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Archive:Sanamahism

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Revision as of 10:19, 19 April 2022 by wikipedia>Mubaoinam (This edit describes about the religion far better with accurate information and replaces those false claims and descriptions.)

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Sanamahism (Template:Lang-mni) is a religion followed by the Meiteis, Kabuis, Zeliangrongs and other ethnic groups in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, Assam, Tripura and in other countries including Bangladesh and Myanmar[1][2][3]. Although the religion is polytheistic, Sanamahism or Sanamahi Laining translates to the religion of Sanamahi, one of the most important deities. Sanamahi is the eldest son of the supreme god Yaibirel Sidaba (also known as Saalailel Sidaba) and the supreme goddess Leimarel Sidabi. Traditionally every Meitei household, irrespective of the religion, worships Sanamahi and Leimarel Sidabi. The importance of Sanamahi in the religion is also emphasized in the name itself which means Liquid Gold. Sanamahism does not have a religious head but has a body, Maru Loishang (also known as Pandit Loishang) that oversees the main religious activities and govern all affairs pertaining to the religion including conducts of priest and priestess[4]. The Maru Loishang also acts a court for religious disputes[4]. There are three main departments under the Pandit Loishang, namely, the Amaiba Loishang, the Pena Asheiba Loishang and the Amaibi Loishang[5]. These departments have existed since the reign of King Meidingu Hongnemyoi Khunjao Naothingkhong of Manipur in 662 AD[5].

The Deiteis in Sanamhism can be classified into the main deities, ancestral deiteis called Apokpa, deiteis of Meitei clans (Yek Lai) or family (Saghei Lai) and regional deiteis called Lam Lai or Umang Lai. Worship of the Apokpa deities, the Yek Lais or the Saghei Lais are within a clan, families sharing the same surname. Regional deiteis are worshipped by the residents around the temple of the Umang Lais. The Umang Lais are often one of the main deiteis or an incarnation of the main deiteis. The worship of Umang Lais and the ritual that entails, reffered to as the Umang Lai Haraoba, is one of the main religious festivals in Sanamahism. There are similarities of the Umang Lais to the Nat deities of Myanmar[6].

All the deiteis are denoted by the universal term Lai which means god in Manipuri. When reffering to a male deity, the terms, Lainingthou, Ebhudhou or Epa are used while the terms, Lairembi, Ebhendhou or Ema are used to reffer to a female deity. Lairembi is mostly used for the Umang Lais.

Origin

The first mentions are found in the Cheitharol Kumbaba, the Court Chronicles of the kings of Kangleipak (old name of Manipur), starting from the king Nongda Lairen Pakhangba, who ruled for more than a century, from 33–154 CE.

A recently built Sanamahi temple, Kangla Fort, Imphal East, Manipur.

Description

Sanamahism is a folk religion. It competes with and co-exists with either Vaishnavism – a tradition of Hinduism – among the Meitei people, Sunni Islam – among the Pangal people or Roman Catholic – among Meitei Christians. Opponents and rebel groups have sought to revive Sanamahism and related practices to emphasize the Manipuri heritage, along with seeking a ban on Bengali script and replacing it with the old Meitei script which was forcefully banned during the reign of King Garibniwaz.[7]Template:Sfn

Etymology

Sanamahism is also known as Sanamahi Laining, for it originated from the ancient kingdom of Kangleipak.Template:Sfn

Revival

Sanamahism has revived after a long dormant period of four centuries, and is currently practiced by 8% of Manipur'population according to the 2011 census.

