Panthoibi (, ), also known as , is a goddess associated with civilization, courage, fertility, handicraft, love, victory, warfare and wisdom in the

mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

and

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

Ancient Kangleipak Kangleipak was an ancient, lesser known civilisation, consisting of the modern day Manipur, Manipur, India which is still known to some residents as Kangleipak, and other neighbouring regions. The Kangla served as the foremost capital city of th ...

(early

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

). She is a consort of the God

Nongpok Ningthou Nongpok Ningthou , also known as the Sovereign of the East or King of the East, is a deity in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. He is the ruling guardian deity of the eastern direction. Legend says Nongpok Ningthou and his consor ...

. She is considered to be one of the divine incarnations of

Leimarel Sidabi Leimarel Sidabi or Leimalel Sitapi is a goddess in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. She is the highest female divinity in the Meitei pantheon. She is the goddess of earth, of nature and the household. She is revered as the mothe ...

and is also identified as a form of Goddess

Nongthang Leima In Meitei mythology and religion, Nongthang Leima () is the goddess of seduction, thunder, and lightning. She was created by Atingkok (or Salailen) to attract Haraba (Pakhangba). She mastered thunder and lightning in the chaos in the early ...

. She is worshipped mainly by the

Meitei people The Meitei people, also known as Meetei 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." are a Ti ...

in Manipur,

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

Tripura Tripura () is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, third-smallest state in the country, it covers ; and the seventh-least populous state with a populat ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. The personality of Panthoibi and other Meitei goddesses like Emoinu and

Phouoibi Phouoibi or Phouleima is the goddess and the female personification of the agriculture, crops, fertility, grains, harvest, paddy, rice and wealth in Meitei mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak (early Manipur). She is the lover of A ...

depict as well as influence the courage, independence, righteousness and social honour of Meitei women.

History

According to the ''Panthoibi Khongul'', the worship of goddess Panthoibi began in the era of the

Khaba Khaba (also read as Hor-Khaba) was a pharaoh of Ancient Egypt, active during the 3rd Dynasty of the Old Kingdom period. The exact time during which Khaba ruled is unknown but may have been around 2670 BC,Thomas Schneider: ''Lexikon der Pha ...

dynasty. In 1100 AD, the

Loyumba Shinyen The Loiyumpa Silyel ( Modern Meitei: "Loiyumba Sinyen"), also termed as the Loyumpa Silyel ( Modern Meitei: "Loyumba Sinyen") or the Loiyumpa Shilyel ( Modern Meitei: "Loiyumba Shinyen") or the Loyumpa Shilyel ( Modern Meitei: "Loyumba Shinyen") ...

mentions the Heishnam clan's service to goddess Panthoibi. The text addresses her as the most adored Meetei goddess. In the 17th century, Panthoibi appeared as a war goddess riding on a tiger. The

Cheitharol Kumbaba ''Cheitharol Kumbaba'' or ''Cheithalon Kumpapa'' (''Ch. K.''), the "Royal Chronicle of Manipur", is a court chronicle of the kings of Manipur, which claims to start from 33 CE and to cover the rule of 76 Kings until 1955. The work of chroniclin ...

's first record of the building of a temple of Panthoibi was in the year 1686. The same text's first record of the making of her statue was in the year 1699. In the 18th century, there was a decline in the worship of Panthoibi mirrored a rise of

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

in Manipur. Hindu King Garib Niwaj Pamheiba (1709-1748) pulled down her temples and broke her statues, and from the 18th century onwards, Panthoibi was treated as a manifestation of the Hindu goddess

Durga Durga (, ) 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 combating evils and demonic ...

or as her incarnation or as her manifestation. The identity of Panthoibi was changed to that of Hindu goddess

. She was worshipped for five days in September – October. No more temples to Panthoibi were built from 1700 until the modern era came. Since 1960s, the worship of Panthoibi has increased, beginning to replace the worship of Durga.

Attributes and epithets

Panthoibi is regarded as self-confident and self-conscious with feminine pride. Legend says she has many incarnations, such as

, goddess of grain. Panthoibi is regarded the ruling deity of birth and death. She is described in several ancient texts, including ''

Panthoibi Khongul Panthoibi (, ), also known as , is a goddess associated with civilization, courage, fertility, handicraft, love, victory, warfare and wisdom in the mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak (early Manipur). She is a consort of the God Nong ...

'' and ''Panthoibi Mingkheilol''. The

Panthoibi Khonggul Panthoibi (, ), also known as , is a goddess associated with civilization, courage, fertility, handicraft, love, victory, warfare and wisdom in the mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak (early Manipur). She is a consort of the God Nong ...

