Mythologies of the Meitei/Manipuri Tribe
Manipur boasts of an exotic landscape with gently undulating hills, emerald green valleys, blue lakes and dense forests. It is the tranquillity enveloping it, interrupted only by the soft breeze that sets it apart from the other northeastern states, and makes it an ideal gateway. Manipur, also literally meaning the Land of Jewel, is a paradise on earth where Mother Nature has been extra generous in her beauty. Manipur has also other popular names like Meitei Leibak. According to the Kalika. Purana, it is the place where the waist of Devi fell at the time of Daksa Yajna. Another account states that her outer garment Mekhela fell to the ground here while she was dancing. Manipur is famous for its rich culture and traditions, scenic landscapes, natural beauty, and mouth-watering cuisines, and is surrounded by nine hills with an oval-shaped valley at the centre resembling a necklace, justifying its name. Manipuri folklore, myths and legends, dances, indigenous games and martial arts, exotic handlooms and handicrafts are filled with the mystique of nature. The hill tribes of Manipur, although divided into a number of clans and sections, can be grouped under two major divisions: Nagas and Kukis. Though Manipur is a mosaic of traditions and cultural patterns, it is best known for its many dance forms.
The vast majority of the Meitei people live in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. A significant population of the Meiteis is also settled in the neighboring state of Tripura. The Meitei people are made up of seven major clans, known as Salai Taret. Their official state language is Meitei, also known as Manipuri. An interesting feature of this unreached people group is that their community shares this one language, but consists of two religions. A majority of the Meitei people practice Hinduism and a minority practice the Islamic faith. Though there are differences between the religions, there exists good harmony between them. There is a rich culture in Manipur, which the Meitei can take a lot of credit for. They are famous for their Manipuri dance, martial arts form, Thang-ta, ceremonial clothing and elaborate jewelry. They are also known for their contribution to art, literature and cinema. The Meitei people are very fond of riding horses. The game of modern polo is believed to have originated in Manipur. The Meitei also consistently produce high quality sports personalities who excel in the field of athletics, football, hockey and boxing among others.
Meitei mythology, also known as Manipuri mythology or Kanglei mythology, is a body of myths and literally genres of ancient folklore, originally developed by the ancient Meitei people (Manipuri ethnicity) in the ancient Kangleipak kingdom (present day Manipur). The ancient legends comprises of the creation and the nature of the world, the lives and deeds of the deities, heroes and mythological creatures and the origin of the ancient Meitei pantheon (Sanamahism) and the religious customs. The ancient Meitei mythology is basically redeveloped from the ancient manuscripts (puyas) and the generation by generation inherited oral folklore from the past ancestors. In fact, literally and archaeological sources, sometimes mutually supportive and sometimes in conflict, greatly proves the numerous elements having strong factual and historical roots. There are a few primordial Meitei deities known to the people of ancient times, during the 15th century BC, as evident from the Wakoklon Heelel Thilen Salai Amailon Pukok Puya, the earliest known puya (manuscript), written in 1400 BC.
Historically, the kingdom of Meitei also known as Meitei Leipak remained sovereign for at least 1951 years, although there were matrimonial alliance as well as wars with the neighbouring country or kingdom of Burma. Meitei kingdom (Meitei Leipak) lost its sovereignty in 1891 as a result of Anglo Manipur War and regained its sovereign status in 1947 but it was short lived due to the controversial Manipur Merger Agreement of 1949. Meitei nationalism (Meitei: ꯂꯩꯄꯥꯛ ꯅꯤꯡꯕ) refers to nationalism among the Meitei people.[failed verification] In the Meitei context this includes various movements throughout history to sustain Meitei cultural identity, political boundary, ethnicity and history to regain sovereign state status of Kangleipak (presently known as Manipur).
Described by Jawaharlal Nehru as ‘the Land of Jewel’, Manipur boasts of an exotic landscape with gently undulating hills, emerald green valleys, blue lakes and dense forests. It is the tranquillity enveloping it, interrupted only by the soft breeze that sets it apart from the other northeastern states, and makes it an ideal gateway. Manipur, also literally meaning the Land of Jewel, is a paradise on earth where Mother Nature has been extra generous in her beauty. Manipur has also other popular names like Meitei Leibak. According to the Kalika. Purana, it is the place where the waist of Devi fell at the time of Daksa Yajna. Another account states that her outer garment Mekhela fell to the ground here while she was dancing. Manipur is famous for its rich culture and traditions, scenic landscapes, natural beauty, and mouth-watering cuisines, and is surrounded by nine hills with an oval-shaped valley at the centre resembling a necklace, justifying its name.
The Meitei are known by a number of endonyms, Meitei, Meetei, Meithei (Meitei), and as well as by numerous exonyms, such as Meckley, Manipuri, Cassay-Shan, and Kathe (Burmese). Mee and Mei are used interchangeably, together with atei form Meetei and Meitei. According to Cheitharon Kumbaba, Meitei means Mei+atei, where atei in Manipuri means others. The term Manipuri is widely used, but problematic because of its ambiguous scope: next to being a synonym for Meitei/Meetei, it can also refer in a wider sense to the native ethnic groups in the hills of Manipur. The people are simple and welcoming, and speak softly and politely. People of different ethnic groups live together here, peacefully for centuries. These ethnic groups include Bishnupriya Manipuris, Naga, Kuki and Meitei-Pangal (Muslims), although the majority are Meiteis. Manipuri folklore, myths and legends, dances, indigenous games and martial arts, exotic handlooms and handicrafts are filled with the mystique of nature. The hill tribes of Manipur, although divided into a number of clans and sections, can be grouped under two major divisions: Nagas and Kukis. Though Manipur is a mosaic of traditions and cultural patterns, it is best known for its many dance forms.
The Meitei people, also known as the Manipuri people, is the predominant ethnic group of Manipur in Northeast India. They speak Meitei language (officially called Manipuri), one of the 22 official languages of the Indian Republic and the sole official language of Manipur. The Meiteis primarily settled in the Imphal Valley region in modern-day Manipur, though a sizable population has settled in the other Indian states of Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram. There is also a notable presence of Meitei in the neighboring countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Meitei ethnic group represents about 53% of Manipur’s population. The Meitei are known by a number of endonyms, Meitei, Meetei, Meithei (Meitei), and as well as by numerous exonyms, such as Meckley, Manipuri, Cassay-Shan, and Kathe (Burmese). Mee and Mei are used interchangeably, together with atei form Meetei and Meitei. According to Cheitharon Kumbaba, Meitei means Mei+atei, where atei in Manipuri means others. The term Manipuri is widely used, but problematic because of its ambiguous scope: next to being a synonym for Meitei/Meetei, it can also refer in a wider sense to the native ethnic groups in the hills of Manipur.
The ancient religion of the Meitei people of Manipur, India, Sanamahism, is undergoing a revival. In the 18th century CE, Manipuri kings converted to Hinduism and began to forcibly suppress Sanamahism. Meitei scholars hid the ancient scriptures, and Sanamahism continued underground. Sanamahism is still practiced by a minority of Manipuris. Goutamkumar Oinam writes very actively about it and promotes its restoration. Although his readership is small on Medium, on Quora he has nearly 500 followers and over half a million views. His pieces have raised awareness about Sanamahism in many parts of the world. You might want to follow him and check his writing out.
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