Panthoibi

**Panthoibi** () or **Panthoipi** () is a goddess in the Meitei mythology and religion.  People in Ancient Kangleipak (Antique Manipur) worshipped her. She is the goddess of civilization, courage, having children, making things with hands, love, winning, war and wisdom. She is married to Nongpok Ningthou.

People talk about Panthoibi with another goddess, Leimarel Sidabi. Sometimes people think of Panthoibi and Leimarel as the same goddess.
 
People say Panthoibi is bold, brave, and independent.  She always works for what is good and right for Meitei women.

## Etymology 
The Meitei word "Panthoibi" (ꯄꯥꯟꯊꯣꯢꯕꯤ or ꯄꯥꯟꯊꯣꯏꯕꯤ) comes from three words, "Pan" (ꯄꯥꯟ), "Thoi" (ꯊꯣꯢ or ꯊꯣꯏ) and "Bi" (ꯕꯤ).

"Pan" (ꯄꯥꯟ) means *to rule over something*.

"Thoi" (ꯊꯣꯢ or ꯊꯣꯏ) means *to exceed*, or *to transcend*, or *to win*, or *to be very good at something*, or *to increase*.

In Meitei language, "Bi" ("Bee") (ꯕꯤ) or "Pi" ("Pee") (ꯄꯤ) means that the rest of the word has a feminine gender. For example, Thoibi is a name given to girls. It has "Thoi" and "Bi".

The word "Thoibi" (ꯊꯣꯢꯕꯤ or ꯊꯣꯏꯕꯤ) also means being perfect or beautiful and good at doing things.

## History 
People began to worship Panthoibi when the Khaba dynasty ruled the Kangla. According to the National Archives of India, the Panthoibi Naheron (*Panthoibi Naheiron*) was written before Common Era. It has Meitei language worship songs in it.

The Loyumba Shinyen text, from 1100 c.e., says the Heishnam clan worshipped Panthoibi.

The Cheitharol Kumbaba says people built the first temple to Panthoibi in 1686, and a statue in 1699.

Starting in the 18th century, people said the Meitei goddess Panthoibi was the same goddess as the Hindu goddess Durga. People worshipped her for five days in September or October.

In the 1960s, some people started to worship Panthoibi instead of Durga. Legend says she can change shape and has different bodies.  For example, she can be Phouoibi, the goddess of grain. 
Panthoibi rules birth and death. 
### Panthoibi as a priestess goddess 
According to the Anoirol text, the goddess Panthoibi is also *Khabi Lengnao Mombi*. Khabi Lengnao Mombi is the ancient amaibi (lit. *priestess*).  Different texts say different things about Panthoibi. Panthoibi was regarded as a pre-historical Maibi. Some texts say she is the goddess Nongthang Leima, another goddess amaibi.

### Panthoibi as a goddess of games 
Panthoibi is a ruling deity of the *Kang* game. Kang is an indoor Meitei tradition game that people in Manipur played. Kang players pray to Panthoibi before and during the game. People believe that good players need her blessing.

### Panthoibi as a goddess of potters 
Goddess Panthoibi is the goddess of all potters. She taught the women of Manipur to make pots. She was taught the art of pottery by goddess Leimarel Sidabi before her disappearance.
### Panthoibi as the goddess of sickness 
When humans do bad things, Panthoibi does too. If a person has spit near Panthoibi's shrine, he or she will not be able to turn his or her neck. It could be healed only by a maiba. For this, the maiba will perform a ritual.
### Panthoibi as the goddess of spinning and weaving 
#### Learned from a spider 
Goddess Panthoibi saw a spider. It was making cobwebs in a corner. So Panthoibi learned to spin thread and weave cloth.
Panthoibi imitated the pattern of weaving of the spider. Later, she introduced the art of weaving.
#### Learned from another goddess 
In another legend, the goddess Leishambi taught Panthoibi to weave. 
]]

### Meeting Nongpok Ningthou 
Panthoibi first met Nongpok Ningthou (alias Angoupa Kainou Chingsangsompa) five days after her wedding. She was walking in the grass and swimming in a river. She liked his handsome looks and personality. They fell in love. Nongpok Ningthou asked her to run away from her husband and marry him. But she did not say yes then. She told him to wait.

Panthoibi and Nongpok Ningthou secretly met many times. Panthoibi's husband's parents started to think something was wrong. Tarang Khoinucha tried to win her heart many times.  Panthoibi and Nongpok Ningthou ran away together. They wore Tangkhul clothes as disguises.

Panthoibi and Nongpok Ningthou married on the sunny side of the Nongmaiching Hills. The gods celebrated with dancing and music (by the *Langmai people* and not the *gods* in another version). This celebration was the start of the Lai Haraoba festival.

