# Plants in Meitei culture

Many pāmbīs (Meitei for 'plants') play significant roles in the different elements of Meitei culture, including but not limited to Meitei cuisine, Meitei festivals, Meitei folklore, Meitei folktales, Meitei literature, Meitei mythology and Meitei religion (Sanamahism) of Kangleipak (Meitei for 'Manipur').

## Sacred botanical totems

| Sacred plants | Sacred leaves | Sacred fruits | Sacred flowers | Sacred woods/timbers | Associated clans of Meitei confederacy (yek salai) | Romanisation |
| Urum | Thamlaa/Changbilaa | Thamchet/Heijang/Heibi | Thambaal Angaangba | Sayi/Uyung | ꯅꯤꯡꯊꯧꯖꯥ (ꯃꯉꯥꯡ) | Ningthouja (Mangang) |
| Khok U | Laayaai | Kihom/Heiba | Mellei | Heiku/Upal | ꯂꯨꯋꯥꯡ | Luwang |
| Pungphai | Changbilaa/Kwaaklaa/Khaanglaa | Heibung/Heiku/Heibong | Leisang/Kwaaklei/Leikhaam | Chaokhong/Sayi/Waa | ꯈꯨꯃꯟ | Khuman |
| Tairel | Laarong/Leihoulaa | Heibong/Heiba | Tharo/Thambaal (Angouba) | Upal/Sayi | ꯑꯉꯣꯝ | Angom |
| Nauhing | Khaanglaa | Heiyit | Yerum Lei/Laangthrei | Kuhi/Khanglaa/Tou | ꯃꯣꯢꯔꯥꯡ ꯁꯂꯥꯢ (ꯃꯣꯢꯂꯥꯡ) | Moirang (Moilang) |
| Napu Nasen | Leihoulaa/Laaronglaa | Heiba/Heibung | Haorei/Yerumlei/Mellei/Leisang | Ching Yensin | ꯈꯥ ꯉꯥꯟꯄ | Kha Nganpa |
| Naapi Singbi | Changbilaa/Thamlaa | Heijang/Heibung/Heitup | Leisang/Leikham/Sangbrei | Nongleisang | ꯁꯂꯥꯡ ꯂꯩꯁꯥꯡꯊꯦꯝ (ꯁꯂꯥꯏ ꯂꯩꯁꯥꯡꯊꯦꯝ) | Chenglei / Sarang Leishangthem (Salang / Salai Leishangthem) |

## Plants used in rites and rituals

Kushumlei/Kusumlei (Meitei for 'safflower') is used by the Meitei people for decorations during the Sajibu Cheiraoba (Meitei Lunar Near Year Day) celebrations.
Kombirei (Meitei for 'Iris') is also used by the Meitei people for decorations during the Sajibu Cheiraoba (Meitei Lunar Near Year Day) celebrations. In Meitei culture, Kombirei flower represents love, life and death. It is frequently mentioned in the Meitei folktales and folk songs. In honor of this flowering plant species, the Government of Manipur, organises the "Kombirei Festival" every year, in the aim to preserve and conserve the natural habitats of ethnic flowers like Kombirei.

## Real plants mentioned in old texts
### Cape jasmine description

Giving reference to Meitei King Khagemba and the Manipur Kingdom, the beauty and grace of Lei Kabok flower, also called Kabok Lei (Gardenia jasminoides, cape jasmine), is described by Meitei King Charairongba, in his book, the "Leiron", as follows:
   It is a flower that remains ever fresh as not eaten by worms and is fondly sought after in the four corners of the country, eight directions, nay in all quarters. It is distinct for its beautiful shape, its tender stalk and for its pure white colour. It is a flower once nurtured by King Khagemba who preferred to take it with him even for his long home. It is a flower that comes handy to both boys and girls as a present of love. Such a luscious flower has blossomed forth in an unending array of white and definitely the season is of this flower.

## Real plants mentioned in folklore
### Colocasia/Taro plantation folktale

In Meitei mythology and Meitei folklore of Kangleipak (Meitei for 'Manipur'), Pān (Meitei for 'Colocasia' / 'Taro') plants are mentioned. In the Meitei folktale of the Hanuba Hanubi Paan Thaaba (Meitei for 'Old Man and Old Woman planting Colocasia' / 'Taro'), an old aged lonely couple, who have no youths in their family, were deceived by some trickster monkeys, regarding the planting of the Colocasia/Taro plants in a very different unusual style of plantation. The old couple agreed to do the monkeys' advices, peeling off the best tubers of the plants, then boiling them in a pot until softened and after cooling them off, wrapping them in banana leaves and putting them inside the soils of the grounds. In the middle of the night, the monkeys secretly came into the farm and ate all the well cooked plants. After their eating, they (monkeys) planted some inedible giant wild plants in the place where the old couple had placed the cooked plant tubers. In the morning, the old couple were amazed to see the plants getting fully grown up just after one day of planting the tubers. They were unaware of the tricks of the monkeys. So, the old couple cooked and ate the inedible wild Taro plants. As a reaction of eating the wild plants, they suffered from the unbearable tingling sensation in their throats.

## Perspective of Mother nature

The "Hijan Hirao" (Old Manipuri: "Hichan Hilao"), an ancient Meitei language narrative poem, mentions that King Hongnem Luwang Ningthou Punshiba of Luwang dynasty once ordered his men for the cutting down a tree in the forest for crafting out a beautiful royal Hiyang Hiren. In accordance to the story, his servants found a big tree growing on the slope of a mountain and by the side of a river. They performed traditional customary rites and rituals before chopping off the tree on the following day. In the dead of the night, Mother nature started weeping in the fear of losing her dear child, the tree. The painful lamentations of mother nature is described in the poem as follows:
   At dead of night
   The mother who begot the tree
   And the mother of all giant trees, The queen of the hill-range
   And the mistress of the gorges
   Took the tall and graceful tree
   To her bosom and wailed:
   "O my son, tall and big,
   While yet an infant, a sapling
   Didn't I tell you To be an ordinary tree?
   The king's men have found you out And bought your life with gold and silver. * * At daybreak, hacked at the trunk
   You will be found lying prostrate. No longer will you respond To your mother's call Nor a likeness of you
   Shall be found, when I survey The whole hillside.
   Who shall now relieve my grief?