The Konthoujam Lairembi Stone Inscription ) or Konthoujam Lairemma Stone Inscription (; ) is a

Meitei language Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...

stone inscription found in a sacred site dedicated to Goddess Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi of

Sanamahism 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 ...

(Meitei religion) in Konthoujam village of

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

Description

The stone inscription is in the sacred temple complex of Goddess Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi () in the Konthoujam village. It is on the south of the National Highway No. 53 in the west of

Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...

city. The stone engaged in this inscription is the

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

. The inscription consists of 14 lines of writings in

(

Manipuri language Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...

) in archaic Meetei script. Notably, the writings from the fifth to the seventh lines were highly damaged and distorted. So, proper study on these particular lines has been very hard and unsuccessful.

History

It does not mention any particular date. But paleographic study confirmed that it was written in two different times. The first seven lines were carved in the time of King

Khagemba King Khagemba (Conqueror of the Chinese; 1597–1654), was a monarch from the Kingdom of Kangleipak. He also introduced a new form of polo and new apparel styles. Under his regime he focused on a new form of Manipur and built many markets ...

(1592 AD-1652 AD). The remaining seven lines were added in the time of King Charairongba (1697 AD-1709 AD).

Reading

The inscription shows that King Khagemba assigned compulsory state duty for the Konthoujam clan to worship goddess Huimu Leima. Notably, the

Loyumba Shinyen The Loiyumpa Silyel ( Modern Meitei: "Loiyumba Sinyen"), also termed as the Loyumpa Silyel ( Modern Meitei: "Loyumba Sinyen") or the Loiyumpa Shilyel ( Modern Meitei: "Loiyumba Shinyen") or the Loyumpa Shilyel ( Modern Meitei: "Loyumba Shinyen") ...

Constitution also assigned the Konthoujam clan to look after the worship of Goddess Huimu Leima, and not Konthousu (Tampha Lairembi). And according to the Konthoujam Nongarol (), Goddess Huimu Leima is the mother of goddess Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi (Chingphulon Konthousu), the one married

Salailen 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 know ...

( Soraren), the king of heaven.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Three_millennia_mythology_still_resonates_at_Konthoujam_Lairembi
Meitei culture Indian inscriptions Meitei script