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Sanamahism, also known as Meiteism, or Lainingthouism is an ethnic religion of the Meitei people of Manipur, in Northeast India. It is a polytheistic religion and is named after Lainingthou Sanamahi, one of the most important deities of the Meitei faith. Sanamahi is the eldest son of the supreme god Sidaba Mapu and the supreme goddess Leimarel Sidabi. Traditionally every Meitei household, irrespective of the religion, worships Sanamahi and Leimarel Sidabi. Sanamahism does not have a religious head but has a body, the Maru Loishang, that oversees the main religious activities and governs all affairs of the religion, including the conduct of priest and priestess. The Maru Loishang also acts a court for religious disputes. There are three main departments under the Manu Loishang, namely, the Amaiba Loishang, the Pena Asheiba Loishang, and the Amaibi Loishang. These departments have existed since the reign of King Meidingu Hongnemyoi Khunjao Naothingkhong of Manipur in 662 AD. Sanamahi is the eldest son of the supreme god Sidaba Mapu and the supreme goddess Leimarel Sidabi.
Lai Haraoba is a traditional Meitei religious festival of ritual dance and musical theatre, celebrated annually in honour of Umang Lais, the forest deities of Sanamahism.
Pakhangba is a primordial deity, often represented in the form of a dragon, in Meitei mythology and Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. He is depicted in the heraldry of Manipur kingdom, which originated in paphal, mythical illustrations of the deity. It is believed that the ancestor of one of the Meitei clans manifested himself as the Pakhangba.
Sidaba Mapu or Salailel is the Supreme god, creator of Universe and the Sky God in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. According to Meitei mythology, Sidaba Mapu, being the Creator of the Universe, from a philosophical theory known as Leithak Leikharol Nongsemlon and Leisemlon.
Panthoibi, also known as Nongpok Leima, is a goddess associated with civilization, courage, fertility, handicraft, love, victory, warfare and wisdom in the mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak. She is a consort of the God Nongpok Ningthou. She is considered to be one of the divine incarnations of Leimarel Sidabi and is also identified as a form of Goddess Nongthang Leima. She is worshipped mainly by the Meitei people in Manipur, Assam, Tripura, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Nongshaba is a lion god in Sanamahism and Meitei mythology. He is also regarded as a king of the gods. He is credited with producing light in the primordial universe and is regarded as the maker of the sun. He is worshipped by the people of both the Ningthouja clans as well as the Moirang clans. Nongshaba was worshipped by the people of Moirang clan as a lineage deity and regarded as the father of the god Thangching. He is the greatest of the Umang Lais but he made his only son Thangching the chief deity of Moirang.
Irai Leima is a goddess in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. She is the goddess and the divine female personification of water and aquatic life. She is the consort of Irai Ningthou. Both are regarded as the divine spirits of water bodies. She is also considered to be in charge of diseases.
Nongpok Ningthou, also known as the Sovereign of the East or King of the East, is a deity in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. He is the ruling guardian deity of the eastern direction. Legend says Nongpok Ningthou and his consort Panthoibi were united in the Nongmaiching Ching mountains. Later, they were worshipped as the civilization giving deities in Meitei religion.
Kounu is a goddess in Meitei mythology and Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. She is a consort of the god Koupalu. She is the guardian of the northern direction. Kounu has two homes. Her main home is on Mount Kounu. Her other home is in Mount Koubru, which is where her husband Koupalu (Koubru) lives. She is worshipped with Koubru as the deities of the Khullakpa. Kounu and Koubru ruled ancient Manipur for a very long time after the reign of King Ningthou Puthiba.
There are many different dance styles from Manipur, a state in northeastern India bordering with Myanmar (Burma), Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram. Manipuri dances encompasses both classical and folk dance forms. The Raas Leela is one of the major Indian classical dance forms. The folk dance forms are mainly attributed to ancient Meitei deities such as Umang Lai and performed during Lai Haraoba, and also the dances of the different tribal communities of Manipur.
