhatt, Prakash Jais, Ayaz Khan, J Neelam, Nagesh Mishra, Hemant Samrat, Abhay Rai, Nasir Khan and Santosh Verma are in supporting roles.

Damru is a 2018 Indian Bhojpuri-language action drama film directed by Rajnish Mishra and produced by Pradeep K Sharma under banner of "Baba Motion Pictures Pvt Ltd". It stars Khesari Lal Yadav and Yashika Kapoor, while Awadhesh Mishra, Padam Singh, Anand Mohan, Rohit Singh "Matru", Subodh Seth, Devendra Singh and Kiran Yadav play supporting roles. Director of this film Rajnish Mishra and lyricist Pawan Pandey make a special appearance in song "Tohra Karam Se Maula".

Jai Hind is a 2019 Indian, Bhojpuri language action romantic drama film directed by Firoj and jointly produced by Abhay Sinha, Prashant Jammuwala, Aparna Shah, Vishal Gurnani and Sameer Aftab with co-produced by Madz Movies and Padam Singh. It stars Pawan Singh and Madhu Sharma in the lead roles, while Aakanksha Awasthi, Priyanka Pandit, Mir Sarwar, Sanjay Pandey, Apurv Ratan, Brijesh Tripathi, Anoop Arora, Pervez Malik, Anita Sahgal, Mehnaaz Shroff and Sanjay Verma in supporting roles. One of producer of this film Sameer Aftab make a friendly appearance and "Luliya Mangele" fame Nidhi Jha make a special appearance in this film.

<i>Baap Ji</i> 2021 Indian Bhojpuri film

Baap Ji is a 2021 Indian Bhojpuri-language action comedy drama film directed by Dev Pandey and produced by Ramjit Jaiswal under his production house "Govinda & Sagar Films Entertainment". The stars Khesari Lal Yadav in the lead role and Ritu Singh in the opposite role. While Manoj Singh Tiger, C P Bhatt, Brijesh Tripathi, Saheb Lal Dhari, Abhay Rai, Prakash Jais, Sanjay Verma, Ritu Pandey and others in supporting roles. Kajal Raghwani make a special appearance in a song.

Lorikayan is the most famous folklore of Bhojpuri. Its protagonist is Lorik. The sense in which the hero narrates the life-events of Lorik in this folklore full of heroic rasa, is delightful to see and hear. Lorik is remembered as a great ancestor of historical heroes and Ahirs. It is also called the 'Ramayana' of the Ahir caste.

Dulhan Wahi Jo Piya Man Bhaye is a 2021 Bhojpuri-language romantic drama film written and directed by Rajnish Mishra and jointly produced by Abhay Sinha, Prashant Jammuwala and Samir Aftab under banner of "Yashi Films" and Ease My Trip.com. The film stars Khesari Lal Yadav, Madhu Sharma and, Kajal Raghwani in the lead role. Amit Shukla, Ananjay Raghuraj, Sammy Jonas Heaney, Padam Singh, Mehnaz Shroff, Anoop Arora, Ravi Arora, Pyare Lal Yadav, Neelkamal Singh and others appear supporting roles.

Krishnaut or Kishnaut Ahir is a ruling clan of the Yadav (Ahir) caste found in Bihar, Jharkhand and Nepal. The term Krishnaut which to them denotes their descent from Lord Krishna.

Yadavs in Bihar refers to the people of Yadav community of the Indian state of Bihar. They are also known as Ahir, Gope and, Rai etc. The Yadavs form nearly 14.26 % of the state's population and are included in the Other Backward Class category in the Bihar state of India.

The Gwalvanshi Ahirs are historically associated with cowherding. According to History Professor Rahul Shukla, the Gwalvanshi Ahirs had settled in Azamgarh, Varanasi, Gorkakhpur, Mirzapur, Jaunpur etc. Most of the Ahirs in Awadh are Gwalvanshis only. They are also found in the historical Braj region though in small numbers. In the Varanasi district, they are known as "Sardars". Every Veer Baba in Varanasi was often a Gwalvanshi Ahir.

References

1 2 "बलिया के वीर ने पत्थर के सीने में जड़ा प्रेम". Jagran .
1 2 Singh, Shankar Dayal. Bihar : Ek Sanstkritik Vaibhav, from..._Shankar Dayal Singh – Google Books. ISBN 81-7182-294-0 . Retrieved 22 June 2020.
↑ Bihar :BIHAR SAMANYA GYAN, from..._Dr. Manish Ranjan, IAS – Google Books. ISBN 9789353227722 . Retrieved 22 June 2020.
1 2 Kala ka Saundrya-1– Google Books. ISBN 978-81-8143-888-1 . Retrieved 22 June 2020.
↑ "great love story of manjari and lorik". www.patrika.com. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
↑ Pandey, Shyam Manohar (1987). The Hindi oral epic Lorikayan, from ... –Shyam Manohar Pandey– Google Books . Retrieved 23 June 2020.
↑ "Khaulte dudh se kiya snan". No. daily. www.Jagaran.com. Jagaran. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
↑ "जाजम पर बैठ ग्रामीणों ने किए निर्णय | villagers decided in sittings". Patrika News. 20 October 2016.
↑ "नंदकिशोर ने वीर लोरिक की प्रतिमा का किया अनावरण". Prabhat Khabar. No. daily. Prabhat Khabar. Prabhat Khabar. 13 May 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
↑ Smita Tewari Jassal (2012). Unearthing Gender: Folksongs of North India. Duke University Press. p. 267. ISBN 9780822351306.
↑ Ashish Rajadhyaksha; Paul Willemen (10 July 2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Taylor & Francis. p. 39. ISBN 978-1-135-94325-7.