The abode of Mahadev and Lord Ibudhou Thangjing was desecrated for a third time on January 25 in Manipur. The matter came to light on February 1, when a Churachandpur-based local media TC Network uploaded a 67-minute report on their YouTube channel, covering the entire process of desecration. The Thangjing Hill range is a site of pilgrimage and has several sacred places of the Meiteis.
The ancient Meitei text called Puyas trace back the journey of their ancestors from the Thangjing ranges to areas like Kumbi and Moirang as the Imphal valley had begun to dry up [1]. The Thangjing hills are a site of great historical importance to the indigenous people. Devotees of various Dharmic streams like Hinduism and Sanamahism have deep sentimental and religious attachments with these beautiful hills.
The Thangjing hills have seen several instances of religious intolerance for many years. Meitei devotees visit the hilltops as a ritual of their Cheiraoba spring festival. Two Meitei women performing their Cheiraoba rituals at Thangjing hills were molested by local Kuki-Zo youth in 2010 [2]. A new Thangting subdivision was created by the Congress state government in 2015, sparking outrage and creating tensions [3].
“Our feelings and religious sentiments are being attacked repeatedly. We are being obstructed from visiting our holy site. The situation has been particularly bad during the last 5 years,” local resident R Maisnam said.
A cross and the Zomi community’s flag was placed on top of Mount Thangjing on September 11, 2023 [4], leading to increased tension between communities. . The Association of Meiteis in the Americas had issued a statement in October 2023 likening the act to the desecration of holy sites like Kedarnath, Badrinath and Amarnath [6]. The security forces had removed the cross and flag in November. Observers saw that the cross had been re-erected on November 30 [5].
The ground report of TC Network showed the construction of a much bigger cross by welding iron poles. This cross was transported in a truck to the foothills of Mount Thangjing. The cross was then cemented to the ground on the hilltop . A pastor was present to perform the consecration ceremony. The participants had renamed Mount Thangjing to Mount Olive Prayer Mountain, named after the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem. All this happened under the observation of heavily armed terrorists of the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA). Sources alleged that this is another violation of the highly controversial Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement by Kuki militant groups.
A Supreme Court order on December 16, 2023 had directed the Manipur government to ensure the sanctity of all religious sites. Four hectares of the Thangjing ranges are protected under the ‘Manipur Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archeological Sites and Remains Act’ (1976). The installation of a permanent structure in such a protected site has created a lot of tension between the communities
The janajaatis classified under the Kuki umbrella do not consider Mount Thangjing to be a sacred site for Meiteis only. They consider Mount Thangjing as a part of their ancestral land, where they had allowed the Meiteis to pray for centuries. Ginza Vualzong, the spokesperson of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum, has said that Thangjing is a Christian place and to put up a cross is just a show of faith. “Had the cross been erected in Meitei area, then we may not have the right to put up the cross.” [6]
References : [1] Puyas like Thangjing Chingkoiron, Chingni Chuplen and Thangjing Thelon
[2] Eyewitness accounts of local residents of ChuraChandpur
[3] Accounts of local residents of ChuraChandpur
[5] https://twitter.com/VladAdiReturns/status/1730423013966012716?t=CPbeUdJefNDCNM3ove4PPw&s=19
By @VladAdiReturns
