Sangeet Natak Academy Ministry of Culture Govt of India. Capturing the history of Changlang Village.

Story (Pungao)
YAA KHA - THE SPIRIT CAVE

Storytellers say that this is a tale that originated in a particular morung known as Yemluhu Paan at Changlang Village Mon District.

It was a usual routine in the Village for all able-bodied people to go to the field, while the aged and small children were left at home since they cannot work in the field. It was normal for the parents to leave their children with the grandparents while they went to work. However, for a few days an unusual phenomenon happened in the village. Everyday few children from Yemluhu Paan went missing and they were never found again. The villagers went in search of these missing children all around the village and the jungle, but they were not successful in tracing any of the lost children. The villagers wanted to find out the person responsible, but they were terrified and alarmed since the children went missing daily in an unusual manner. So, one day a hampa (warrior) from the village by the name of Pulang Khantok came forward and decided to wait alone at the Yemluhu Morung to find out the culprit. He put on his traditional attires to use himself as bait, and lay down in the morning pretending to be dead.

As he was waiting in the morung, a group of spirits emerged in the daylight when there was nobody around, and murmured among themselves saying they will fetch a big man today. They lifted up Pulang Khamtok, and began to carry him on their shoulders to take him to their cave. As they were about to take him inside the cave, he stretched his arms so that he couldn't fit inside the mouth of the cave. The Spirit reversed their position, so he in turn, stretched and widened his legs and prevented them once again from entering the cave carrying him. He then farted loudly which made the spirits shy away and leave him on the ground. They left him at the entrance and ran inside the cave saying "Yüpu shükpu yoyan," which means "he had shamed us, let us disperse from here."

It is believed that the people started to observe Yüpu after they learnt the principle through this incident which is practiced till the present generation.
After this incident, Pulang Khamtok went back to the villagers and narrated the odious story and told them about the discovery of the spirit cave where their children were taken. The villagers were outraged and dismantled the thatch house of a widow and used it to set ablaze the cave of the spirits to avenge them. While the villagers waited outside the cave, they saw the smoke rising up at Yangnyu ong. They followed the smoke and managed to catch one tiny spirit (Yaajü Khahha). After interrogating him, they learned that their children were eaten by the spirits, which left them devastated. So, to redress the mourning villagers, the tiny spirit blessed the seeds of rice and millet for the villagers.
Thus, it is believed that from that day onwards, the villagers cultivated paddy and millets and this is continued till the present day.