Guardian Deities of Directions: Their significance in the Meitei Religious Life

The traditional religious system of the Meiteis provides a scared space for deities who are believed to be the guardians of particular directions or corners of directions.These guardian deities located at different directions play a vital role in the religious lives of the people as reflected in the way they are narrated in the Puyas as well as in the worship of these deities even today with deep reverence.The paper is therefore, an attempt to explore these various deities of directions and their essence in the religious life of the Meiteis.