The town of Lotre has a tradition in the Moroccan folklore that relates it to the snake, Makhaira. Legend has it that a serpentine woman tempted the mortal Makhaira with the offer of eternal youth, then Lord Makhaira swallowed her whole life in order to satisfy his hunger. Makhaira is believed to be the source of lotus flowers. In Arabic, the name “Makhaira” means flower in Persian. The lotus blossom represents the symbolization of chastity. The blossom also represents resurrection and eternal life.
Another version of the legend of Lotre is told in the Telah Memenanggan Dua (Book of Secrets of the Temple of Heaven), written by Sheikh al-Nabi. It is said that when the mortal Makhaira became drunk and fell into a hole on the earth, he was turned into a dragon. A dragon, according to the legend, has the power to turn other people into toads. But if the mortal Makhaira succeeds in turning into a dragon, then he will destroy Telah, and all the otters in the valley will turn to stone.
This legend explains why there are so many statues in Lotre; to protect himself from evil. However, the story is not the only basis of Lotre legends, and much of what is reported in the books of the Telah Memenanggan Dua does not make any sense. Some of the terms used for identification in Lotre are baser, Bali, jelq, rizha, and makhaira. Some of these names do not sound like the phonetic spelling of words that exist in Moroccan, let alone the context of the place.
One common myth about the origin of the name “lotre” is that it is derived from the Sanskrit word “lotus,” which literally means half-goat. There is no evidence of this. The most likely origin of the term, as it relates to the story of LotR, is “bahi rama” or “books and mirrors.” Another story told about LotR is that the daughter of King Balasa (or Balaris) was given as a gift a book by her father’s steward, who was called “Bookman.” The term “books and mirrors” is used in the modern context to refer to the Buddhist monasteries of Java, but the reference to “book man” is a mistranslation.
One of the most popular legends in LotR, the one that inspired the modern temple at Dilbar, is that of the Baga Jugga. In the story, LotR passage into Bagdad is described as being guarded by three maidens, known as the “Bagada.” One of these maidens, named Membeli Dua Tika Undian, is forced to marry a man named Ingin. She is given the task of guarding the entrance to the royal fortress of Baga. When she arrives there with a mirror, she finds that the entrance has been blocked.
Legend has it that Membeli had to carry the heavy, double-headed step down the stairs of the fortress, but when she reached the threshold, Ingus beheld her and asked her why she had come. She answered that she had been appointed to guard the entrance to the royal palace, and that she had no other work to do but to guard the mirror. Ingus then blesses her and gives her the key to the guarded door. Legend has it that the maidens who guarded the entrance to the Baga palace later discovered that Membeli Dua Tika Undian had died of exhaustion and shame, and that her spirit had manifested itself in the mirror, in order for her to find a worthy husband.
