Apokpa

Apokpa Laining (the Apokpa religion) endeavors to discover Apokpa (the Truth; the Almighty; the Brahma) by cultivating in one's own mother tongue, custom and culture. The Apokpa has no name, but different communities call or invoke Him in their own language as God, Brahma, or Allah.

Worship

Apokpa Laining does not have idol worship, so community worship is in the form of Khubam (symbolic representations in demarcated places where articles for worship are placed). Apokpaism worship takes place with Meeteis rites and rituals maintaining all customary norms.

The Meeteis

The Meeteis believe in two categories of deities:

• Yumlai: Leimaren, Sanamahee and Apokpa (deities of dwelling houses)
• Umanglai: (deities of woods: i.e., deities outside the dwelling houses)

Not only the Apokpa community but all the Meeteis in generally worship Yumlai and Umanglai.

Beliefs

The first human species was created by Lainingthou Sanamahee, the incarnation of Eepuroi Apokpa by observing the image of Soraren and then spread human beings and inhabited all over the earth.

Laninghan declared that Meetei-Laibak is the first habitation land of human beings and it is not only a paradise for the Meeteis, but also for other human beings on the earth. He declared that as long as the Meeteis' "Chayon-Taret" (seven days of week) exist, the history of the Meeteis will not become extinct.

The Chayon-Taret

• The first day of the week. The day on which Lainingthou Soraren came down from Koubru and reached the foot of the Nongmaiching Hill to create land for human habitation was called "Nongmaiching".
• The second day of the week. The day Lainingthou Soraren climbed the hill top was called "Ningthoukaba" (ningthou = king; kaba = climb).
• The third day of the week. The day the earth was visible over water surface was called "Leibakpokpa" (leibak = earth; pokpa = birth).
• The fourth day of the week. The day the deities started to build their dwelling houses was called "YumsaKeisa" (yumsa = house; sa = to build).
• The fifth day of the week. The "Haos" became jealous at this and they started attacking the deities to drive them away. The deities got on their horseback and began to fight. The day the deities fought the battle riding on horseback was called "Sagonsen" (sagon = horse; sen = to ride).
• The sixth day of the week. There was a flow of blood in the battlefield and this day was known as "Eerai" (ee = blood; erang = flood).
• The seventh day of the week. The day the deities washed their swords and spears after dispersing the "Haos" was called "Thangcha" (thang = swords; cham = to wash).

See also

• Sanamahism