, an ancient

Meitei language Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...

religious text dedicated to goddess Panthoibi says: Different personifications of Panthoibi are found in different texts. According to the poetic song ''Anoirol'', Panthoibi appears as Khabi Lengnao Mombi, an ancient priestess. She is also regarded as an incarnation of goddess

, another goddess amaibi.Manipur, a Tourist Paradise - Page 82 - E. Ishwarjit Singh · 2005Celebration of Life: Indian Folk Dances - Page 129 - Jiwan Pani, India. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Publications Division · 2000 Panthoibi is the goddess of ''kang'', a popular Meitei indoor game. Kang players pray to her before and during the game, believing that one cannot do his or her best at the game without her blessings. Bunga senduduk 3

Panthoibi is also the patron deity of potters and weavers. After the creation of the human beings, Panthoibi realised that they needed vessels to store food and water. Looking around, she saw a flower, '' nura khudonglei''. She imitated the shape and the design of the flower to produce a pot and gave art of

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...

to the women of Manipur. In another account, she was taught the art of

by goddess

before her disappearance, Panthoibi was inspired by a spider spinning its web to invent the arts of

spinning Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

and

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

.Bulletin - Indian Museum - Volume 33 - Page 247 - Indian Museum · 1998 In another legendary account, Panthoibi was taught the art of weaving by Leishambi, the goddess of creation. Haoreima, a woman from the hills whose lover was beheaded by her husband, is another incarnation of Panthoibi. She turned into tortured spirit and goddess of tragic love and separation and is also associated with death and fertility. Panthoibi reacts badly to bad human conduct. A person who spits near her shrine may they cannot turn their neck and can only be cured by a ritual performed by a maiba, or priestess. Panthoibi is also regarded as one of the divine incarnations of the goddess

. and as an incarnation of the goddess

In Mythology and Literature

The ancient

text ''Langkol Chingkoipa'' describes the romantic affair between deified Meitei princess Panthoibi and her lover

. Panthoibi is a lady of surpassing beauty, a daughter of a Meitei king. Many kings and princes wanted to marry her, including King Shapaiba, from the western part of the valley of Kangleipak. He promised that if she married him, he would construct good roads, beautiful bridges, and a spacious house and fish ponds, but she did not accept his proposal. Finally, Panthoibi was married to Tarang Khoinucha, the son of King Khaba Sokchrongba and Queen Teknga of the Khaba dynasty. Panthoibi met the god

for the first time when she was walking in open meadows, bathing and playing in the cool waters of the running river. She was attracted to his handsome looks and towering personality. The two fell in love at first sight. Nongpok Ningthou asked Panthoibi to elope with him. Panthoibi and Nongpok Ningthou secretly met many times, and her in-laws became suspicious. Her mortal husband tried to win her heart many times, but failed. Panthoibi and Nongpok Ningthou finally eloped, escaping the palace disguised as Tangkhuls. The two divine lovers were ultimately united on the sun-washed slopes of the Nongmaiching Hills. Their happy union was celebrated with dances and music by the gods. This celebration gave birth to the

Lai Haraoba Lai Haraoba (, ), also known as Umang Lai Haraoba, is a classical,———— ritualistic, theatrical dance and music festival, annually celebrated by the Meitei people, to please the Umang Lai deities of the traditional Meitei religion (San ...

festival. In another version of the story, Panthoibi first met Nongpok Ningthou when she was helping her father to

slash-and-burn Slash-and-burn agriculture is a form of shifting cultivation that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a Field (agriculture), field called a swidden. The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody p ...

. The two fell in love at first sight, but Panthoibi was already married to another man against her will. She left her husband's house to search for her true love; Nongpok Ningthou also left his home for the same purpose. The two lovers met at the Kangla, which became the place of their divine union and it became the place of coronation of the Meitei kings.

Panthoibi and the Sun God

According to the

Numit Kappa Numit Kappa is an ancient Meitei language mythological epic literary work. The work is believed to be written around or before 33 AD. It is written in the form of partial poetry and partial prose. The epic work is still considered to be ...

, a mythological epic written in the early 1st century CE, two suns shone in the ancient sky. One was wounded by an archer. The two brother suns fled from their positions in the sky and hid for ten long days, leaving the world in darkness. No-one could work. Crops perished and cattle died. So, the ten kingly gods approached many divinities, asking each to plead with the sun gods. Finally, the ten gods asked Princess Panthoibi to help. She knew many mysteries and secrets, and showed them magical ceremonies to lure the sun gods back. The unwounded sun god returned to his place, but the wounded one never returned.

Ancient texts

Panthoibi Naheirol

The Panthoibi Naheirol () describes about the love of goddess Panthoibi for her lover

. It tells about how she left her former husband's house (house of the Khaba dynasty) by tricking her in laws and stayed at her parental house and then finally united with her ultimate lover in the Langmai mountains by tricking her mother. Before coming back to her parental house, Panthoibi and Nongpok Ningthou were already in love with each other. So, every action of Panthoibi and Nongpok Ningthou were done according to the two's pre-plans. According to the text, by pretending to be unwell, Panthoibi told her mother as follows: Her mother Namungbi told her about Wangpulen Khana Chaopa, the deity of water, who rules in the southern realms of

Kangleipak Kangleipak was an ancient, lesser known civilisation, consisting of the modern day Manipur, India which is still known to some residents as Kangleipak, and other neighbouring regions. The Kangla served as the foremost capital city of this real ...

