Umang Lai () refers to a group of ancient
Meitei deities
Sanamahism is the indigenous religion of the Meitei people. It originated in the Kingdom of Kangleipak, and is still practiced in modern Manipur, India, distinct from both the Indosphere and the Sinosphere. Sanamahism is a polytheistic religion ...
of the
traditional Meitei religion
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 t ...
(
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 ...
) who are worshipped as the local guardians of particular areas, especially
sacred groves
Sacred groves, sacred woods, or sacred forests are groves of trees that have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. These are forest areas that are, for the most ...
. These deities are worshipped annually. Their
sacred groves
Sacred groves, sacred woods, or sacred forests are groves of trees that have special religious importance within a particular culture. Sacred groves feature in various cultures throughout the world. These are forest areas that are, for the most ...
are preserved by the
Meitei people
The Meitei people, also known as Meetei 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." are a Ti ...
since ancient times, mostly in the
Northeast India
Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...
n state 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 ...
. Their pleasing ceremony is always celebrated every year through a music and dance festival, known as
Lai Haraoba
Lai Haraoba (, ), also known as Umang Lai Haraoba, is a classical,———— ritualistic, theatrical dance and music festival, annually celebrated by the Meitei people, to please the Umang Lai deities of the traditional Meitei religion (San ...
. There are more than 365 Umang Lai shrines in Manipur state alone.
They are integral parts of
Meitei mythology
Meitei mythology (or Manipuri mythology) () is a collection of myths, belonging to the religious and cultural traditions of the Meitei people, the predominant ethnic group of Manipur. It is associated with traditional Meitei religion of Sanam ...
,
folklore
Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
and
religion
Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...
.
The cults of these deities vary from community to community.
Etymology
"Umang" means "forest" and "Lai" means "deity" in
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 ...
(also known as
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 ...
).
List of deities
Umang Lai sacred groves are widely distributed in
Imphal East,
Imphal West
Imphal West district ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˈɪmfəl or ɪmˈfɑːl/) is one of the sixteen districts of Manipur state in northeastern India. As of 2011, it is the most populous district in the state.
Geography
Lamphelpat city is the administ ...
,
Thoubal,
Kakching
Kakching ( Meitei pronunciation:/kək.ciŋ/) is a town in the southeastern part of the Indian state of Manipur. It serves as the headquarters of Kakching district and is a major commercial hub in the state. In 2018, Kakching was declared as the ...
and
Bishnupur districts 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 ...
.
The following is the list:
Present scenario
Presently, these religiously preserved sacred groves are in the situation of being endangered, due to the lack of proper attention and care. These Umang Lais have become the victims of the
encroachment
Encroachment is to advance beyond proper limits, and may refer to:
* Temporal encroachment
* Structural encroachment
* Encroachment (gridiron football), a penalty in American and Canadian football
*Encroachment by human populations on natural spa ...
and
exploitation.
See also
*
Uningthou
*
Sacred groves of India
Sacred groves of India are forest fragments of varying sizes, which are communally protected, and which usually have a significant religious connotation for the protecting community. Hunting and logging are usually strictly prohibited within the ...
Notes
* All the Umang Lais are affiliated to
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 ...
.
* But,
Lainingthou Sanamahi
Lainingthou Sanamahee (Meetei: ꯂꯥꯏꯅꯤꯡꯊꯧ ꯁꯥꯅꯥꯃꯍꯤ) is the Supreme Guardian God of mankind and the supreme deity of the household in Meetei religion and mythology. He originated from the ancient kingdom of Kangleipak ...
,
Leimarel Sidabi
Leimarel Sidabi or Leimalel Sitapi is a goddess in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. She is the highest female divinity in the Meitei pantheon. She is the goddess of earth, of nature and the household. She is revered as the mothe ...
, and
Imoinu Ahongbi are not included in the Umang Lai category.
References
{{Reflist
External links
* http://www.dsource.in/resource/sacred-groves-manav-sangrahalay/sacred-groves/umanglai-sacred-grove-manipur
Sacred groves of India
Religion in Manipur
Meitei deities
Sanamahism