Indigenous and tribal faiths
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
Many of India's tribal communities follow their own nature-centred faiths, such as Sarna in central and eastern India, Donyi-Polo in Arunachal Pradesh, Sanamahi in Manipur and Niam Khasi in Meghalaya.
| Origin | Ancient indigenous traditions of India's tribal communities, passed down orally through generations |
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Sacred texts
- Mostly oral traditions: myths, chants and songs recited by priests and elders
- Puyas (traditional Meitei texts) in the Sanamahi tradition
Main festivals
- Sarhul, Karma and Sohrai (Sarna traditions of Jharkhand and neighbouring States)
- Solung and Mopin (Adi and Galo communities, Arunachal Pradesh)
- Lai Haraoba (Meitei, Manipur)
- Shad Suk Mynsiem (Khasi, Meghalaya)
- Wangala (Garo, Meghalaya)
Places of worship and pilgrimage
- Sarna sthal and jaher than: sacred groves of village communities
- Donyi-Polo prayer halls (gangging) in Arunachal Pradesh
- Kangla, Imphal, sacred in the Meitei tradition
- Sacred forests of Meghalaya such as Mawphlang
Underlined names open their own page.
Key beliefs and practices
- Nature is sacred: forests, hills, rivers and the Sun and Moon are revered (in Donyi-Polo, Donyi is the Sun and Polo the Moon).
- Sacred groves are protected by the community and trees there are not cut.
- Ancestors and village deities are honoured through community rituals led by traditional priests, such as the pahan in Sarna villages.
- Festivals follow the farming year: sowing, first fruits and harvest.
- Census 2011 counts followers of these faiths under "Other religions and persuasions" (7,937,734 people in all).