Nongmaiching Hill or Nongmaijing Hill, also known as the Selloi Langmai Ching, is a hill in the

Imphal Valley Imphal Valley ( /ˈɪmpɑːl/; ) or Manipur Valley () is located in the Indian state of Manipur and is an irregular almost oval shaped canyon that was formed as a result of the multiple small rivers that originate from neighbouring hill regions ...

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 ...

, India. It rises to the east of the Imphal City with a peak at an elevation of above sea level. It is a holy

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

site for 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

Meitei mythology Meitei mythology (or Manipuri mythology) () 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 traditional Meitei religion of Sanam ...

and religion (

Sanamahism Sanamahism , also known as Meiteism , or Lainingthouism is an ethnic religion of the Meitei people of Manipur, in Northeast India. It is a polytheistic religion and is named after Lainingthou Sanamahi, one of the most important deities of ...

), it is a

sacred mountain Sacred mountains are central to certain religions, and are usually the subjects of many legends. For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed that it is closest to heaven or other religious realms. Many reli ...

and the abode of 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 ...

and Goddess

Panthoibi 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 Non ...

. In

Meitei folklore Meitei folklore is the folklore and mythology of the Meitei people of 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 Nagal ...

, the Nongmaiching is described as the hill that produces ''"the seven

days A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours (86,400 seconds). As a day passes at a given location it experiences morning, afternoon, evening, and night. This daily cyc ...

of a

week A week is a unit of time equal to seven days. It is the standard time period used for short cycles of days in most parts of the world. The days are often used to indicate common work days and rest days, as well as days of worship. Weeks are ofte ...

"''.

Etymology

According to many scholars including

Thomas Callan Hodson Thomas Callan Hodson (1871–1953) was the first William Wyse Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, where he was a Fellow of St Catharine's College, notable for his writings on Indian anthropology and for coining the ...

of the

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, the

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 ...

term "Nongmaiching" () is derived from the terms, "nong" (), "mai" () and "ching" (). Nong means

sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

rain Rain is a form of precipitation where water drop (liquid), droplets that have condensation, condensed from Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere, atmospheric water vapor fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is res ...

, mai means

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

or "in front of", and ching means

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

. So, "Nongmaiching" means "the hill that fronts the rain or sun". According to

Tarak Chandra Das Tarak Chandra Das (1898–1964) was an anthropologist of Calcutta University. He did his Masters' from Calcutta University in ‘Ancient Indian History and Culture’ and joined the then newly founded Department of Anthropology at the Universit ...

of the

Calcutta University The University of Calcutta, informally known as Calcutta University (), is a Public university, public State university (India), state university located in Kolkata, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, India. It has 151 affiliated undergraduate c ...

, the term "Nongmaiching" is translated as "the hill which rises to the east of

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 ...

and which is the scene of a rain-compelling ceremony." The terms "Nongmaiching" and "Nongmaijing" are interchangeably used. The term "Nongmaijing" may also mean

Sunday Sunday (Latin: ''dies solis'' meaning "day of the sun") is the day of the week between Saturday and Monday. Sunday is a Christian sabbath, day of rest in most Western countries and a part of the Workweek and weekend, weekend. In some Middle Ea ...

(officially called Manipuri). According to the "Guide to the gods" by Marjorie Leach, the term "Nongmaiching" is defined as ''"A hill god of the

Meitheis 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 ...

, Manipur, Assam, India. (Hodson, 1908: 111)"''.

Geography

The Nongmaiching lies to the eastern side of

city. It separates

Thoubal River Thoubal River is a river that flows from the hills of Ukhrul District and merges into the Imphal River at Bitra Urokhong. The Mapithel Dam is constructed on the river at Maphou village of Kangpokpi District Kangpokpi district ( Meitei ...

valley from that of the Iril River and the

Imphal River The Imphal River (), also known as the Turel Achouba, is a major river in Manipur state, northeastern India which originates from the northern side of Kangpokpi district. It is a tributary of the Manipur River, joining it in Thoubal district. ...

. The Nongmaiching is close to the Nongpok Sanjenbam, Imphal East.

History

In the history of

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

), the three out of the seven clans of

Meitei ethnicity 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 ...

, namely the

Mangang Mangang () is a group of people, which is recognized as one of the seven Yek Salai clans of the composite Meitei confederacy. It consists of several Yumnaks, which belong to the native people of ancient Kangleipak (now Manipur), one of th ...

, the

Luwang Luwang () is a group of people, which is recognized as one of the seven Yek Salai clans of the composite Meitei confederacy. Luwang consists of several Meitei surnames, Yumnaks which are native peoples of ancient Kangleipak (now Manipur), one o ...

and the

Angom Angom () is a group of people, which is recognized as one of the seven Yek Salai clans of the composite Meitei confederacy. It consists of several Yumnaks, which belong to the native people of ancient Kangleipak (present day Manipur state o ...

are historically associated with the Nongmaiching. Meitei King Konthouba defeated many tribal chiefs and controlled their villages of Shelloi (Selloi) and Longmai (Langmai), near the present day Nongmaiching.

