Khoriphaba (also, Khoiriphaba) is a God in

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 ...

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, ...

Ancient 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 Briti ...

(

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 ...

). He is the son of Sky God Salailen and Goddess

Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi ) , deity_of = Queen of Heaven , member_of = Lairembis and Umang Lais , image = CHINGPHULON KONTHOUSU.jpg , alt = , caption = "Chingphulon Konthousu", the birth name of the goddess Tampha, written in archaic M ...

. He came down from heaven to earth to search for

his mother ''His Mother'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles. It was one of more than a dozen films produced by the Kalem Company filmed in Ir ...

and then for a

bride A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bride's future spouse, (if male) is usually referred to as the ''bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, brides ...

.Parratt, Saroj Nalini (1997). The Pleasing of the Gods: Meitei Lai Haraoba. Vikas Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-259-0416-8. He is best known for wrestling ( mni,

Mukna Kangjei Mukna is a form of folk wrestling from the north-east Indian state of Manipur. It is popular in Imphal, Thoubal and Bishnupur. The game is generally played on the last day of the Lai Haraoba festival and is an intrinsic part of the ceremonial funct ...

) with

Loyalakpa Loyalakpa ( mni, ꯂꯣꯌꯥꯂꯥꯛꯄ), also spelt as Loyarakpa ( mni, ꯂꯣꯌꯥꯔꯥꯛꯄ), is a God in Meitei mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak (Antique Manipur). He is best known for wrestling ( mni, Mukna Kangjei) wit ...

in the

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

festival. He is also a polo ( mni,

Sagol Kangjei Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

) playing God.

Description

God Khoriphaba is a Lainingthou. In

Ancient Meitei language Meitei (), also known as Manipuri (, ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of north-eastern India. It is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in pa ...

, "Lai" means

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

Deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

and "Ningthou" means

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines. Variants Rulers have long ...

. However, the term "Lainingthou" carries many meanings. It may refer to "king of gods", "godly king" or "kingly god". Since Khoriphaba is not the king of gods, he is a kingly god. Khoriphaba is a sportsman. He participated in

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

( mni,

) as well as

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

( mni,

) championships. Among the deities, God Khoriphaba and God

possess the epithets of being the best wrestlers. The two powerful gods wrestled during the

festival. God Khoriphaba is one of the polo player gods. He participated in the divine polo match. During the godly polo championship, Khoriphaba joined the southern team. His team was led by God

Thangjing Thangching or Thangjing is a primordial deity in Meitei mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak (Antique Manipur). He is the ruling deity of the Moirang dynasty of Ancient Moirang. He rules supreme on the banks of the landlocked sea, Lo ...

while his opponent's team (northern team) was led by God

Marjing ) , texts = Kangjeirol, Leithak Leikharol , gender = Male , Greek_equivalent = Ares , Roman_equivalent = , Etruscan_equivalent = , Christian_equivalent = , Slavic_equivalent = , Hinduism_equivalent = , ...

Mythology

God Khoriphaba was born with the divine union of God Salailen (alias Soraren) and Goddess

at Heaven. When Khoriphaba was three months old (or ''three years old''), his parents got separated. His mother was abandoned from entering into Heaven. So, little Khoriphaba was looked after by the 1000 queens of heaven. But he cried for his mother. Salailen tried to pacify the baby's cry but in vain. He gave him milk but it was of no use. He summoned his nobles and subjects. He asked them to make his son stop crying. Thousands of gods and goddesses tried but all of them failed to stop the boy's cry. Finally, Chingkheirel Apamba tried his luck. He sang hymns in praise of the baby God. Suddenly, the boy stopped crying. At this, Salailen named his son ''Khoiriphaba''. One day, Angoupalba Yaibirel Sidaba found Khoiriphaba crying near a tree. He brought the boy to his home. He asked his family to take care of the boy. The clan members looked after the child like their own child. They named him ''Puthiba''. One day, Khoiriphaba heard some women talking about him. They said, ''"Look how cute the child is! We love him so much! His mother would have loved him many times than we love him. How much his mother would have suffered for the loss of the child."'' Khoiriphaba immediately asked them about his mother. But none knew the answer to his question. So, he decided to search for his mother by himself. God Khoriphaba descended from

sky The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from outer space. In the field of astronomy, ...

down to

earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

in search for his lost mother

. He came to

Moirang Moirang is a town in the Indian state of Manipur. It is situated approximately 45 km south of the state capital Imphal. It has an area of 269 km2 with a population of 62,187 in 67 villages. It is best known for the being the place of o ...

near Khoiri Keithel. The sun already set when he was there. Not knowing what to do, he started crying. God

and his consort

Koiren Leima Koiren Leima or Leinung Yuchakha Chanu or Ayangleima is the name of the consort of Thangjing, the presiding deity of Ancient Moirang, a province in Ancient Manipur. There are two goddesses, Ayangleima Ahal and Ayangleima Atonpi, who are the first a ...

came to him. They came to know about the identity of the boy. The divine couple took care of Khoiriphaba. Under the guardianship of God

, Khoiriphaba grew up. He made many friends. He was nine years old. He started wrestling ( mni,

), race, and so on. He was always the champion of all the competitions. This made his friends fell jealous of him. So, one of his friends told him about how he grew up under the care of

. Khoriphaba was told that they would not allow him to play with them because he was an inferior God. Khoriphaba felt dejected for many days.

