Traditional Naga belief systems are almost on the verge of decline today. The Hindu Zeliangrong (refers to a collection of three tribes – Zeme, Liangmei, and Rongmei) Nagas spread across Assam’s Cachar region, Manipur’s Tamenglong district, and Peren district of Nagaland, have, however, preserved them in different forms till date. They celebrate various Hindu festivals such as Durga Puja, Maghi Purnima, and Sivaratri. Although more than 96% of the Nagas in present-day Nagaland are Christian, the last remaining non-Christian population of Angami Nagas at Viswema village have still adhered to their ancestral beliefs and traditions.

Even today, they consider the norms and rituals practiced by their forefathers as sacred. They follow a system known as genna – a set of intricately evolved religious beliefs and rituals, associated with do’s and dont’s for people of different genders and age groups. This culture of the non-Christian Angami Nagas has been sustained through oral traditions passed over several generations. They believe in Kupenuopfu, who is worshipped as the Creator through various oblations, sacrifices, and chants. Kupenuopfu has a feminine connotation among the Angamis, as the one who is responsible for the process of life-giving, i.e. birth or creation.

Kupenuopfu, it is believed, incorporates both the masculine and the feminine aspects of Creation. Men and women in Naga families who worship Kupenuopfu are expected to follow different sets of rites and rituals and adhere to certain norms of eating and fasting in their daily lives. Women are largely responsible for conducting the main religious rituals and observe fasting. The chief priest, usually the eldest member in the community, announces the rules for the day at dawn and anyone who does anything that is prohibited as per the religious rules and regulations, is meted out the appropriate punishment.

Traditionally, both feasting and fasting play a significant socio-cultural role in the lives of the Nagas even today. An important aspect of Kupenuopfu is that there is no binary concept of virtue or sin. It is not considered a sin if a mistake is committed unknowingly. However, it becomes a grave sin if the mistake is committed knowingly and genna is not observed. Before the advent of Christianity, the Angami Nagas also used to worship Miawenuo, a Devi believed to grant all the wishes of Her devotees. The Sumi Nagas worshipped another female deity called Litsaba for good reproductive health and protection of crops from pest attacks.

Litsaba is invoked during the annual post-harvest festival of Tuluni celebrated in July. It is forbidden for anyone to work in the fields that day. Among the Hindu Zeliangrong group of Nagas, the Zeme Nagas worship a male deity called Rampaube along with His female consort Tengrangpui who is invoked as the Sakti. The Zemes believe that Rampaube and Tengrangpui reside at Mount Pauna (Nagaland’s third highest peak), which incidentally happens to be the home of a ginseng-like medicinal herb believed to bring the dead back to life. The Zeme and the Liangmei groups of Nagas are also sometimes referred to as Kacha Nagas by the locals.

The non-Christian Zeliangrongs, at present, follow three different belief systems – Heraka, Poupei Chapriak (in Assam), and Tingkao Ragwang or simply Tingwang (in Manipur). Tingkao Ragwang is equated with Mahadev and is worshipped as the Supreme Deity by the Zeliangrongs. Although Heraka is monotheistic in nature, it does not deny the existence and worship of other Gods and Goddesses. Poupei Chapriak and Tingwang, on the other hand, are polytheistic. The Zeliangrongs have their own prayer centres called Kalum/Karum Kai and temples known as Rakai.

Mount Koubru in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district, believed to be the abode of Tingkao Ragwang, is regarded as sacred by the Zeliangrongs. A small section of the Hindu Zeliangrong Nagas in Assam’s Silchar worship Siva as Bhuban Baba at the sacred Bhuban cave. They celebrate a grand festival on the auspicious annual occasion of Maghi Purnima at the Naga Bisnu temple (Naga Bisnu Rakai) situated atop the Bhuban hills. A Mahadev temple (worshipped as Bhubaneswara) situated adjacent to it could possibly have been built by the Dimasa, Tripuri, or Koch kings, as the locals believe. Zeliangrongs also worship deities such as Laxmi and Ganesha. 