Religious associations

The Nongmaiching is a holy

site for the

. In Meitei religion (

), the Nongmaiching is deeply associated with God

Lainingthou Sanamahi Lainingthou 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 ...

and God Pakhangba. According to one legend, King Kangba kept an idol of God Sanamahi at a cave in the Nongmaiching. The Nongmaiching is historically, mythologically and religiously associated with God Langmai Ningthou and Goddess

. This is mentioned in the Panthoibi Khongul, an ancient Meitei text. The Nongmaiching is the place where 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 ...

was celebrated by the divine beings, after which it was imitated by the humans. "Kanglei Haraoba" (), one of the major types of the

ceremonial ritualistic festival, is associated with the Nongmaiching. As a part of the

, the Kangleithokpa ritual was performed at the Nongmaiching. It represents the marriage of God Khoriphaba. The Nongmaiching is the place where the final prayers for the worship ceremony associated with the three ancient Meitei deities, namely Pakhangba, Nongshaba and Yumjao Lairembi, are done. The

Loiyumba 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") or ...

Constitution mentions that the "Salam" family of

used to idolise the Langmai Ching (Nongmaiching mountain) and to act the role of God

. The same text mentions that the "Nongmaithem" clan of

used to glorify the Langmai Ching (Nongmaiching).

In literature

Nongmaiching Chingkoipa

The "Nongmaiching Chingkoipa" (also called, "Nongmaijing Chinggoiba") is an ancient

text which is an account on the Nongmaiching mountain. It describes the sprawling branches of the mountain extending from the North to the South of the

. The opening lines of the text describes the Nongmaiching to a king as follows: Following these lines, the author describes on many

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. ...

slope In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a Line (mathematics), line is a number that describes the direction (geometry), direction of the line on a plane (geometry), plane. Often denoted by the letter ''m'', slope is calculated as the ratio of t ...

s and nearby areas of the Nongmaiching mountain.

Panthoibi Naheirol

In accordance to the ancient

text named "Panthoibi Naheirol" (),

pretended to be unwell in front of her mother, just to make her mother call physician

for the treatment of her illness. While telling her mother about Nongpok Ningthou, princess Panthoibi mentioned the Nongmaiching (aka Langmai Ching) as follows:

University of Sanamahi Culture

The University of Sanamahi Culture (Sanamahi Culture University) is a university under construction in the Nongmaiching Hills. It is deeply associated with the Sanamahi Kiyong shrine. The university aims to teach the future generations of people about the ancient Meitei culture of the

Sanamahi religion Sanamahism , also known as Meiteism , or Lainingthouism is an ethnic religion of the Meitei people of Manipur, in Northeast India. It is a polytheistic religion and is named after Lainingthou Sanamahi, one of the most important deities of ...

. It will offer its students various subjects about indigenous art forms, dance forms, music,

Thang-Ta Thang Ta () is a classical Meitei traditional martial art form. It is originated from the Ancient Kangleipak (present day Manipur state). It is practised using weaponry. It is considered as the sibling of Sarit Sarak, which uses no weapons. Thang ...

and etc. Around has been spent as of 2009 on the construction of the University and around , including construction materials, were donated by volunteers. It is estimated that the total cost of the construction of the University will be around .

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when there was an active combat between the troops of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and other

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

n states, the Nongmaiching serves as the most strategically important point in

Deforestation and forestation

Ecotourism development

The Nongmaiching is one of the important hills and mountains in

that have the strong potential for ecotourism development.

Reserve Forest

There is a

reserved forest A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geolog ...

in the Nongmaiching.

Santhei Natural Park

The Santhei Natural Park located in the Santhei village of

Andro, Imphal East Andro is a village and a nagar panchayat in Imphal East district in the state of Manipur, India. Andro is an earmarked Scheduled Caste village which has been developed to represent the cultural heritage and artful creativeness of the Manipuri t ...

, is at the foothills of the Nongmaiching. It is best known for its scenic natural beauty and serving as a picnic area.

Plant life

The Nongmaiching is the natural habitat for various plant species, including

Cymbopogon flexuosus ''Cymbopogon flexuosus'', also called Cochin grass, East-Indian lemon grass or Malabar grass, is a perennial grass native to India, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand. It is placed in the genus ''Cymbopogon ''Cymbopogon'', also known as lemongr ...

and Goniothalamus sesquipedalis.

In popular culture

* Saktam Machet Machet Mang Macha Macha (): A 1999

prose book by Kamal, Toijamba * Thaloi Nungkhailon (): A

astronomy and astrology book by Bhudhachandra, Yumnamcha * Tingkhanglakta Gulap (): A

poetry book by Kullachandra H

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

Nongmaiching Ching
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

Nongmaiching
at {{Meiteimyth navbox long Cultural heritage of India Landforms of Manipur Landmarks in India Meitei culture Meitei pilgrimage sites Mountains in Sanamahism Sacred mountains of India Tourist attractions in Manipur