The temples of Ibudhou Pakhangba and Ibendhou Leisana at Uyal Cheirao Ching in Thoubal district, Manipur were found desecrated by unknown miscreants, leaving the locals shocked and enraged.
Sacred items belonging to the deities were incinerated at midnight, causing widespread outrage and sorrow among followers of Sanamahism. The desecration was discovered early Wednesday morning by joggers who frequent the area.
The deities were torched on Tuesday night by miscreants who took that opportunity to desecrate the temple when no one was around. The miscreants broke down the door before the sacred items were taken out from inside the temple and burned on the ground.
The temple, which holds significant cultural and religious importance, was found vandalised, with many of its sacred artefacts burnt to ashes. The incident has been described as a deliberate act of sacrilege aimed at undermining the spiritual heritage of the Meitei community.
In response to the incident, a team led by Angom Ningthou Pariton of Uttra Shanglen, Sana Konung, and political activist Sapamcha Kangleipal along with volunteers from Kanglei Ngaklou visited the desecrated site. They assessed the extent of the damage and spoke to the media about the grave nature of the attack.
Angom Ningthou Pariton expressed his deep sorrow and anger, labelling the incident as extremely unfortunate and declared that the day would be remembered as a black day for followers of Sanamahism.
He called upon the state government to take stringent measures to ensure such incidents do not recur.
Political activist Sapamcha Kangleipal also addressed the media, urging the perpetrators to surrender themselves and stressed that challenging the Meitei society and its religious beliefs was a grave mistake.
A team from Thoubal police station, led by the officer in charge, also visited the site to conduct a preliminary investigation.
The identity of the miscreants and their intent behind the desecration are yet to be ascertained. It may be recalled that in 2015, miscreants had robbed money from the temple by digging inside its walls from outside.
