Archive:Sanamahism

Sanamahi is the worship of Sanamahi, the Creator aspect of Sidaba Mapu, the trinity God of the Meeteis. Sanamahism is one of the oldest sects of South Asia. It originated in Manipur, India and is mainly practiced by the Meeteis, Kabui, Zeliangrong and other communities who inhabit Manipur, Assam, Tripura, Myanmar and Bangladesh, with small populations in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada.

Revivalism

Religion in Manipur is thought to have passed through three stages.

According to the last census, about eleven percent of Manipur belong to religions stated as 'other'. Most of this population can be assumed to represent followers of the Sanamahi religion. This represents a significant increase over the previous census. The revivalism of Sanamahism is recognized by the census records of the government of India due to the efforts of R. K. Birendro Singh, I.A.S.

Attitude of indigenous people of Manipur to the religion and concept of God is not possible without the proper understanding of Sanamahi religion. Pakhangba Laining was also currently employed to signify revivalism.

Form of Worship

In assimilate features such as the worship of forces of nature like fire, water, mountain etc. ancestor worship (Apokpa), Lamlai, Yumlai, Ningthoulai and Umanglai. Religion of antiquity – in its pure native form it is as all as the history of Meetei/Meitei people.

Deities worshiped

There is reference to the worship of Sanamahi by King Kangba in the Hayi age. Manipur is a land of deities with Atiya Shidaba as the Supreme God.

Atiya Shidaba, Apanba and Asheeba are the three manifestations or incarnations of God as the creator, the preserver and the annihilator of this universe respectively. Pakhangba, Sannamahi and Nongpok Ningthou are the incarnations who play the role of the male deities of the Meeteis whereas Leimarel Shidabi and Panthoibi, the role of female deities.

Panthoibi is the Mother of the Universe and Nongpok Ningthou is her mate. Besides these, three hundred and sixty four deities with their consorts are the most important deities worshipped by the Meeteis.

The Plain Kabui are observed in worship of Sanamahi and Ima Leimarel.

Sanamahi (also known as Aseeba) has a creator brother (like him) named Pakhangba (Konjin Tukthapa).

Some of the important mythical gods worshipped by the Meiteis are:

Shidaba Mapu (Immortal Owner),

Pakhangba,

Lainingthou Sanamahi,

Ima Leimarel Shidabi,

Apokpa,

Imoinu,

Panthoibi (goddess of valor and battle),

Yumjao Lairenbi,

Phouoibi (goddess of bounty),

Marjing (god of sports),

Thangjing, and

Wangbren (god of rain)(Kumar 2004, 92).

They also worshipped the Umanglais (forest gods/spirits).

Food offerings

Devout Meeteis offer food at sacred spots daily.

Festivals

Cheiraoba

Chahihouba is the real New Year' Day for Meetei and is observed every year on Wakching - the first day of the first month - Wakching of Meetei Calender. The Meeteis have their own calendar known as Thaballon. A calendar year has twelve months viz. Wakching Failel Lamta Sachifu Kalel Eenga Eengen Thouwan Langpal Mela Heeyangkei and Poinu. Wakching mainly falls during the month of December last week - Janauary Last week. But after 18th Century (when Hinduism came) they burnt out most of the Puyas and forcely converted the name Charak Pujah as Cheiraoba. Since then to make alive the festival Charak Pujah of the Hindus converted as the New Year's Day for Meetei to match with the Hindu Calendar and is observed every year on April i.e. the day on which CHARAK PUJAH falls and converted the name Charak Pujah as Cheiraoba. he gate of House and offer those to three deities - Kumsana Kumliklai, Lamsenba Tusenba and Lammaba Tumaba (Cheiraoba Masil).During the festival each and every family prepared many special curry/items and after offering to the gods and goddesses, the items are exchange with our relatives which is called as Mathel Lanba. It is believed that on the day of new year everybody should be healthy so that the whole year will be healthy i.e. why it is a must to climb the nearest hill to digest whatever the items/curry taken on that day. Again prior to the day of cheiraoba/meitei new year, there is a custom that a married woman should present a gift to her father and her brothers.

