Lungzubels, the timeless heritage of the Biate tribe in Assam

If you have explored the northeastern part of India, you must have come across the tradition of rice beer. It doesn’t matter which state you are in, rice beer or millet beer (Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim) is a big part of the local tradition. Nowadays, these alcoholic drinks are mostly restricted to special occasions like festivals or some other big social events. But one wonders, how were things back in the day, centuries ago.

We are here to talk about the Biates (pronounced as bee-yete), one of the oldest hill tribes of northeast India, belonging to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo family. At present, you will find Biate communities residing in Assam, Mizoram, Manipur and parts of Meghalaya. Lungzubel is a big part of the Biate story.

Lungzubel, when translated, means stone jars of rice beer. These 12-13th century stone relics, not confined to a particular place, can be found in many of the Biate inhabited areas. However, one such area stands out. Khobak, a Biate village, located approximately 130 km from Haflong, in Dima Hasao district, Assam, is where you can see a field of these stone relics. Reminds us of the Plain of Jars in Laos, doesn’t it?



Probably due to the lack of written records from those days, no one actually knows what these stone jars were initially used for. Today one assumes they were used to store alcoholic beverages, keeping the importance of rice beer in the northeastern culture in mind.


As per Biate legends, carving of stone monuments were a big part of the community’s tradition. Again, this is not confined to one particular community. We can see this in several ceremonial stone altars spread across Mizoram and Meghalaya (monoliths). Were these large stone jars specially carved out for the tribal chiefs, to honour them and their success in wars? Were they used during sacrificial ceremonies?


The forest of jars in Khobak has several of these relics in all sizes, probably abandoned by the early inhabitants after Christianity came in. After centuries of neglect, what we now have are these round hollowed stone jars in different stages of weathering.


The jars of Khobak are now under the care of the Archaeological Dept. of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Assam. These relics are now a part of the tangible history of Assam.

1. Where is Khobak?
   Khobak village is located 130 km from the district headquarters of Haflong in Dima Hasao district in Assam.
2. Where can we see Lungzubels?
   Lungzubels can be found in Khobak village in Assam and parts of Meghalaya.
3. When is the best time to visit Assam?
   October to April is the best time to visit Assam.