Vaishnavism is of
comparatively recent origin in Manipur. This
religion came to the land in a most
unexpected manner from the east in 1470 AD.
(Shakabda 1392) Thangwan Ningthouba king of
Manipur, better known by his reign-name
Kyamba, the conqueror of Kyang (1467-1508
AD) and his all Choupha Khekkhomba, king of
Pong, conquered Kyang Khambat (a Shan
Kingdom in Kabow valley) with a combine
force. They shared its territories. After
this, there is an interesting story or
history about the advent of Vaishnavism in
Manipur. As part of the celebration of
victory, they exchanged presents, and one of
the presents received from the Pong King was
a little stone image of Vishnu riding on the
back of Garuda and holding the usual weapons
and the lotus. It was given in a casket.
King Kyamba once fell sick and no physician
could diagnose his sickness. The oracles
were consulted and advice was received
through Maibis or Amaibis (Priestess) that
the king could be diagnosed if worship was
offered to Lord Vishnu. Some Brahamins who
were well acquainted with puja (ritual) of
Lord Vishnu were available in Manipur in
those days.
The King was diagnosed through the proper
worship of Vishnu. Thus began the regular
worship of Lord Vishnu in the palace of the
king and a brick Mandir or temple was built
in the palace at Lamangdong. In the later
part of history, this palace Lamangdong was
known as Vishnupur (land of Vishnu).
Although the worship continued, the King
Kyamba was not initiated into the new sect.
During the reign of King Khagemba (1597-1652
AD) in 1635 AD a new feature was introduced
in the annual Hiyang Tannaba (boat races). A
special boat was set apart for the image of
Lord Vishnu mentioned above, supposedly for
the lai to witness the festival. Like King
Kyamba, Khagemba was not initiated in
Vaishnavism too. The worship of Lord Vishnu
was found non-stop in various stages of the
history of Manipur.
Pitambar Charairongba was the first Manipuri
king to be formally initiated to Vaishnavism.
In 1619 Charairongba was inclined to the
Madhavcharya sect of Vaishnavism, so he
began to worship the Radha Krishna. But he
never attempted to impose to this new faith
upon his people. Charairongba erected the
statue of Panthoibi and the Laiwa Haiba (Sanamahi).
The new faith, Vaishnavism became the
dominant religion of Manipur during the
reign of Garib Niwas (1709-1748). To the
royal will of Pamheiba, the monarch in whose
reign the fortune of the State reach their
zenith, Hinduism owes its present position
as the official religion of the state.
At first the
decrees of the king received but little
obedience and the opposition to the change
central mainly round the numerous members of
the royal family who were supported not
unnaturally, by the maibas, the priests of
the older religion. Religious dissent was
treated with the ruthless severity as was
meted out to political opponents, and
wholesale banishments and execution drove
the people into acceptance of the tenets of
Hinduism. However, there is evidence of
early Vaishnava influence on the people of
Manipur.
Some Brahmins came from the west and settled
in this land during the reign of King Kyamba
in the 15th century AD but they did not have
significant impact on the life of the
Meiteis in absence of any help from the
king. Brahmins of different place continued
their migration presumably with the
permission of the kings of the Meiteis. This
increased by leaps and bounds in Manipur.
MT Kennedy says that Vaishnavism of the
Chaitanya sect was introduced in Manipur as
early as the 17th century. During the reign
of Charairongba, he paid respects to the old
faith and temples were created in honors of
the lais (Gods) of the traditional religion.
This shows that he loved the traditional
faith so much in place of the new faith.
After his death, his son Pamheiba became the
king of Manipur in 1709 AD. He was
pro-Hinduism. He wanted to initiate into
Vaishnavism. As a result of this, he was
initiated into this new faith by Guru Gopal
Das. The King Pamheiba punished those who
were anti-Hindu dietary laws. This
proselytizing of King Garib-Niwas displaced
the traditional deities. Thus he destroyed
several temples of Umang-lais and broke down
the statues of several deities namely
Sanamahi and other Umanglais. In lieu of
traditional deities and places, he put Hindu
gods or names such as Mong-bahanba Laishang
to Mahabali Mandir (temple of Hanuman Thakur),
Imoinu to Laxmi, Lamang-dong to Bishnupur,
etc. In the later part of Garib Niwas's
reign, a Brahmin called Shantidasa, came to
Manipur from Syllet and began to preach
Vaishnavism.
After converted, he severely persecuted not
only the followers of the traditional
religion but also those who belonged to the
other sect of Vaishnavism. Through the
resentment of Shantidasa, the king collected
all the puyas (written record of the Meitei
traditions) and ancestral records. Those
puyas were burnt at Kangla, the palace of
the Meitei Kingdom. Then by a royal decree
books and those records in Meiteis scripts
were banned. Maichous - the priests as well
as the scholars who were in possession of
the ancient text went to remote areas of the
hill and the plain to keep their treasure
concealed.
It is a long journey in the history of the
Meiteis Vaishnavism influences the
traditional religion of the Meiteis in
various ways such as mainly in religion,
education, social system, untouchability
etc. In many ways Vaishnavism plays very
important role in the life of Meiteis. The
co-existence of Vaishnavism and the
traditional faith of the Meiteis were uneasy
for some time, but slowly began the process
of assimilation and the result was the
Hindunisation of the Meitei faith.
Vaishnavism is a mixture of ballets and
rites. In many fundamental points there are
some similarities between Vaishnavism and
the traditional religion of the Meiteis.
Both of them claim to have grown out of a
divine tradition.
The Vedas are the foundation and footprint
of the Hindu religion. So it is also
believed that they are not of human
compositions of formations and the Rishis of
the Vedas are not the real authors like
Hinduism, the faith of the Meiteis too has
no particular author. However, there were
persons of divine arrangement who
enlightened people about the Gods and their
functions.
Manipur Hinduism gradually became a
synthesis of the old Meiteis religion with
its gods and goddess and myths, its own
legends and traditions, its social customs
and usages and its priest and ceremonial and
of Brahmanical Hinduism with its special
worship of Radha and Krishna. Meiteis never
gave up their culture and tradition.
So, the Meitei religion is not sectarian and
also not a mere structure of creeds. But
this faith is a living force that brings out
all the manifold experiences into a system.
The sectarian faith brings diversions among
the upholders of different beliefs. But the
Meiteis faith transcends narrow
individuality and small interests. So the
term 'Meiteis' signifies mankind. Thus the
followers of the Meiteis religion is nothing
but the religion of man which is universal
in outlook and is not built around any
particular interest. When the new faith -
Vaishnavism came to be the state religion of
Manipur, there was in the beginning
resistance to change on the part of the
devotees of the traditional cults.
Thus resistance was more political than
doctrinal. The Meiteis deities were brought
into Hindu pantheon. And also all Hindu
deities were absorbed into the Meitei
culture. Thus there is no conflict between
the two faiths. The Hindus festival Ras Lila
is based on the traditional dance of the Lai
Haraoba, the pleasing of God. In short, the
Lai Haraoba festival is a genuine festival
of the Meiteis that has raised this stylized
dance to the domain of a very high artistic
and aesthetic expression and has produced
one of the beautiful and authentic
traditional schools of religions dancing in
the world. |