Puya recorded 12 months named as in the embryological process and progress with a strong scientific foundation many centuries ago. -

Wakching

Failel

Lamta

Sachifu

Kalel

Eenga

Eengen

Thouwan

Langpal

Mela

Heeyangkei

Poinu

1.The statement of the puya about kok (human head) is very authoritative that head is the source of everything including human sperm. Please mark Lang-on khutingki" in the last part of the Puya quotation. The word "Wakching", the name of the first month of the Kangleipak Meetei race is a derivative of the combination of two words/concepts "wakon" + "Ching". The first syllable of the word wakching, that is "Wak" may mean "Wakon", "Wakonpung", the abode of the universal God Father. The second syllable of the word Wakching, that is "ching" may mean "Konching", "Wakonching", "ching" mean chingkhatpa, pulling up, etc. Therefore, the meaning of the first month of the 12 months of the Kangleipak Meetei Race, Wakching is pulling up and storing in the Wakonpung (human head, head of all living beings) of the semen including the sperm. Now in the 21st century everybody on the Earth agree that reproduction starts from the (Head).

2.The 2nd month's name is Failel (Fairel). The meaning of 'Failel' is Fai+lel. Failel = Fai + lel, here Fai means Leipa further means stay, staying + lel, means here lelpa, further means staying for further doing works for improvement or perfection. Now science agree that the human body system takes about two months in manufacturing a sperm perfectly from the best elements from the foods and drinks, ate and drank by the subject.From these facts, we generally say that mapana tha ani nou pui (Father is pregnant for two months before the nou(child) comes to the womb of the mother). In the last five days of the two months when the sperm stays in the head of the human father, just before the sperm comes to the mother-would-be woman, the pupils of the human Father bifurcate into two, showing one part will go to mother-would-be woman for a new Lang-on.

3.The 3rd month of the Kangleipak Meetei race is Lamta.The meaning of Lamta: Lamta = Lam + ta, here lam means a part of the earth commonly. In the concept of the puya, human body is called 'Leipak Ahingpi'. The human seed (sperm) is shown to the body of the "eema" (Leipak Ahingpi), in the quotation above 'Chalot' means womb 'ta' here means tale=tare on the 'Leipak Ahingpi'. Therefore, the meaning of the 3rd month Lamta is that the human seed (sperm) has fallen well on the body of the would-be-mother woman for a new langon after 10 months in her body. The fourth month of the Kangleipak Meetei race is Sachifu (misnamed Sajibu after the advent of Hinduism).

4.Sachifu = Sa + chi + fur, sa here means the body part of the living beings including of the human, meaning the 'sperm' with the liquid portion, in another meaning the 'Sanamahi', chi here means chisillakpa, further means coming of the sanamahi in the womb to transform into Ha chak, konchak and langpa chak in the womb, fu here simply means chafu, that is, womb.The puya is very categorical about the naming and the process and progress of the 4th month in its life journey in the transformation beginning from the head of the human father to the womb of the human mother and finally as man and woman on the Earth. Please mark the "Sachifu leikhun toulakpa milel papot lonpana". Here "Sachifu leikhun Toulakpa" means the journey of the human sperm to come directly in the womb after fertilization and "milel papot lonpa" means the human mother has two lives – one her own live and the second new developing life in the womb.

5.The fifth month of the Meetei race is Kalel – Kalel comes just after Sachifu, the 4th month. In the Sachifu, the 4th month, the human embryo comes inside the womb, the puya calls 'chalot, and stays in the womb for one month. After this one month in the 'chalot', in the month kalel (a rough duration of 30 days) the foetus in the womb has developed its main organs. Please see the meaning of the Kalel, the 5th month of the Meetei race: Kalel = Ka + lel, ka means here Ka of the human body, here means the organs of the human body. The Puya, Wakoklon Heelel Thilel Salai ama-ilon Pukok says that there are 11 (eleven) 'kayats' in the human body, though we do not know generally what are the 11 'kayats'. Ka means here the 'Kayat' of the human body. Lel, the 2nd syllable of the word, Kalel means here the best, most important ka or kayat of the human body. Therefore, in the Kalel month of the Meetei race, 5th in the 12 month series, the foetus in the womb has developed the main kayats of the human body.