. She assured her daughter that he could definitely cure her illness. But on hearing her mother's reply, which Panthoibi didn't want, Panthoibi pretended to be worse in her health than before. Then her mother told her about another deity, who was guarding the south-west direction (

Thangching Thangching or Thangjing is a primordial deity in Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur. He is the ruling deity of the Moirang dynasty. He rules supreme on the banks of the landlocked sea, Loktak lake. He is one of the four cardinal ...

), which she (Panthoibi's mother) believed that he could certainly cure her daughter's illness. At this too, since Panthoibi was still unsatisfied, she pretended to be almost near her death. Then, her mother told her about God Koupalu (

Koubru Koupalu is a primordial deity in Sanamahism. He is the protector of the Meiteis, guardian of the North West direction and the founder of Meitei civilization. He lives on the summit of Mount Koubru. Description Koupalu (or Koubru) is a pr ...

), the ruler of the northwestern realms of

. Still unwanted and unsatisfied, Panthoibi pretended to be worsened up. To her mother's eyes, Panthoibi's illness was deteriorated. Finally, her mother told her about

as follows: Hearing her lover's name from her mother's words, Panthoibi insisted her to call him as soon as possible. Upon the calling,

arrived immediately. Sitting by the side of the ailing princess Panthoibi, Nongpok Ningthou examined her illness. After a short period of time, Panthoibi told her mother of her complete recovery from her illness. In front of her mother, she praised for the great ability of Nongpok Ningthou as a physician and the saviour of her life from the brink of death. Taking advantage of the situation, Panthoibi followed her lover, and thus, she finally united with Nongpok Ningthou.

Festivals

Panthoibi Iratpa

''Panthoibi Iratpa'' (''Panthoibi Eratpa'') is a religious festival dedicated to goddess Panthoipi. It is celebrated every year.

Lai Haraoba

Panthoibi and

are at the core of

festival. Their legend finds an important place in the

lyrical Lyrical may refer to: *Lyrics, or words in songs * Lyrical dance, a style of dancing *Emotional, expressing strong feelings *Lyric poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically ...

literature of Ancient Manipur.

In Art forms

Panthoibi Jagoi

''Panthoibi Jagoi'' is a duet dance form. It is accompanied by a song of love. It is sung by a

maibi Maibi are the priestesses 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. The male counter ...

and a ''Pena Khongba'' ( Pena player). It has reference to the love of Panthoibi and

. It also depicts the process of

Panthoibi Sheishak

''Panthoibi Sheishak'' is a song sung in the

festival. It is performed by the Pena players. It retells the story of Panthoibi searching for her beloved Nongpok Ningthou. It is one of the 9 singing styles (tunes) sung in the

Tangkhul Nurabi Loutaba

''Tangkhul Nurabi Loutaba'' is an

enactment Enactment may refer to: Law * Enactment of a bill, when a bill becomes law * Enacting formula, formulaic words in a bill or act which introduce its provisions * Enactment (British legal term), a piece of legislation or a legal instrument made u ...

of the

repartee Wit is a form of intelligent humour—the ability to say or write things that are clever and typically funny. Someone witty, also known as a wit, is a person skilled at wit, making spontaneous one-line or single-phrase jokes. Forms of wit incl ...

between Tangkhul Pakhang (an incarnation of

) and Tangkhul Nurabi (an incarnation of Panthoibi). The two repartee players dress up in Tangkhul Naga costumes of farming in the field. This is performed on the last night of the Kanglei Haraoba (one of the 4 forms of

festival).

Namesakes

*The ''Panthoibi Emporium'' is a trading center in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. *The ''Panthoibi Housing Finance Company Limited'' is a housing financial company in

Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...

. *The ''Panthoibi Manipur Handicrafts Emporium'' is an emporium in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

. It mainly sells handmade

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

products from Manipur.

References

Bibliography

Ariba Manipuri Sahityagee Saklon by Nabachandra, Polem

Chinglon Laihui by Manglem Meitei, Lairenjam

Erat Laisol by Singh, Khulem Chandrashekhar

Khannashi Neinnashi Leishatpa Puya by Manglem Meitei,l

Lairemjam Manglem Gi Lai Haraoba by Manglem Meitei, Lairenjam

Langgol Chinggoirol by Singh, Kulchandra Ngariyambam

Manipuree Funggawaree Part 1 by Singh, Kabrabam Neelakanta

Manipuree Funggawaree Part 2 by Singh, Kabrabam Neelakanta

Yek Taretki Meihourol by Manglem Meitei,l

Yek Taret Ki Meihouron by Manglem Meitei,l

External links

E-PAO, Panthoibi

INTERNET ARCHIVE, Panthoibi

Learners' Manipuri-English dictionary, Panthoibi
{{Religion topics Handicraft deities Deified women Meitei goddesses