Legend of the sword in the lake halts plans to build huge dam in Manipur

[icymist]

North-east India's equivalent of King Arthur has ridden to the rescue of thousands of people opposing a massive dam project that will flood their homes.

The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, cancelled plans to lay the foundation stone for the dam this weekend in the face of massive protests by tribal groups who say it will inundate the sacred lake still believed to hold the region's answer to Excalibur.

Manipur, the state where the dam is supposed to be built, lies in India's impoverished and insurgency-racked north-east, and is home to tribal groups who have their own distinct culture. Now that culture has brought a major project to build a 520ft hydroelectric dam to a standstill.

Manipur's tribal people say the dam will destroy the lake where the sword of one of their greatest heroes, Jadonang, is believed to lie. It will also submerge an island called Thiledam, meaning "Life and Death", where they believe the souls of the dead rest, an echo of the isle of Avalon, the supposed resting place of King Arthur.

Read the article