6.The sixth month of the meetei race is Eenga and the seventh month is Eengen. The most important part of the embryonic development during these two months, Eenga and Eengen is played by the blood of the human body. The blood to the foetus is supplied by the mother in whose womb the foetus is developed. During the 60 days of these two months almost all organs are developed and blood is supplied to all the organs. Most probably the nervous system is completely developed during these two months, Eenga and Eengen of the Kanglei Meetei months.

8.The 8th month of the Meetei race is Thouwan. Please see the meaning of the 8th month Thouwan of the Meetei race: Thouwan = Thou + wan, thou here means the physical function of the organs developed in the foetus in the womb + wan here means functionalisation of all organs in the foetus. In common parlance, it may means that all organs in the foetus begins to perform their own different and peculiar functions.

9.The ninth month of the Meetei race is Langpal. The ninth month Langpal conveys exact and unambiguous meaning. Please see the meaning of the 9th month, Langpal: Langpal = Lang + Pal, the Lang here means Lang-on or Saion, the process and progress of the development of the sperm to a full human being is complete in this month, Langpal + Pal here means oire and masak oire, further means the foetus is now a full human being to comeout from the mother on the open lap of the everloving and ever caring mother earth.

10.The 10th month of the meetei race is Mela. The Mela tha is also said as Menta Tha. In the Mela (Mera) month of the foetus as a complete human being in form and the organs doing the full functions as in a ordinary human being, takes rest.

11.The eleventh month of the Meetei race is Heeyangkei. The name of the eleventh month, Heeyangkei also conveys the exact nature and development of the foetus in the womb of the mother. Please see the meaning of the word/concept of the eleventh month Heeyangkei: Heeyangkei = Hee + yang + Kei, Hee here means the best thing as medicine, the best thing as food to develop life, human mind etc + yang means Yangna, further means quickly + Kei means barn, here means human body (the developed foetus). Therefore, Heeyangkei here means the foetus as a fully developed human being prepares for a debut in the open world to play in the Life stage as man or woman collecting the best things for its body from the blood streams of the mother in the womb.

12.The last 12th month of the Meetei race is Poinu. The last month of the Meetei race Poinu also expresses its exact nature by the word itself. Please see the meaning of the word/concept of the 'Poinu': Poinu = Poi+nu, Poi here means Leiba, to live further means living spending life (for example : Lampoiba = vagabond) + nu means man, common gender, nu + pa, nu + pi. In the last month Poinu, the foetus from the womb of the mother comes out as man or woman to live among the human beings to play his/her roll on the life stage as desired by the God Father.

Lai Haraoba

Lai Haraoba is the festival of the recollection of the creation stories played by all deities with the first origin of this universe and evolution of the plants and animals through the will of Atiya Shidaba. Sannamahi and Leimarel are worshiped in every house of the Meiteis and other mentioned Indigenous community of Manipur and nearby states including Mayanmar. The other gods and the 364 deities are worshipped in the Umanglai Laisangs (temple of gods in the reserved woods with spacious grounds) in the villages.

See also

• Folk Hinduism

External links

• Meeteis Surname
• The Revivalism of Sanamahism
• Sohini Ray "2000–01" The Body-Cult in Sanamahism: A Case of the Revival of an Indigenous Religion Among the Meiteis in Manipur is an ethnographic study of the sacred myths about the human body among the Meiteis, a community in Northeast India, and on how these mythological beliefs play a pivotal role in a socio-religious revival movement now occurring in the community. Sohini Ray recently received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of California, Los Angeles. [1]