WMC seeks protection, access to sacred site
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IMPHAL, Feb 25: The World Meetei Council (WMC), Manipur has urged the State Government to protect Meetei worship places and also to allow worshipping and performance of rituals at these sacred sites.
The WMC Manipur submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand today and pointed out that Meetei community holds its sacred sites—Sanamahi worship places, Lainingthou and Lairembi shrines, Umang Lai sacred groves, and other traditional religious structures—as integral to their cultural, spiritual, and ancestral heritage.
These sites are not only places of worship but also repositories of history, identity, and indigenous knowledge systems that have been preserved through generations.
However, several of these sacred places are presently vulnerable due to encroachment and unauthorized construction, environmental degradation, lack of proper documentation or legal protection, insufficient enforcement of existing heritage and conservation laws, risks posed by urban development and infrastructure expansion, restrictions on accessing the premises of these sacred places and restriction on worshipping and performance of rituals at these sacred places, the WMC Manipur unit said.
Asserting that mere physical existence of worship places would be meaningless, the WMC Manipur urged the Government to ensure that the Meetei community can access these worship places and sacred sites without fear and restriction to worship and perform rituals at any time of the year.
The council, in order to ensure preservation of the sacred sites and to uphold the cultural rights of the Meetei people, urged the Government to provide legal protection by way of initiating steps to safeguard Meetei religious sites under the relevant provisions of existing laws pertaining to heritage conservation, forest protection, traditional sacred groves, and indigenous religious spaces.
It appealed to the Government to create an official registry of all Meetei worship places, including Umang Lai sites, sacred groves, and temples, to ensure formal recognition and monitoring.
Through the memorandum, the WMC Manipur Unit urged the State Government to carry out a proper survey and demarcation of the identified sacred sites to prevent encroachment and unauthorized occupation.
Another demand raised by the Government is effective implementation of preservation plans, including maintenance, structural restoration (where required), and environmental protection around sacred groves and worship areas.
It also urged the Chief Minister to instruct relevant authorities to strictly enforce legal protections and take action against violations affecting these heritage and religious sites.
It further appealed to the Government to allow participation of local guardians, traditional bodies, and community organizations in the protection and management of these sacred places, in accordance with cultural customs and practices.
It added that the protection of Meetei worship places and permission to worship and perform rituals will not only safeguard the rich cultural heritage but also uphold the principles of religious and traditional rights guaranteed to all communities.
The WMC Manipur submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand today and pointed out that Meetei community holds its sacred sites—Sanamahi worship places, Lainingthou and Lairembi shrines, Umang Lai sacred groves, and other traditional religious structures—as integral to their cultural, spiritual, and ancestral heritage.
These sites are not only places of worship but also repositories of history, identity, and indigenous knowledge systems that have been preserved through generations.
However, several of these sacred places are presently vulnerable due to encroachment and unauthorized construction, environmental degradation, lack of proper documentation or legal protection, insufficient enforcement of existing heritage and conservation laws, risks posed by urban development and infrastructure expansion, restrictions on accessing the premises of these sacred places and restriction on worshipping and performance of rituals at these sacred places, the WMC Manipur unit said.
Asserting that mere physical existence of worship places would be meaningless, the WMC Manipur urged the Government to ensure that the Meetei community can access these worship places and sacred sites without fear and restriction to worship and perform rituals at any time of the year.
The council, in order to ensure preservation of the sacred sites and to uphold the cultural rights of the Meetei people, urged the Government to provide legal protection by way of initiating steps to safeguard Meetei religious sites under the relevant provisions of existing laws pertaining to heritage conservation, forest protection, traditional sacred groves, and indigenous religious spaces.
It appealed to the Government to create an official registry of all Meetei worship places, including Umang Lai sites, sacred groves, and temples, to ensure formal recognition and monitoring.
Through the memorandum, the WMC Manipur Unit urged the State Government to carry out a proper survey and demarcation of the identified sacred sites to prevent encroachment and unauthorized occupation.
Another demand raised by the Government is effective implementation of preservation plans, including maintenance, structural restoration (where required), and environmental protection around sacred groves and worship areas.
It also urged the Chief Minister to instruct relevant authorities to strictly enforce legal protections and take action against violations affecting these heritage and religious sites.
It further appealed to the Government to allow participation of local guardians, traditional bodies, and community organizations in the protection and management of these sacred places, in accordance with cultural customs and practices.
It added that the protection of Meetei worship places and permission to worship and perform rituals will not only safeguard the rich cultural heritage but also uphold the principles of religious and traditional rights guaranteed to all communities.