According to the Songkran legend, Thao Kabinlaphrom loses his head in a riddle contest.
The story says that Thao Kabinlaphrom, a powerful figure associated with the festival’s mythology, challenges the clever young man Dhammabal. The contest involves questions about where human fortune or radiance is located at different times of day. Dhammabal receives the answers and wins, leaving Kabinlaphrom bound by his promise to surrender his head.
The legend explains why the Nang Songkran, Kabinlaphrom’s seven daughters, take turns carrying their father’s head in an annual procession. The head is treated as dangerous: placing it on Earth could cause fire, while putting it in water could cause floods. The daughters therefore circle Mount Meru with it before returning it to a cave.
This mythological narrative is separate from the historical development of water blessings and temple customs. It is one reason the festival has an elaborate calendar of Nang Songkran figures.