Animals in Meitei culture

Replicas of Sangai deer installed in the Sangai festival, an annual event organised in honor of this Cervus species in Manipur

In one of the epic cycles of incarnations in Moirang, Kadeng Thangjahanba hunted and brought a lovely Sangai deer alive from a hunting ground called "Torbung Lamjao" as a gift of love for his girlfriend, Lady Tonu Laijinglembi. However, when he heard the news that his sweetheart lady married King Laijing Ningthou Punsiba of ancient Moirang, during his absence, he got extremely disappointed and sad. And so, with the painful and sad feelings, he realised and sensed the feelings of the deer for getting separated from its mate (partner). So, he released the deer in the wild of the Keibul Lamjao (modern day Keibul Lamjao National Park regions). Since then, the Sangai species started living in the Keibul Lamjao region as their natural habitat.[1][2]

Dogs are mentioned as friends or companions of human beings, in many ancient tales and texts. In many cases, when dogs died, they were given respect by performing elaborate death ceremonies, equal to that of human beings.[3]

When goddess Konthoujam Tampha Lairembi saw smokes in her native place, she was restless. She came down to earth from heaven to find out who was dead. On reaching the place, her mother told her as follows:

"O daughter of mine, none of your parents or brothers ever dies. The watchful dog of your Lord Soraren kept amidst us was fatally bitten by a snake. Only we performed its last rites."

— Konthoucham Nongkalol (Konthoujam Nonggarol)[3]

"Kang Chingba" festival celebrated by the Meitei people in Manipur in the 20th century

An elephant torturing Khuman Khamba in the Meitei epic legend of Khamba and Thoibi of Moirang, southern Kangleipak

In the Meitei epic of the Khamba and Thoibi, the crown prince Chingkhu Akhuba of ancient Moirang and Kongyamba, planned to kill to Khuman Khamba.[4] Kongyamba and his accomplices together threatened Khamba to give up Moirang Thoibi, which Khamba rejected. Then they fought, and Khamba bet all of them, and was about to kill Kongyamba, but the men that stood by, the friends of Kongyamba, dragged Khamba off, and bound him to the elephant of the crown prince, with ropes. Then they goaded the elephant, but the God Thangching stayed it so that it didn't move. Finally, Kongyamba lost patience. He pricked a spear to the elephant so that it moved in the pain. But it still didn't harm Khamba. Khamba seemed to be dead. Meanwhile, on the other hand, Goddess Panthoibi came in a dream to Thoibi and told her everything that was happening. So, Thoibi rushed to the spot and saved Khamba from the elephant torture.[5]

An illustration of a Meitei folktale of the Hanuba Hanubi Paan Thaaba, the story of an old aged lonely couple being tricked by a group of monkeys

The Meitei folktale of Hanuba Hanubi Paan Thaaba (Meitei for 'Old Man and Old Woman planting Colocasia/Taro'), also known as the Hanubi Hentak! Hanuba Hentak!, is about the story of an old man and an old woman who were deceived by a group of trickster monkeys.[24][25][26]

In the story, a childless old couple used to treat a group of monkeys, from the nearby forest, kindly like their own children. Once the old couple were advised by the group of monkeys about planting taro plants (Meitei: ꯄꯥꯟ/ꯄꯥꯜ, romanized: "paan"/"paal") in their kitchen garden.[27][28][29] The couple believed them in good faith. So, according to their suggestion, they peeled off tubers of the taros, then boiled them in a pot until softened, then cooled them, then wrapped them in the banana leaves tightly, and finally planted them in the soil, by burying them.[30][31] In the midnight, the monkeys secretly steal and ate all the cooked taros from the garden, and planted some inedible giant wild taros, uprooted from somewhere. On the next day, the old couple found the fully grown taros they had planted the previous day. The two immediately cooked those full-grown taros and ate them. But as a reaction of the wild plants, the couple suffered from allergy. It was only after they ate the hentak medicine that their allergy was cured.[32][33][34] Realising the tricks of the monkey, the old couple planned to take revenge. So, the old man (Meitei: ꯍꯅꯨꯕ, romanized: "hanuba") acted to be dead, and the old woman (Meitei: ꯍꯅꯨꯕꯤ, romanized: "hanubi") acted to be crying out loudly to make the monkeys hear her sounds. When the monkeys came and asked her what had happened, she told them that the old man died after eating the taros.[34] She asked them to help her taking the old man's body out in the lawn. All the monkeys came inside the house. As soon as they came near him, he took up his stick and bet them. Frightened, they all ran away. The old couple knew that the monkeys would surely come back.[35][36][37] So, the couple climbed up on the attic of the house and hid there. When the monkeys came back with a larger gang to take revenge, the attic broke and felt upon them. Thus, they fled from the spot. Knowing that they might come back again, the old couple hid inside a large pot. When the monkeys came back with their gangs, the couple farted one by one continuously and finally, the pot where they were hiding banged on unexpectedly. The loud sound of the breaking scared the monkeys who fled from the spot and never came back again.[38][39]

An illustration of Poubi Lai in 2015

In Meitei mythology and folklore, Poubi Lai (Meitei: ꯄꯧꯕꯤ ꯂꯥꯏ), also known as Paubi Lai (Meitei: ꯄꯥꯎꯕꯤ ꯂꯥꯏ), was an ancient Meitei dragon python. It used to live in the deep waters of the Loktak Lake of Kangleipak.[40][41][42] It is also referred to as "Loch Ness Monster of Manipur".[43]

Shapi Leima, the Meitei goddess of rodents

In Meitei mythology and religion, Shapi Leima (Meitei: ꯁꯄꯤ ꯂꯩꯃ), also known as Shabi Leima (Meitei: ꯁꯕꯤ ꯂꯩꯃ), is a goddess associated with the rodents. She is the mistress and the queen of all the rodents living in the entire world. She is one of the three favorite daughters of the sky god. Along with her two sisters, Khunu Leima and Nganu Leima, she married the same man.[44]

Khuman Khamba and his rival Nongban trying to hunt the Khoirentak tiger in Kangleipak

Tigers are among the most mentioned animals in different elements of Meitei culture.

• Hills and mountains in Meitei culture
• Plants in Meitei culture
• Birds in Meitei culture