Khoriphaba is a God in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. He is the son of Sky God Salailen and the Goddess Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi. He came down from heaven to earth to search for his mother and then for a bride. He is best known for wrestling with Loyalakpa in the Lai Haraoba festival. He is also a Sagol Kangjei(polo)-playing God.
Khamlangba is a deity in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. He is the God of iron, mining, metallurgy, steel manufacturing, hunting and war. His occupation is the extraction of the iron ores and the manufacture of steel. The Khamlangba Thenlon text mentions about his skills of iron metallurgy and blacksmith in ancient Kakching kingdom.
Pureiromba is a God in Meitei mythology and religion. He is the giver of rain and agricultural prosperity. He is one of the major Umang Lai deities. He is the Ancestor God of the Angom clan of the Meitei ethnicity.
Panam Ningthou is a God in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. He is the protector of crops, especially rice, from hailstorms and thunder. According to legends, He ignited the first fire with flint. He is one of the Umang Lai deities.
The ancient legend of Kadeng Thangjahanba and Tonu Laijinglembi is an epic cycle of incarnations of Meitei mythology and folklore from Moirang kingdom of Ancient Kangleipak. It concerns the fateful love of Kadeng Thangjahanba, a skilled blacksmith, for the beautiful Tonu Laijinglembi.
Nongmaiching Hill or Nongmaijing Hill, also known as the Selloi Langmai Ching, is a hill in the Imphal Valley in Manipur, India. It rises to the east of the Imphal City with a peak at an elevation of 5,133 feet (1,565 m) above sea level. It is a holy pilgrimage site for the Meitei people. In Meitei mythology and religion (Sanamahism), it is a sacred mountain and the abode of God Nongpok Ningthou and Goddess Panthoibi. In Meitei folklore, the Nongmaiching is described as the hill that produces "the seven days of a week".
"Atingkok" is the Supreme Creator God of the universe in Meitei mythology and religion. He is regarded as the legendary male ancestor of the living beings on the earth.
The Ougri Hangen or the Ougri Hangken is a Meitei cultural ritual song with various appellations of the sun and the mythology of creation. It is often sung in the conclusion of the Lai Haraoba festival. Its theme is closely associated with the creation myth of the earth itself. It is also regarded as the song of thanksgiving to the Almighty God. It is always sung in the chorus formed by the male singers with the maiba as the precentor and is strongly enjoined that the chains of the singers forming a circle should never be snapped. It is also known for its incantatory power, for with the alteration of a few lines, it is believed to have been able to cause either prosperity or destruction of the kingdom and the people.
Jagoi refers to the arts of dance in Meitei culture.
References
- ↑ Khaute, Lallian Mang (2010). The Sangai: The Pride of Manipur. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-7835-772-0.
- ↑ Parratt, Saroj Nalini (1997). The Pleasing of the Gods: Meitei Lai Haraoba. Vikas Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-259-0416-8.
- ↑ Khaute, Lallian Mang (2010). The Sangai: The Pride of Manipur. Gyan Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-7835-772-0.
- ↑ Session, North East India History Association (1990). Proceedings of North East India History Association. The Association.
- ↑ Singh, Moirangthem Kirti (1993). Folk Culture of Manipur. Manas Publications. ISBN 978-81-7049-063-0.
- ↑ Ray, Asok Kumar; Chakraborty, Satyabrata (2008). Society, Politics, and Development in North East India: Essays in Memory of Dr. Basudeb Datta Ray. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-8069-572-8.
- ↑ Singh, Elangbam Nilakanta (1982). Aspects of Indian Culture. Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy.
- ↑ Devi, Maimom Shanti (2001). Development of Education in Manipur. Rajesh Publications. ISBN 978-81-85891-29-3.
- ↑ Brara, N. Vijaylakshmi (1998). Politics, Society, and Cosmology in India's North East. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-564331-2.
- ↑ Medieval Indian Literature: An Anthology. Sahitya Akademi. 1997. ISBN 9788126003655.
- ↑ Parratt, Saroj Nalini (1997). The Pleasing of the Gods: Meitei Lai Haraoba. Vikas Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-259-0416-8.