User:Haoreima/Durga Puja in Meitei culture

Durga Puja (Bor Puja ), one of the most widely celebrated Hindu festivals, is an integral part of the culture of Meitei Hindus.

In Manipur
The festival of Durga Puja started getting celebrated from the 18th century CE in, during the reign of Hindu Meitei King Garib Niwaz (Pamheiba; Gopal Singh), the Maharajah of Manipur Kingdom. Durga Puja gradually replaced the Panthoibi Iratpa festival of the traditional Meitei religion, and so does the cult of Durga (usually in the forms of Kamakhya or Kalika) with that of ancient Meitei goddess Panthoibi in the kingdom.

Later, when there was a revivalist cultural movement of the traditional Meitei religion (Sanamahism) in Manipur as well as other Manipuri populated places, the cult of Panthoibi (sometimes referred to as "Panthoibism") became predominant in focus of the Meitei people. However, Durga Puja celebrations are so deeply rooted in the Meitei society that Panthoibi Iratpa can't easily replace Durga Puja, unlike its replacement in the past. So, in present times, in Manipur and other Manipuri populated places, both Durga Puja and Panthoibi Iratpa are frequently seen to be celebrated with equal jest and equal honour to both the goddesses, despite their religious differences. The classic example of this is seen in the Hiyangthang Lairembi Temple, a shrine originally dedicated to Irai Leima (alias Ireima), an ancient Meitei goddess, associated with water bodies and diseases, but later culturally integrated with the cults of Panthoibi and Durga.