Pantheons
Meitei
Other Pantheons
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Lainingthou Sanamahi, the household and ancestral deity, and Leimarel Sidabi, the earth goddess, together with the umang lai, the guardian deities of the sacred groves, are central to Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of the Meitei people of Manipur in northeastern India. Sanamahism coexisted with Hinduism after the eighteenth century royal conversion to Vaishnavism, and in recent decades it has seen an organised revival, with Meitei organisations restoring temple worship of Sanamahi and campaigning for its recognition as the community's own faith distinct from Hindu practice.
Facts
Structure
Structure of the PantheonA supreme creator above a working order of intermediary powers 1 Divine HeadshipA ruling pair holds sovereignty together 1 Succession Between Divine GenerationsOne divine generation; no succession between generations is recorded 1 Attestation
Era of AttestationDocumented in the Meitei chronicle and puya manuscript tradition; the public observance was revived by the Sanamahi movement from the 1930s 1 Veneration TodayActively venerated in a living tradition 1 Sources
Primary SourceThe puya manuscripts in the Meitei Mayek script, with the oral liturgy of the Lai Haraoba and published ethnography 1 Organisation
Membership of the PantheonEvery place, clan and lineage adds its own 1 How Mortals Enter the PantheonAncestors and founders become objects of cult 1 Cult
Principal Cult CentreNo single centre. The umang lai groves of each locality are the places of observance, and the Lai Haraoba festival is held at them 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
This source names India directly: "people of Manipur in northeastern India."
This source names Vaishnavism directly: "eighteenth century royal conversion to Vaishnavism, and in recent decades it has seen an organised revival, with Meitei organisations restoring temple worship of Sanamahi and campaigning for its..."
Sources
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