Tradition / Region: Indian Mythology
Alternative names: Kao Phaba, Khambana Kao Phaba, Kau Phaapa
Category: Cow
The Myth
Kao was a powerful divine bull that terrorized the people of the Khuman kingdom, killing those who came near the waters where it lived. Its enormous strength and dangerous horns made it impossible for ordinary people to capture.
A wealthy nobleman named Kongyamba wanted the bull captured, but instead of facing it himself, he tricked the brave Khuman warrior Khamba into accepting the task. Kongyamba claimed that the god Thangjing demanded the bull as an offering and told the king that Khamba had promised to capture it. The king then declared that Khamba would be allowed to marry Princess Thoibi if he succeeded.
A great gathering was arranged between the kingdoms, and an enormous enclosure was built for the capture of Kao. On the day of the contest, Khamba faced the charging bull and seized it by the horns. Kao carried him deep into the forest, but Khamba remembered the secret given to him by his sister Khamnu.
She had revealed that Kao had once belonged to their father’s herd. Khamba spoke their father’s name to the bull and showed it a silk rope. At once, the furious beast became calm and gentle.
Khamba began leading Kao back toward the gathering. Kongyamba intercepted them and falsely claimed that he had captured the bull himself. When the dispute could not be settled, Kongyamba was ordered to face Kao inside the enclosure. Terrified, he climbed away from the bull, while Khamba once again confronted the beast and successfully captured it.
The capture of Kao became one of the celebrated episodes of the Khamba Thoibi epic, remembered as Kao Phaba, the taking or capture of the sacred bull.
Sources
“Kao (bull).” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kao_(bull)