Inside the Naga Bisnu temple at Bhuban Pahar, Silchar

The word Bhuban is a derivative of the Rongmei Naga word Pubuan, referring to Apoubaomei Bhuanchaniu, one of the deities worshipped by the Zeliangrongs. The sacred Pubuan/Bhuban hill is the abode of Apoubaomei Bhuanchaniu, in whose honour an annual pilgrimage is observed on the occasion of Maha Sivaratri under the guardianship of the elders of the Hindu Zeliangrongs of Assam, Nagaland, and Manipur. The festival of Sivaratri observed at Bhuban Pahar has its own unique, rustic charm. Apoubaomei Bhuanchaniu is worshipped at the cave of Bhuban Baba located in the Bhuban hills (also known as the Naga cave).

In the dense forests of the Bhuban hills, archaeological remnants of several Hindu Rongmei Naga villages which existed in the past, have been found. A cultural aggression has been unleashed upon these communities by several anti-India, external elements to give up their Hindu way of life. The brutal assassination of the then Chairman of the Barak Valley Hill Tribal Development Council, Babul Rongmei, in 2011 by terrorists of the dreaded National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) is a case in point. It had later come to light that Babul Rongmei’s active support for the traditional belief systems of the Nagas was posing a direct threat to the NSCN.

Stones dedicated to Apoubaomei Bhuanchaniu, found on way to the Bhuban hills

In another spine-chilling incident, the Manmasi National Christian Army (MNCA), an insurgent outfit, was charged with forcing the Zeliangrongs of Bhuban hills, Silchar to convert at gunpoint in the year 2009. Around 7-8 Hmar Christian radicalised youth, all dressed in black with a red cross painted on their backs and armed with sticks, assault weapons and rifles, visited Bhuban Pahar to pressurise the Nagas to convert. When they refused, the rebel leaders desecrated their temples (around 8) by painting symbols of crosses on the walls with their own blood, claiming that it represented their living ‘warrior God’ or Jesus Christ.

Later, the Sonai Police and the 5^th Assam Rifles had arrested 13 members of the MNCA, including their Commander-in-Chief. Guns and ammunitions were also seized. It may be noted here that Haipou Jadonang Malangmei, the Hindu Rongmei Naga leader and freedom fighter, worshipped Visnu and Tingkao Ragwang at the Bhuban cave. His cousin, Rani Gaidinliu, actively worked for the preservation and promotion of Heraka. The Zeliangrongs worship Visnu as the chief deity of welfare and all-round prosperity even today. In the Zeliangrong religious pantheon, Visnu is known by different names such as Monchanu, Bonchanu, Bisnu, Buisnu, etc. 

Seen at the entrance of the cave of Bhuban Baba located in the Bhuban hills of Silchar

Unfortunately, the states of Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram have almost lost these Dharmic traditions forever. They, however, still continue to survive in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, especially among the Hindu Noctes, Wanchos, and Apatanis. The Konyak Nagas of Haanhsora Aadorxo Naga Gaon in Sivasagar district of Upper Assam, who follow the Mahapurusiya Naam Dharma tradition of Srimanta Sankardeva, also stand out in this regard. In Mizoram and Tripura, the Hindu Jamatia, Reang, and Hajong communities are continuously battling a daily struggle for existence.

In the face of these and numerous other challenges such as drug trafficking and illegal immigration, it is now all the more important to work towards the preservation of the traditional systems of religious beliefs and practices of these people. Although influenced by various local elements, these practices and beliefs are not different from those of the Hindus. Both the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are an inseparable part of the history and culture of the North-East. The festivals, dance forms, and all the surviving Hindu religious places of worship in the North-East are proof enough of this fact.

(All photographs used in the article are from the author’s personal collection).

Image source: Swarajya