Mura Puk at Champhai Zote, Mizoram

It is not known exactly when these caves had been made. When Zote was reinhabited under the leadership of Chief Laitea in 1899, these caves were already there, bearing the name of "Mura Puk". It has been said that there were seven caves in all, but one had been covered by landslide. Even though the origin of these caves are not known clearly, they had served as a place of refuge from gigantic eagle called Mura. According to accounts about the shooting of Mura by Khualkhawla, Mura is a huge and fearful eagle. One of its talons is as big as the horn of a female mithun, and the skin around its lower beak was big enough for a man's cap. Other stories tell of how the Mura would perch on the roof of a house, covering both sides of the house with its wings, clearing out the house from the backside with its tail and then eating the people who run out of the door. As the Mura is such a fearful predator, it seems that people would run to the caves for refuge when an attack is feared. In the olden days, these caves were said to have big door-like covers made of
stone which safely guards the inside.

MIZO

Heng Mura Pukte hi engtik hunlaia siam nge a nih hriat a ni lova, kum 1899 a Laitea hova Zote khua an dinthar leh lai pawh khan an lo awm reng tawh a ni. Khatih hunlai pawh khan ‘Mura Puk’ tiin a hming an lo sawi tawh a. Puk hi 7 (pasarih) lai awm thin a sawi a ni a, pakhat chu leiminin a chhilh bo ta a ni. Heng pukte hi an lo awm tan dan hriatchian ni lo mahse, Mura laka an him theihna tura biruk nan an siam ni a sawi a ni.

Pu Khualkhawla Mura kah chanchin ziahnaa a lan  dan chuan, Mura chu mupui lian  leh tihbaiawm tak a ni a, a ketin ringawt pawh sepui ki tiat lai leh a khabawr pawh patling lukhum tawk zet a ni. Inchungah bawkin a thlain bang chhak leh bang thlang a hup a, kawmchar lam atangin a meiin inchhung a hawl a, kawngka a mihring tlanchhuak apiang a lo chuk ta thin a ni. Mura chu chutiang taka hlauhawm a nih avang chuan heng pukah te hian an tlanchhe thin a ni awm e. Hmanlai chuan heng pukte hian lungchhin tha tak an nei thin a, a chhung pawh a vawng him tha viau niin an sawi.