The Effects of the Burning of Meitei Puyas (The Sacred Writtings of Manipur)

The Effects of the Burning of Meitei Puyas
(The Sacred Writtings of Manipur)
By: Madhu Chandra

The people of Manipur remembers the burning of Meitei Puya every year in the month of October. The burning of Meitei Puyas was a mode of forced conversion of Meiteis to Brahminical religion during the early 18th century. The event has brought the socio-religious, culture, tradition, and political implication of the people of Manipur. Shantidas Gosai, a Bengali Brahmin converted Manipuri King Pamheiba to Brahminical religion, which is known as Hinduism. Shantidas Gosai instigated Pamheiba to burn all Meitei Puyas. The exact date of the burning of Meitei Puyas is unknown, but a forum held in 2008 fixed date as 17th Mera (October) of 1729 AD. Another tradition claims it as 23rd Wakching (December-January) 1729 AD. The first claimed has some connection with Cheitharol Kumbaba. The matter of the fact is that the burning of Meitei Puyas was not a single event, but it was a series of the campaign against Meitei culture and religious practices.
The word "Puya" or "Puwari" is derived from P = Ipa-Ipu (ancestors) + Ya = Yathang (Instruction).