) , 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, Ileima) * Ereima ( omp, Eleima) * Erai Leima ( omp, Elai Leima) * Hiyangthang Lairembi ( omp, Hiyangthang Lailempi) , hiro = , Old_Norse = , script_name = , script = , affiliation =

Meitei mythology Meitei mythology or Manipuri mythology ( mni, Meitei Mi Lai Tingi Wari) 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 tradi ...

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Manipuri mythology Meitei mythology or Manipuri mythology ( mni, Meitei Mi Lai Tingi Wari) 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 tradi ...

) and

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) , ...

(

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) , ...

) , cult_center =

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 ...

, abode = Underwater world , planet = , weapon = , battles = , artifacts = , animals = , symbol = , adherents = , height = , age = , tree = , day = , color = , number = , consort =

Irai Ningthou Irai may refer to: * Irai, Orne, France * Irai Dam, India * Irai Island, Papua New Guinea * Iraí, Brazil * Iraí de Minas, Brazil * Irai (web series) ''Irai'' () is an Indian Tamil-language crime thriller streaming television series prod ...

, father = Salailen ( Soraren) , siblings = *

Phouoibi Phouoibi (Fouoibi) or Phouoipi (Fouoipi) or Phouleima (Fouleima) or Phoureima (Foureima) is the goddess and the female personification of the agriculture, crops, fertility, grains, harvest, paddy, rice and wealth in Meitei mythology and religi ...

(

Phouleima Phouoibi (Fouoibi) or Phouoipi (Fouoipi) or Phouleima (Fouleima) or Phoureima (Foureima) is the goddess and the female personification of the agriculture, crops, fertility, grains, harvest, paddy, rice and wealth in Meitei mythology and religi ...

) *

Ngaleima Lemlei Ngaleima ( omp, ꯂꯦꯝꯂꯩ ꯉꯥꯂꯩꯃ, lem-lei ngaa-lei-ma, fish goddess) or Ngareima ( mni, ꯉꯥꯔꯩꯃ, ngaa-rei-ma) is the goddess and the divine female personification of the fishes and the aquatic life in Meitei mytho ...

( Ngareima) *

Thumleima Noinu Thumleima ( Meitei pronunciation: ''nói.nu tʰum.lə́i.mə'') or Thumkhong Lairembi ( omp, Thumkhong Lailempi) is the goddess of salt and salt wells in Meitei mythology and religion of ancient Manipur (Antique Kangleipak). She is a ...

, offspring = , predecessor = , successor = , army = , mount = , texts =

PuYa Puya may refer to: * ''Puya'' (plant), in the family Bromeliaceae * Puya (river), in Russia * Puya, a variety of Guajillo chili * ''Puya'' (Meitei texts), traditional or mythological texts of the Meetei people * ''Culoepuya'' or ''Culo'e Puya'', V ...

s , gender = Female , Greek_equivalent =

Amphitrite In ancient Greek mythology, Amphitrite (; grc-gre, Ἀμφιτρίτη, Amphitrítē) was the goddess of the sea, the queen of the sea, and the wife of Poseidon. She was a daughter of Nereus and Doris (or Oceanus and Tethys).Roman, L., & Rom ...

, Roman_equivalent =

Salacia In ancient Roman mythology, Salacia ( , ) was the female divinity of the sea, worshipped as the goddess of salt water who presided over the depths of the ocean. Neptune was her consort. That Salacia was the consort of Neptune is implied by Va ...

, Etruscan_equivalent = , Christian_equivalent = , Slavic_equivalent = , Canaanite_equivalent = , equivalent1_type = , equivalent1 = , equivalent2_type = , equivalent2 = , region = Ancient Kangleipak (

Antique Manipur An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

) , ethnic_group =

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 ...

, festivals =

Lai Haraoba Lai Haraoba is a festival associated with the Meitei people celebrated to please the Umang Lai, the traditional Deity, deities of Sanamahism. Translated, Lai Haraoba means ''merry making of the Gods'' in Meitei language, Meiteilon. In this festi ...

Irai Leima ( omp, Ilai Leima) or Ireima ( omp, Ileima) is a goddess in

and

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

(

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) , ...

) of Ancient Kangleipak (

). She is the goddess and the divine female personification of water and aquatic life. She is also considered to be the incharge of the diseases. She is the consort of

(literally, ''king of water''). Both are regarded as the divine spirits of water bodies.

Mythology

Irai Leima is the daughter of King Heibok Ningthou and the princess of Heibok Ching. Her father was an expert in witchcraft and black magic. Irai Leima is known for her exceptional beauty. One day, she was fishing in the Liwa river. 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 her and fell in love with her. He proposed her. She replied that her parents' wish will be her wish. So, King Kwakpa consulted his subjects. They presented Heibok Ningthou with many presents. King Kwakpa planned to marry Irai Leima if her father agreed or to bring her by force if her father rejected. Seeing the arrogance of Kwakpa, Heibok Ningthou turned all the gifts into stone. At this, followers of Kwakpa fled the place. Kwakpa returned home disappointed. One day, King Kwakpa got intoxicated after drinking a juice of the roots of Tera plant (''

Bombax malabaricum ''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus '' Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...

