Background
- “Sanamahi cult”. Sanamahi is revered by manipuri hindus and brAhmaNa-s too.
Phullo
- “Naoria Phullo, the sixth child of the ten children ofhis parents was born in 1838 in a peasant family at the Laishramkhul, Jariband, Cachar85, Assam. … Phullo resigned and devoted full time to rediscover the identity of the Meiteis amidst the interplay of two religious forms e.g., traditional religion and vaisnavism in the Meitei society. His search led him to conclude the : vaisnavite Hinduism as an exogenous force that had submerged the traditional Meitei religion. His movement rested on reviving the self identity and racial consciousness of the Meiteis. The movement kicked off with the establishment of Apokpa Marup in Cachar in 1930 with an underlying objective of academic pursuit to the ancient religion and culture of the Meiteis and towards reviving the traditional Manipuri culture.”
- “Most of the followers of Phullo were those who had suffered ill treatment in one way or other from the Brahma Sabha of Jarirband.”
- “Phullo opposed observance of any form of Hindu festival, encouraged the usage of Manipuri languages. The activities of the Brahman were perceived as a mechanism to lull the Meitei mind.”
- “The core of preaching was on unfolding the Meitei identity with the exposition of the traditional Meitei identity and way of life, worshipping of pure Meitei gods and goddesses and chanting of traditional hymns in Meitei language as liberation from Hindu bondage. Phullo and his followers completely detached away from the Hindu population.”
- “On the one side, he discarded the Aryan -theory of origin of Meiteis. To him, the Meiteis were descendants of the god, Lainingthou and the religion of the Meiteis was the worship of the supreme god, Taibang Phaoba Naoriya A han (elederly man who took human birth).”
Detachment from vaiShNava hindus
- “It called for the complete abolition of practice of Mangba-Sengba. It treated deities of temples as wooden idols. It regarded Gopichandan Mritika as polluted clay from the graves of Gopis, and rejected Veda Bittika Mata of Shadha, Sankritan, and pilgrimage to holy places. It denounced Praychitta as a ritual to be performed by a Meitei lady in case of marriage with a Brahman lad.”
- “Pilgrimage to the holy places like Nabadvip (Nadia), West Bengal), Ganga (Bihar), Brindaban (Uttar Pradesh), Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) was denounced as Hindu custom.”
- “It discarded wearing of sacred threads and Urik (Tulasi necklace).”
- “The manufacturing of local rice beer was encouraged as a Meitei custom. "
- “he Brahma Sabha of Jhariband ostracised 46 followers of Phullo including 3 Meitei Brahmanas in the mid forties for their revivalist activities from the Hindu society and seven villages were declared polluted for. alleged association with the followers of the Apokpa Marup. The excommunication of the Brahma Sabha had little impact on the movement which had already detached the Hindu fold. In return, the Vaishnavite Hindus were debarred from membership of Singlup in Cachar. "
- “The Ras-Dance, one of the recognized classical dance forms of India that earned fame in 1he international arena of-art, was called to be done away with as its birth was associated with vaisnavism.”
- “The use of’Singh’ and Devi’ was discarded and encouraged to use ‘Meitei’ (men) and ‘Chanu’ (for women).”
- “The association, as a mechanism against the Hindu proselytisation , designed its rituals to regain those Manupiris who had been lost to the vaishnavite Hindu fold. Putting it simply, Ritual call christened as Nongkhrang Pareihanba was invented to reclaim those believed to have been lost to Hinduism.