Hiyangthang is a town in Indian state of

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

. It is best known for the

Hiyangthang Lairembi Temple ) , native_name_lang= Meitei , religious_affiliation=Sanamahism (Meitei religion) , region=Hiyangthang , country=India , patron=King Senbi Kiyamba (1467-1508 AD) of Ningthouja dynasty , architecture_type=Meitei architecture ( Manipuri architectu ...

, a Meitei shrine dedicated to ancient Meitei goddess

Irai Leima ) , deity_of = Goddess of water and aquatic life , member_of = Lairembis , image = IRAI LEIMA.jpg , alt = , caption = The name "Irai Leima", written in Meitei Mayek abugida , other_names = * Ireima ( omp, I ...

(aka Hiyangthang Lairembi). It is located in

Imphal West , native_name_lang = Meitei , other_name = omp, Nongchup Yumphal , nickname = , settlement_type = District of Manipur , image_skyline = Knagla fort, manipur, India 6.jpg , image_a ...

district.

In folklore

The legend of ancient Meitei goddess

(later known as Hiyangthang Lairembi) and her dedicated shrine

revolves around the region of Hiyangthang. In the legend, she was an exceptionally beautiful princess of . King Heibok Ningthou, her father was a master of wizards and black magicians. One day, King Kwakpa (Kokpa) of

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 ...

saw

fishing and sporting in the Liwa river. He fell in love at first sight with her beauty. He proposed her. However, she told him that her parents' wish will be her wish. So, King Kwakpa and his subjects gave beautiful and precious gifts to King Heibok Ningthou to please him. King Kwakpa decided to marry

whether her father reject or accept the gifts. Seeing the immodesty of King Khuman Kwakpa, King Heibok Ningthou rejected all the presents and turned then into stones using his magic. King Kwakpa returned home disappointed. One day, King Kwakpa got drunk with a juice of the roots of Tera plant () and went to meet

, riding on a Hiyang boat. Seeing him coming, Irai Leima fled to . King Kwakpa chased her. Seeing all these, King Heibok Ningthou turned the Hiyang boat into stone and the

oar An oar is an implement used for water-borne propulsion. Oars have a flat blade at one end. Rowers grasp the oar at the other end. The difference between oars and paddles is that oars are used exclusively for rowing. In rowing the oar is connecte ...

into a tree using his magic. Getting furious, Kwakpa tried to kill Heibok Ningthou, which forced Heibok Ningthou to turn Khuman Kwakpa also into a stone.

was frightened seeing everything and ran away from her own father, passing through the Pakhra Ching, crossing through the Liwa river and hiding herself inside the granary storehouse of Lord Sarangthem Luwangba of

Luwang 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 as K ...

dynasty. When Lord Luwangba and his good lady Thoidingjam Chanu Amurei left the house for paddy fields,

came out from her hideout and completed all the household works for them. Before the couple returned home, she went back to her hideout again. The couple were surprised at this but it happened daily. So, one day, the man returned home earlier than normal timing and discovered the truth behind the mystery. But when he came near

, she was gone below the grain storehouse. He saw nothing under the granary. He was confused at this. So, he discussed the matter with his clan members, searching her everywhere but didn't find her anymore.

came to the dream of Lord Sarangthem Luwangba and told him that she merged herself into the

clan and spiritually became his daughter. Luwangba narrated his dream's story to King

Senbi Kiyamba ) , title = Ningthou, Meidingu of Kangleipak (Manipur) , titletext = , more = , type = , image = "Senpi Kiyampa" (Ancient Meitei name) and "Senbi Kiyamba" (Modern Meitei name) of the Meitei king, the rule ...

Ningthouja dynasty The Ningthouja dynasty, also known as Mangang dynasty, comprises the descendants of the kings of Manipur. Ningthouja literally means progeny of King (''Ningthou'' means king and ''cha'' or ''macha'' means progeny in which ''ja'' is a corrupted ...

. The Ningthouja King sent maibas and

maibi Maibi are the priestess of Manipur Kingdom commonly known for performing religious rites. They are considered as Shamanism, shamans as well as Midwife, midwives. They possess various skills of religious activities and ancient medicinal knowledge. ...

s, who performed investigations and finally verified that the strange lady was a goddess and she should be worshipped. King Kiyaamba ordered Luwangba to worship her. From that very year onwards, princess

was

deified Apotheosis (, ), also called divinization or deification (), is the glorification of a subject to divine levels and, commonly, the treatment of a human being, any other living thing, or an abstract idea in the likeness of a deity. The term ha ...

and worshipped as a

Meitei goddess Meitei may refer to: *Meitei people, of Manipur, India **Meitei language **Meitei script **Meitei architecture *Denechandra Meitei (born 1994), Indian footballer *Loken Meitei (born 1997), Indian footballer *Ningombam Bupenda Meitei (born 1987), Ind ...

. The first day on which Luwangba saw Irai Leima was the first Monday of the Meitei lunar month of ''Lamta (Lamda)''. And the day on which the maibas and

s examine the case was the first Tuesday of ''Lamta (Lamda)'', the next day. Still in present times, right from the reign of King

(1467-1508 AD), the Sarangthem family members of

clan annually organise a grand feast ( mni, Chaklen Katpa) in honor of goddess Irai Leima.

References

{{Reflist Imphal West district Meitei pilgrimage sites