77 RELIGIOUS MILIEU IN MANIPUR WANGAM SOMORJIT Abstract [This paper aims to reinterpret the state religion of Manipur. It involves discovering how the various beliefs of the heterogeneous populations of Manipur were assimilated into the neutralized belief system coined as Umanglaism towards the creation of a socially integrated national community and how the influences from Mahayana Buddhism and Bhakti movement led to the development of two branches of Umanglaism, viz. Sanamahism and Bhagyachandra school respectively and how these two branches enhanced the idealistic doctrines of the ruling class to serve as reactionary purposes to sustain its position of privilege. This has been done by examining the backgrounds of various Umang lais (Umang gods) and the myths associated with them. This paper attempts to show that Umanglaism survives up to the present day through syncretism, dynamic translation, absorption and synthesis. ] DEFINING UMANGLAISM There is a considerable body of tradition and myth concerning the nature and origin of Umang Lai worship. It is also clear that a lot of intelligent people have spent a great deal of time and effort studying and concentrating only on its general nature as an abstract and idealistic hypothesis. On the other hand, a section of scholars is trying to define Umang-lai worship under the fold of Sanamahism. This delayed scholarly recognition of Umanglai worship as a religious factor which is associated with the state formation and nation-building process of Manipur. Although critics have arrived at no satisfactory interpretation of Umanglaism (coined for the purpose of this article as there is no appropriate word to denote the system of beliefs surrounding Umang lai worship), their contribution towards the development of a scientific approach to this subject should not be underestimated. The first systematic attempt to study the Umang Lai worship in detail was made by Ngariyenbam Kullachandra in his book published in 1963 called Meitei Lai Haraoba, which may be taken as the starting point for the contemporary approaches. Ngariyenbam Kulachandra was followed by Ngangbam Kumar Maibi 1 , Yumshangbi Maibi 2 , R.K Achoubisana 3 , and Pundit Wahengbam Lukhoi 4 . Mêyãmgi Kholão ISSN 2320-4583 ◊XeU] =‰{X Vol. 1, Issue 4 pp : 77-151