noticed it and asked him. Khoiriphaba narrated him the incident. So, Thangjing decided that Khoiriphaba should be sent to his mother without further delaying. He summoned all the 27 friends of Khoiriphaba. He asked them to challenge Khoiriphaba for wrestling and race championships. None were ready for the challenge. Then Thangjing asked them about a tug of war in which all of them would stand together at one side and Khoiriphaba alone at another side. There was a condition. If they won, they would be the winner. But if Khoiriphaba won, they should send Khoiriphaba off to his mother's place at Haorok Konthou, carrying him on a palanquin. The 27 friends accepted the challenge. But all of them got defeated in the hands of Khoiriphaba. On the next day, the 27 friends proceeded for the journey with Khoiriphaba on a palanquin towards Haorok Konthou. They came from a long distance from

. On the way, they came across a beautiful place. They could not control themselves to rest at the beautiful place for a while. They requested Khoiriphaba who agreed. The beautiful place where they rested was named

Toubul Toubul is a village under Bishnupur district of Manipur in India with a total population of around 4044 people as per 2001 census. It is surrounded by farming lands in the west, north and south and by Loktak lake in the east. Farming and fisher ...

( omp, Toupul). Some friends were waiting for the resting friends at another place. The place where they waited was named

Ngaikhong Khullen Ngaikhong Khullen is a large village located in Bishnupur district, Manipur, India, with a total of 1084 families residing. Demographics The village has a population of 5256, of which 2656 are male and 2600 are female, as per Population Census ...

. After some time, little by little, all of his friends left Khoiriphaba alone. So, Khoiriphaba continued his journey alone. On the way, he came across a river. On the river, many women were fishing using nets. Since morning, they could not catch a single fish. He was helped by a woman to cross the river. Finally, he reached Haorok Konthou. The people of the place were greatly awed to see him. They have heard of his quest. But Goddess Tampha was not at the place. Due to the fear of Salailen, the villagers sent her off to another place. She was looked after by the Kabui tribes in the hills. So, Khoriphaba set off for the next journey riding on his

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

Ngangrubi. On reaching the village of the Kabui tribes in the hills, he was warmly welcomed by the tribesmen. He finally met his long departed mother. He proposed her to return home back to heaven. But she did not agree because she was abandoned by her husband. So, he sadly left his mother. There are also legends about God Khoriphaba looking for a bride. He veiled his face and hold a polo-stick over his shoulder. While searching for a lover, he was riding on a

. God Khoriphaba reached

Koubru Koupalu (also, Koubaru or Koubru) is a primordial deity in Meitei mythology and religion. He is the Guardian of the North West direction. Legend says he is the founder of civilization in Ancient Manipur, starting from the Mount Koubru, a pea ...

's place. God

offered him to choose any lady of his choice from his place. Khoriphaba chose Goddess

Nungthel Leima Nungthel Leima is a goddess in Meitei mythology and religion. She is an adopted daughter of God Koupalu (Koubru) and Goddess Kounu.Session, North East India History Association (1995). Proceedings of North East India History Association. The A ...

. But

was already the consort of

. So, God Koubru could not give him the desired lady. Koubru did not want to take back his own words. He asked Khoriphaba to choose any lady but he should do it blindfolded. Blindfolded Khoiriphaba attempted to choose but he could not get Goddess

. This action is enacted by the

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 in the

festival.

Worship

During the

festival, there is a special ritual named ''Kanglei Thokpa'' dedicated to God Khoriphaba. In this ritual, a group of

s sing a song depicting Khoriphaba's search for a bride.

"The goddess of the hills, my beloved The jewel, which I am unable to part with On such a day, I follow your footprints I fail to find you... Sweet one, have you gone to another village? Or have you gone to fetch fire from your neighbour? Or have you gone to wash your hair at the riverbank? Or are you combing your beautiful hair in the huge house of your father? Perhaps, you have gone to a kang game and seated between two village brothers as a piece of decoration, radiating... Perhaps, a cloth is tied around your shoulder and slender waist and you are pounding rice. My friend, I have not seen my beloved for a long time. Please tell me where she is?"

This song of love and associated gesture evolve into dancing. The dance enacts the horse polo game. During this ritual ceremony, a

will cover her face with a veil. She will hold a kangjei (English: polo-stick or hockey-stick). She will hook a girl from amidst the crowd with the hooked end of the stick. This is called ''Lai Nupi Thiba'' (lit.

Predilection In psychology, economics and philosophy, preference is a technical term usually used in relation to choosing between alternatives. For example, someone prefers A over B if they would rather choose A than B. Preferences are central to decision theo ...

of bride). During his worship, cooked foods could be offered but devotees are not allowed to offer fish.

Texts

The ''Khoriphaba Naothemlon'' text describes song to stop little Khoriphaba from crying.

Namesakes

Art and culture association

The Khoriphaba Artistes Association is a non commercial artistes association. It was established in 1971 in

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the fo ...

Bodybuilding event

The Mr. Khoriphaba Body Building Championship is an annual

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

event. It includes both men's as well as women's classes. The first championship took place in the year 2019.

References

Bibliography

Kege Hareppa Ngangoi Leishemba by Shitalchandra Singh, Thingbaijam
* Khoriphābā: mamā nūṃśibā khonā phabā nūpāmacā amā - Raghu Laiśaṃthem - Rindā Pablikeśans, 2013
Philosophy On Lai Haraoba by Tamphajao, Yumnam

External links

{{Sanamahi1 Abundance gods Arts gods Childhood gods Dance gods Fortune gods Kings in Meitei mythology Love and lust gods Magic gods Maintenance gods Marriage gods Meitei gods and goddesses Mountain gods Music and singing deities Music and singing gods Names of God in Sanamahism Nature gods Ningthou Peace gods Sky and weather gods Sports gods Time and fate gods