Practices

Many Sanamahi practices are focused on food offerings to deities, combined with hymns, as well as oracular ritual in which priestesses become possessed by a god or goddess. An offering formula to call up the gods, uttered by a priestess over a body of water during the Lai Haraoba festival, goes:

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Some esoteric practices are also a part of Sanamahism, such as the use of mantras for various purposes. The mystical text Sanamahi Naiyom provides several formulas, such as a mantra that is believed to stop rain: HUNG KRUNG HUNG-KRUNG TA (8x) AH (2x) CHAT HUK (2x) HING HING HUK SU SA HING HING LIK SAL LIT HING MA PAN.[8]

Religious festivals

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Fairs and Festivals in Manipur

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Deities

Lists of deities in Sanamahism

Main deities

There are five main deities in Sanamahism:

Besides the five main deities, there are innumerable gods and goddesses, playing significant roles in the ancient pantheon, as well as in mythology. Examples include Panthoibi, Lainingthou Nongpok Ningthou, Lainingthou Koubru, Ibudhou Marjing, Thongalel, Wangbren, Eputhou Thangjing, Kounu, Nongshaba, Nongthang Leima, and Irai Leima.

Umang Lai

Further information: Umang Lai

Besides, there are other deities associated with sacred groves called Umang Lai including Konthoujam Lairembi gi Khubam, Ima Tamphaton Petangaa and Chothe Thangwai Pakhangba groves.

Ancestral deities

Apokpa

There are also deities for each clan (Yek Salai) and family (Yumnak), called Apokpa.

Divine figures

Though Sanarembi is not a deity, she is a divine figure in the religious chanting of hymns in Lai Haraoba festival.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gourchandra, M. (1982). Sanamahi Laihui. http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.465618. 
  2. ↑ "The Revivalism of Sanamahism". http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Manipur_and_Religion.The_Revivalism_of_Sanamahism. 
  3. ↑ Nilabir, Sairem (2002). Laiyingthou Sanamahi Amasung Sanamahi Laining Hinggat Ihou. http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.465239. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Maru (Pandit Loisang)" (in en). https://panditloisangmanipur.wordpress.com/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "IGNCA’s Workshop on Maibi Culture of Manipur | IGNCA". https://ignca.gov.in/regional-centers/northeastern-regional-centre-guwahati/report-workshop-on-maibi-culture-of-manipur/. 
  6. ↑ "Myanmar Nat and Manipuri UmangLai Nat Festival". http://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Festival_of_Manipur.Myanmar_Nat_and_Manipuri_UmangLai_Nat_Festival. 
  7. ↑ Bertil Lintner (2015). Great Game East: India, China, and the Struggle for Asia's Most Volatile Frontier. Yale University Press. pp. 142–143. ISBN 978-0-300-19567-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=0fLOBwAAQBAJ. 
  8. ↑ Soibam Birajit (2014). Meeyamgi Kholao: Sprout of Consciousness. ARECOM. p. 103. https://books.google.com/books?id=PgHgCwAAQBAJ. 

Notes

Sources

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  • Otojit Kshetrimayum (2009), "Women and Shamanism in Manipur and Korea: A Comparative Study", Indian Anthropologist 39 (1/2) 
  • Kshetrimayum, Otojit (2014), Ritual, Politics and Power in North East India: Contextualising the Lai Haraoba of Manipur, Ruby Press & Co., ISBN 978-93-82395-50-8 
  • Hodson, T.C. (2015), The Meitheis, Ruby Press & Co., ISBN 978-93-82395-56-0 
  • Saroj Nalini Parratt (1974), The Religion of Manipur: Beliefs, Rituals and Historical Development, Australian National University Press 
  • Saroj N. Arambam Parratt; John Parratt (2001), "The Second 'Women's War' and the Emergence of Democratic Government in Manipur", Modern Asian Studies 35 (4), doi:10.1017/S0026749X0100405X 
  • Sohini Ray (2009), "Writing the Body: Cosmology, Orthography, and Fragments of Modernity in Northeastern India", Anthropological Quarterly 82 (1), doi:10.1353/anq.0.0047 
  • Singh, Dr. Saikhom Gopal (2015), The Meeteis of Manipur: A Study in Human Geography, Ruby Press & Co., ISBN 978-93-82395-21-8 
  • Singh, Dr. Saikhom Gopal (2015), Population Geography of Manipur, Ruby Press & Co., ISBN 978-93-82395-25-6 

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