#### Another version 
In another way of telling the story, Panthoibi first met Nongpok Ningthou when she was helping her father at farming. The two fell in love before they had talked. But Panthoibi got married to another man even though she did not want to. Later, she left her husband's house to search for Nongpok Ningthou.  Nongpok Ningthou also left his home to look for Panthoibi. The two met at the Kangla. Kangla became the place of their divine union. This is why Meitei kings do their crowning ceremony there.

### Panthoibi and the Sun God 
According to the Numit Kappa text (c. 1st century), in ancient times, there were two suns in the sky. An archer hero (*many men* in some version) shot one of the suns with an arrow and hurt it. The two brother suns ran away out of the sky. They hid for ten long days. The world was dark. No men could work. Crops and cows died. Then the ten godly kings (or *kingly gods*) talked to the other gods. They asked each to talk to the Sun God. None succeeded. Finally, the ten gods came to Princess Panthoibi. She showed them magical ceremonies to get the Sun God to come back. The unhurt Sun God came back, but the archer hit with the arrow did not.

### Panthoibi and the weaving spider 
.]]
Panthoibi saw a spider. It was making good, thin thread. It was also making a web. From this, she started weaving. The god of weaving is female because women were the ones who wove cloth.

### Pottery and human civilization 
After the first human beings, Panthoibi made them a place to live. Humans started eating and drinking. Panthoibi realised they needed someplace to put food and water. So she started making pots. In the beginning, she did not know how to make a pot. Later, she looked around. She saw a flower - *Nura Khudonglei* (*Malabar melastome*). She saw its shape. Then, she made a pot. Since then, humans could make pots for cooking food and drinking water.

## Worship 
Panthoibi is mainly worshipped by the Heisnam family of Meitei ethnicity. So, she is also known as *Heisnam Lairembi* (lit. Lairembi of the Heisnam).

## Identification with other deities 
Panthoibi is regarded as one of the divine incarnations of Goddess Leimarel Sidabi. She is also regarded as an incarnation of goddess Nongthang Leima.
 festival celebrated at Hojai Natun Bazar, Assam]]

### Lai Haraoba 
The Lai Haraoba festival is about Panthoibi and Nongpok Ningthou. There are legends and writings about them in Ancient Manipur.

## In art
]]

### Panthoibi Jagoi 
*Panthoibi Jagoi* is a dance form in which two people dnace together while a maibi and a *Pena Khongba*  (pena player) play a love song about Panthoibi and Nongpok Ningthou. It also depicts the process of weaving.

### Panthoibi Sheishak 
*Panthoibi Sheishak* is a song in the Lai Haraoba festival. pena players play the song. It is about Panthoibi searching for Nongpok Ningthou.

It is one of the nine singing ways of singing in the Lai Haraoba.

### Tangkhul Nurabi Loutaba 
*Tangkhul Nurabi Loutaba* is play about what Tangkhul Pakhang (an incarnation of Nongpok Ningthou) and Tangkhul Nurabi (an incarnation of Panthoibi) said to each other. The two players wear Tangkhul Naga costumes of farming in the field. The play is on the last night of the Kanglei Haraoba (one of the 4 forms of Lai Haraoba festival).

## Namesakes 
### Commerce 
#### Panthoibi Emporium 
The *Panthoibi Emporium* is a place for buying and selling things in New Delhi, India.
#### Panthoibi Housing 
The *Panthoibi Housing Finance Company Limited* is a housing financial company. Its office is near Flyover bridge in Uripok Tourangbam Leikai in Imphal.
#### Panthoibi Manipur Handicrafts Emporium 
The *Panthoibi Manipur Handicrafts Emporium* is a place in Delhi, India. It stores handmade by-products made of silk from Manipur.

## Related pages 
* Thoibi
* Nongthang Leima

## References 
## Bibliography 
* Ariba Manipuri Sahityagee Saklon by Nabachandra, Polem
* Chinglon Laihui by Manglem Meitei, Lairenjam
* Erat Laisol by Singh, Khulem Chandrashekhar
* Khannashi Neinnashi Leishatpa Puya by Manglem Meitei,l
* Lairemjam Manglem Gi Lai Haraoba by Manglem Meitei, Lairenjam
* Langgol Chinggoirol by Singh, Kulchandra Ngariyambam
* Manipuree Funggawaree Part 1 by Singh, Kabrabam Neelakanta
* Manipuree Funggawaree Part 2 by Singh, Kabrabam Neelakanta
* Yek Taretki Meihourol by Manglem Meitei,l
* Yek Taret Ki Meihouron by Manglem Meitei,l

## Other websites 
* E-PAO, Panthoibi
* INTERNET ARCHIVE, Panthoibi
* Learners' Manipuri-English dictionary, Panthoibi