Mangang Luwang Khuman is the triple deity of supreme divinity in

Sanamahism () , native_name_lang = mni , image = The Symbol of Sanamahi.svg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = The Symbol of Sanamahism (Source: Wakoklon Heelel Thilen Salai Amailon Pukok Puya) , ...

, the

Meitei religion () , native_name_lang = mni , image = The Symbol of Sanamahi.svg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = The Symbol of Sanamahism (Source: Wakoklon Heelel Thilen Salai Amailon Pukok Puya) , ...

. The three deities are Mangang Sitapa, Luwang Sitapa and Khuman Sitapa. They are also regarded as the progenitors of the Mangang dynasty, the

Luwang dynasty Luwang is one of the seven clans of the Meitei people. Luwang consists of several Yumnaks which are native peoples of ancient Kangleipak (now Manipur), one of the States of India. Origin Luwang was the son of Iputhou Pakhangba also known a ...

and the

Khuman dynasty Khuman Salai ( mni, ꯈꯨꯃꯟ ꯁꯂꯥꯢ) (literally, ''"Khuman dynasty"'') is a clan, which probably ruled parts of Kangleipak (present day Manipur) prior to subjugation by the Ningthouja dynasty (Mangang) c. 13th Century. The Khuman-Lon ...

, the three of the seven ruling clan dynasties of

Antique Kangleipak The Manipur Kingdom was an ancient independent kingdom at the India–Burma frontier that was in subsidiary alliance with British India from 1824, and became a princely state in 1891. It bordered Assam Province in the west and Brit ...

(

Ancient Manipur The Manipur Kingdom was an ancient independent kingdom at the India–Burma frontier that was in subsidiary alliance with British India from 1824, and became a princely state in 1891. It bordered Assam Province in the west and Briti ...

). Mangang, Luwang and Khuman were distinguished by the passionate love for God and self abnegation. This feeling of self effacing love for God as the only ultimate means of realisation and salvation formed the basis of early

. They are represented by the specific divisions of a body, Mangang by

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may no ...

, Luwang by

torso The torso or trunk is an anatomical term for the central part, or the core, of the body of many animals (including humans), from which the head, neck The neck is the part of the body on many vertebrates that connects the head with the tors ...

and Khuman by

tail The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals ...

. During the Hinduinisation of the entire

Meitei ethnicity The Meitei people, also known as the Manipuri people,P.20: "historically, academically and conventionally Manipuri prominently refers to the Meetei people."P.24: "For the Meeteis, Manipuris comprise Meeteis, Lois, Kukis, Nagas and Pangal." is ...

in the 18th century AD, the ideology and concepts of these three deities were mingled up with some Hindu elements. They were made equivalents to three of the nine Hindu Gotras, Mangang with ''"Aitereya"'', Luwang with ''"Kashyap"'' and Khuman with ''"Madhugalya"''. With the addition of the Sanskrit (Indo-Aryan) term "Guru" to each name of the three deities, they were mentioned in the

evening Evening is the period of a day that starts at the end of the afternoon and overlaps with the beginning of night. The exact times when evening begins and ends depend on location, time of year, and culture, but it is generally regarded as beginni ...

prayers Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified ...

, as Mangang Guru, Luwang Guru and Khuman Guru.

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References

{{Reflist Meitei mythology Sanamahism Pages with unreviewed translations

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See also

References