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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 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, ...
of
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 ...
(early
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 ...
). She is the lover of Akongjamba, a hero in ancient legends. But fate doesn't permit the lovers to unite. So, Phouoibi and Akongjamba reincarnated in the legends. She was sent by
Thangching 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, ...
(
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, ...
) to Kege Moirang (Keke Moilang) kingdom to prosper the human world. The legends of her love with Akongjamba were believed to be enacted by
Thangching 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, ...
(
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, ...
) as a part of the
Epic cycles of incarnations ) * Moirang Shaion ( omp, Moilang Shaion) * Moirang Sayon ( omp, Moilang Sayon) * Moirang Shayon ( omp, Moilang Shayon) , Mythology = Meitei mythology (Manipuri mythology) , Country = * Ancient Kangleipak (historical) * (present) , ...
( Moirang Saiyon) of the
Moirang Kangleirol The Moirang Kangleirol (), also spelled Moilang Kangleilol, is a encompasses a rich collection of history, literature, folklore, mythology, legends, and other accounts that were originally associated with the ancient kingdom of Kege Moirang ...
legends. Phouoibi is a
spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
of the rice. So, she is not a member of the
Umang Lai Umang Lai are the group of sacred groves preserved for the local forest deities (with the same title), worshipped by the Meitei people, the Pangal people and Meitei Christians, the predominant ethnic groups, since ancient times in the Himalayan ...
s. The characters of Phouoibi and other goddesses, including
Panthoibi ) , deity_of = Goddess of civilization, courage, fertility, handicraft, love, victory, warfare and wisdom , member_of = Lairembis and Umang Lais , image = PANTHOIPI.jpg , alt = , caption = Goddess Panthoipi char ...
and
Emoinu 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 frequently ...
, depict, as well as influence, the boldness, courage, independence, righteousness and social honour of Meitei women. The
Meitei people 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 ...
believe that the gleaming black stone is a personification of the goddess, which if kept inside the earthenware pot of the
granary A granary is a storehouse or room in a barn for threshed grain or animal feed. Ancient or primitive granaries are most often made of pottery. Granaries are often built above the ground to keep the stored food away from mice and other animal ...
, will bring good luck and prosperity, as long as it shines.


Etymology

Phouoibi or Phouleima literally means ''Lady of the Paddy'' in Meitei (Manipuri). Phou (Fou) means "unhusked
rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
", paddy. "Oibi" is derived from the verb "oiba" (meaning "to become") with the feminine suffix "i".


Description

Phouoibi is a goddess who is very fickle in love. She fell in love with many mortals. However, she doesn't live permanently with anyone of them. She went to many places and made love with many mortals only to discard them later. She lived with her favorite lover for some time and later left him. Her nature symbolizes that wealth doesn't last long. There were frequent wars and natural calamities in ancient times. So, the goddess of paddy is described as very inconstant in favouring to the mankind. According to
Meitei culture 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 anger of Phouoibi was provoked with the neglect of paddy or rice. The rites and rituals dedicated to the goddess were regularly performed. By doing this, possible misfortunes were warded off that could have came to the peasants.


Mythology

Once Phouoibi (Fouoibi) set out for a journey along with her sisters (''friends'' in another version),
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 ...
and
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 ...
. In
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 ...
, when the goddess was about to cross a river, Akongjamba came to the spot for hunting. Akongjamba and Phouoibi fell in love at first sight. After some time passed, Phouoibi visited the house of Akongjamba. She disguised herself as a tribal woman (''haonupi'' or ''haonubi''). Akongjamba was not there but Akongjamba's mother didn't give her good hospitality. Akongjamba's mother was about to hit Phouoibi (disguised as a tribal woman) with a swiping broom. If the broom touched the goddess, all her magical powers will get lost. So, Phouoibi fled to a coop (henhouse). She transfigured herself as a chicken. Akongjamba's mother followed her and counted the number of chicken. She found the number of chicken exactly as it was, neither more nor less. So, she went back to her home. Phouoibi spent the night inside the filthy and smelly henhouse. On the next day, she once again took her original form of a beautiful maiden in a glowing dress. She called Akongjamba's mother to come out. She told her that she wanted to give her the payment for spending a night at hers. She shook an enormous heap of golden grain off her body in the middle of the front yard of the house. Then, Phouoibi left the place travelling towards south east. Akongjamba's mother remained surprised. In another version of the story, Phouoibi stayed a night at the ''yenakha'' (left or right side of the house). The place where the goddess stayed came to be known as ''Phayeng'' (''fai'' or ''phai'' means ''to stay''). Later, Akongjamba returned home and found the pile of golden grain as high as a hill in front of the courtyard. When asked, his mother told him all the story. He realised that the lady was Phouoibi. He immediately aftered her. On the way, he found her. He pleaded her to return home and live together. But she refused his proposal. She told him that they are not destined to be together to accomplish their work at that birth. Saying this, she left him sorrowfully. As Phouoibi travelled towards southeast, she reached a riverbank. She did not know how deep the river was. At that moment, a
deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
appeared on the other side of the river. She asked the deer if the river was shallow or not. The deer lied telling her that the river was not deep. Phouoibi went down the river. She could not swim and got drowned. A small ngamhai fish was also swimming there. It helped the drowning goddess to reach the shore of the next riverbank. She thanked the little creature and granted it a boon that it will shine like a mirror in the gleaming water. She wished that the ballad singers will always praise the fish for its silvery beauty whenever they retold her story. Then, she glared at the deer. She cursed the deer and all its species that if they tried to eat her creation - paddy, then all their teeth will be fallen. So, still today, the
deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
s never eat paddy because of the fear that their teeth will fall off.


