Sanamahi Ahong Khong Chingba or Sanamahi Cheng Hongba or Kang Chingba is the religious

festival A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...

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 ...

, associated mainly with the public

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

with the grand chariot, housing the ancient Meitei deity

Lainingthou Sanamahi Laininthou Sanamahee (Meetei: ꯂꯥꯏꯅꯤꯡꯊꯧ ꯁꯥꯅꯥꯃꯍꯤ) is the Supreme Guardian God of mankind and the supreme deity of the household in Meetei religion and mythology. He originated from the ancient kingdom of Kangleipak ...

. The

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 f ...

city serves as the main location of the festival. It attracts thousands of pilgrims who join the

. The festival was celebrated 350 years ago, and after a long pause, it was first recelebrated in the year 2018. During the festival, thousands of devotees offer rice, fruits, vegetables, money, along with the traditional rites and rituals to seek blessings from the deity.

Similar festival

Sanamahi Ahong Khong Chingba is purely a festival of

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) , ...

. But after Hindunisation of Meitei society, a similar type of festival was created.

References

{{Reflist Festivals in Manipur