''). He wanted to meet Irai Leima. So, he went to her place riding on a Hiyang boat. Seeing his approach, she fled to Pakhra Ching mountain. Kwakpa chased her. Seeing all these, 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. Getting angry, Kwakpa ran towards Heibok Ningthou to kill him. Then, Heibok Ningthou turned Khuman Kwakpa into a stone. Irai Leima saw all this and was afraid of her father. She left her father and ran away. She passed the Pakhra Ching, crossed the Liwa river and entered the house of Sarangthem Luwangba. She hid herself inside the granary of the house. When Sarangthem Luwangba and his good lady Thoidingjam Chanu Amurei left the house for field, Irai Leima came out from her hiding place. In the meantime, she completed all the household chores. When the couple returned home, she hid herself again. The couple got surprised at this but it happened everyday. So, one day, the man returned home earlier than usual. He found out the truth. But when he came near Irai Leima, she had disappeared below the granary. He looked under the granary but he saw nothing. He was amazed at this. So, he discussed the issue with all his clan members. They searched everywhere but didn't find her anymore. Irai Leima appeared in the dream of Sarangthem Luwangba and told him that she was merged into his clan and became his daughter. The matter was reported to King Senbi Kiyaamba of

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 king sent maibas and

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

s to examine the case. The examiners said that the mysterious lady was a goddess and she should be worshipped. King Kiyaamba also told Luwangba to do so. From that year onwards, Irai Leima was worshipped as a goddess. The day on which Luwangba first saw Irai Leima was the first Monday of the Meitei lunar month of ''Lamta (Lamda)''. And the day on which the maibas and

s came was the first Tuesday of ''Lamta (Lamda)''. Still today, from the time of King Senbi Kiyaamba (1467-1508 AD), the Sarangthem family members annually hold a grand feast (''Chaklen Katpa'') in honor of the goddess. Later, Irai Leima came to be known as Hiyangthang Lairembi.

Worship

When a person gets ill after bathing in a spring, pool, stream, people believed that the water spirits (Irai Leima and

) had caught the person. To get well again, people worship the two deities. For this, the maibas perform the rites and rituals. The offerings include 2 eggs and 7 bamboo vessels filled up with rice paste. The

Thadou people Thadou people are an indigenous ethnic group of Chin-Kuki inhabiting North-east India. Thadou is a dialect of the Tibeto-Burman family. They are the second largest in terms of population in Manipur, next to Meetei according to Manipur census 2011 ...

also highly respect the deities. They offer many wild sacrifices. The sacrifices maybe a white

fowl Fowl are birds belonging to one of two biological orders, namely the gamefowl or landfowl (Galliformes) and the waterfowl (Anseriformes). Anatomical and molecular similarities suggest these two groups are close evolutionary relatives; together ...

, a

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

, a

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

or a he-

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

Identification with other deities

Irai Leima (''Ireima'') is considered as one of the divine manifestations of Leimarel (Leimaren), the supreme mother earth goddess. She is also described as a form of goddess

Imoinu Imoinu or Emoinu ( mni, ꯏꯃꯣꯏꯅꯨ) is a goddess associated with household, hearth, family, fireplace, kitchen, wealth, peace and prosperity in Meitei mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak (Antique Manipur). She is frequent ...

. Irai Leima is also known as Hiyangthang Lairembi. During the reign of King Garib Niwaj (alias ''Pamheiba''), goddess Hiyangthang Lairembi was converted to Hindu goddess Kamakhya (a form of

Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...

). The 3rd day of

Durga Puja Durga Puja ( bn, দুর্গা পূজা), also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated ...

is observed as the "Bor Numit" (literally, Boon Day).

In popular culture

* Phou-oibi, the rice goddess is a 2009 ballad opera performed by the

Laihui Ensemble The Laihui Ensemble is a centre for research on traditional and indigenous performing arts, based on Imphal, Manipur. It was established in 1985. The association is performing different art shows at different venues across different nations in th ...

. It is based on the story of the goddess and her sister

. * Phouoibi Shayon is a 2017 Manipuri mythology movie based on the story of the goddess and her sister

References

External links

Hiyangthang_Lairembi_archive.org

Irai_Leima_archive.org

Ereima_e-pao.net

Hiyangthang_Lairembi_e-pao.net
{{Sanamahi1 Abundance deities Abundance goddesses Asian deities Asian goddesses Beauty deities Beauty goddesses Fertility deities Fertility goddesses Fortune deities Fortune goddesses Health deities Health goddesses Leima Love and lust deities Love and lust goddesses Maintenance deities Maintenance goddesses Meitei gods and goddesses Mountain deities Mountain goddesses Names of God in Sanamahism Nature deities Nature goddesses Peace deities Peace goddesses Sea and river deities Sea and river goddesses Virgin deities Virgin goddesses Water deities Water goddesses