Worship

''Poinu'' (November-December interface month) is the Meitei lunar month of harvesting and the granary must not be disturbed. Its subsequent month ''Wakching'' (December-January interface month) is the time during which Goddess Phouoibi is worshipped. Goddess Phouoibi is offered fruits and vegetables in the four corners of a specially prepared place. The place is divided into 3 sections. At each division, seeds are sown. The goddess is invoked by the maibas with the sacrifice of black hen and the offering of rice beer. If the previous year's crop harvest was good, the maiba prayed to the goddess to give them good crops that year too. And if the previous year's crop harvest was not satisfactory, the maiba prayed to the goddess to give them satisfactory crops with no insects that year. Rice and flowers on the banana leaves are thrown up on the harvest field by the farmers. After threshing, Phou Kouba (calling the paddy/rice) ceremony is performed. Phoukourol (Phoukouron or Phougourol or Phougouron) is a hymn for summoning the spirit of the paddy. Phoukou (Phougou) song is sung like this:
"He Lairemma Phouoibi! Toi Toi Toi Thangee Phoubi Peibiro! Toi Toi Toi Chaku Lankubiro! Toi Toi Toi Thangeena Chingdum Sabiro! Toi Toi Toi Ho Lairemma Phouoibi! Toi Toi Toi"
To have abundant crop harvest, the
Meitei people 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 ...
sing ''Phougou Eshei''. It is generally sung during harvest. It is done before the crop is stored in the granary. Goddess Phouoibi is worshipped with
Phou Ningthou Phou Ningthou is a deity in Meitei mythology and religion (Sanamahism) of Ancient Kangleipak (Antique Manipur). He is the God and the divine male personification of the agriculture, crops, fertility, grains, harvesting, paddy, rice and wealt ...
, the god of rice. Farmers prayed to the two deities for a doubling of the previous year's yield, after the harvest. The Phou Kouba (calling the paddy/rice) ceremony is more frequently performed in case of mis-happenings to the farmers. Mis-happenings may be theft or burning of the paddy/rice, an animal like cow trespasses the threshing ground, etc. People believe that these are all because of the absence of the goddess. So, they perform the rites and rituals to induce the goddess to stay at their places. In such cases, Sareng fish (Wallago attu, helicopter catfish) with rice is the most important offering to goddess Phouoibi. It should be cooked with
herb In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...
s and not with
spices A spice is a seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garni ...
. The Sharotkhaibam (Sorokhaibam) family members used to invoke goddess Phouoibi in ancient times.


Association with other goddesses

Goddess Phouoibi is often identified as a manifestation of Goddess
Panthoibi ) , deity_of = Goddess of civilization, courage, fertility, handicraft, love, victory, warfare and wisdom , member_of = Lairembis and Umang Lais , image = PANTHOIPI.jpg , alt = , caption = Goddess Panthoipi char ...
. Many legends say that
Panthoibi ) , deity_of = Goddess of civilization, courage, fertility, handicraft, love, victory, warfare and wisdom , member_of = Lairembis and Umang Lais , image = PANTHOIPI.jpg , alt = , caption = Goddess Panthoipi char ...
became Phouoibi after a
metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...
. She is also regarded as the incarnation of
Leimarel Sidabi ) , deity_of = Goddess of earth, nature and household , member_of = Imung Lais , image = Relief art depicting Salailen (Salailel), the Supreme God, creating Leimalen (Leimalel), the first female being in the universe, according ...
, the supreme mother earth goddess.


Iconography

Goddess Phouleima often appears in ancient potteries. She is personified in a round black stone sitting in a pot. It is placed upon the bed of rice grains inside the granary. It is never kept directly on the ground. As long as the goddess is respected, the granary has no lack of grains.


Texts

The Phouoibi Waron is a 13-14th century Meitei literary work that calls Phouoibi a fickle lady. According to the text, the goddess has love affairs with multiple partners and she always leaves them. The Ningthourol Lambuba relates that Phouoibi and her six friends went to a place called ''Karan Lambuba''. They measured all their walking sticks to see whose was the longest. Phouoibi was found to be the longest of all, by one knot. So, one knot was cut off. The place where the stick was cut off was named ''Kakmayai'' (''kak'' means ''to cut'' in Manipuri). The Loyumba Shinyen mentions that people of a family named Sharotkhaibam used to invoke the goddess of paddies in ancient times.


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 sisters. * Phouoibi Shayon is a 2017
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 ...
film based on the story of the goddess and her sisters.


Namesakes

In 1979, two new rice high-yield varieties, Phouoibi (KD6-2-1) and Punshi (KD6-18-7) were developed by the Manipur State Rice Research Center, Wangbal. After these
rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...
varieties became available, they were planted in 75 percent of high-yield rice growing areas. Phouoibi matures in 135 days. These rice varieties are more likely to be affected by insects than local varieties like ''Phourel'' and ''Moirang Phou''.
Ima Keithel ) , other_name = , nickname = Nupi Keithel ( en, Women's Market) Khwairamband Keithel ( en, Khwairamband Market) , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , ima ...
( en, Mothers' Market), the world's only women-run market, has three major building complexes. Phouoibi Ima Keithel is the Complex Number 3, preceded by Leimarel Sidabi Ima Keithel (Complex Number 1) and Imoinu Ima Keithel (Complex Number 2). This 500 years old market is in the center of
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 ...
, the metropolis 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 ...
.


References


External links


Phouoibi_INTERNET ARCHIVEPhouoibi_e-pao.net
{{Sanamahi1 Abundance goddesses Agricultural goddesses Asian goddesses Beauty goddesses Epic cycles of incarnations Fertility goddesses Food goddesses Fortune goddesses Harvest goddesses Leima Love and lust goddesses Magic goddesses Maintenance goddesses Meitei gods and goddesses Nature goddesses Pastoral goddesses Peace goddesses Trickster goddesses