Editing Lokhimon

{{Short description|Hindu religious reform movement among the Karbi people of Northeast India}}
{{Infobox religion
| name                = Lokhimon
| native_name         = Lokhimon Adhorom
| main_classification = New religious movement / Reform movement
| orientation         = Syncretic Vaishnavite reform with Karbi elements
| founder             = Kurusar Lokhon Engti Hensek
| founded_date        = 4–5 February 1959
| founded_place       = Karbi Anglong region, Northeast India
| area                = Assam and Arunachal Pradesh
| language           = Karbi, Assamese
}}

'''Lokhimon''' ('''''Lokhimon Adhorom''''' '''or ''Aronkimi''''') is a religious movement originating among the [[Karbi people]] of Northeast India in the mid-20th century. Scholars describe it as an indigenous reform tradition combining elements of Karbi ancestral religion with devotional (''bhakti'') practices strongly influenced by [[Vaishnavism]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bhattacharjee |first=S. |title=Tradition and Contemporary Changes in the Religious Belief of the Karbi People in Karbi Anglong, Assam |journal=Anthropologist |year=2020 |volume=40 |issue=1-3 |pages=16–33}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite thesis |last=Sangma |first=Racheal D. |title=Rediscovering the Significance of Totems among the Karbis of Assam |date=February 2020 |degree=Thesis |url=http://dspace.cus.ac.in/jspui/handle/1/6973 |language=en}}</ref>

==History==
Lokhimon traces its beginning to 4–5 February 1959 under the leadership of Kurusar Lokhon Engti (also spelled Lokhon Engti Hensek).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2402135.pdf |title=A study on the Karbis of Arunachal Pradesh |publisher=JETIR |date=February 2024 |access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref> In subsequent decades, congregational centres and prayer houses were established in different Karbi settlements, particularly in [[Karbi Anglong district|Karbi Anglong]], and participation gradually expanded.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://journal.equinoxpub.com/IRT/article/view/26186 |title=New Karbi Religious Movements and Identity Formation |journal=International Review of Tribal Studies}}</ref>

==Beliefs and practices==
[[File:Wearing Karbi traditional dress in the lokhimon temple.jpg|thumb|a Lokhimon temple]]
The movement incorporates Karbi ancestral beliefs while adopting Vaishnavite themes centred on devotion and moral discipline. The founder occupies a revered role within the movement's theological framework, and hymns, prayers and narratives associated with him form an important textual and ritual corpus.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bhattacharjee |first=Swapan |title=Tradition and Contemporary Changes in the Religious Belief of the Karbi People in Karbi Anglong, Assam |journal=Anthropologist |year=2020 |volume=40 |issue=1–3 |pages=16–33 |doi=10.31901/24566802.2020/40.1-3.2054 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The place of worship, Lokhimon temples resembles the [[Shankha|shankh]] (''shonkho/pongot'') and it has a structure of snake on top of it, which are associated with Vishnu. In the temple, idol worship is not done instead a diya (single earthen lamp) is placed. The offeringsmade to Vishnu includes flowers, fruits etc. Thursday is considered very auspicious day and on that day Lokhimons visits the temple and observe a strict vegetarian diet.<ref name=":1" />

Among followers of Lokhimon, wearing a sacred thread called ''Legam'' or ''Sun-lek'' is an essential religious practice. This tradition is comparable to the sacred thread worn by Brahmins in mainstream Hinduism; however, unlike the Brahmanical system, the practice among Lokhimon followers is mandatory for all adherents including Women.<ref name=":1" /> 

The movement about 114 worship centers called ''Lokhimon adovan (temples)'' and has four ashrams also called ''Dovan Longri Anei'':<ref name=":0" />

* Bapuram Tokbi village, Assam 
* Japralangso, Assam
* Kokila, Arunachal Pradesh
* Rongnagar, Bakulia, Assam

==Festivals and observances==
The most significant annual event is the Foundation Day, commonly known as ''Karcho'' or ''Lokhimon Karcho'', held on or around 4–5 February to mark the origin of the movement in 1959 under Kurusar Lokhon Engti Hensek. The observance typically lasts several days and includes congregational prayer, the recitation of hymns connected to the founder, ritual cleaning and renewal of the prayer houses, and large community feasts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehillstimes.in/assam/lokhimon-karcho-observed-karbi-anglong-6-feb-2025 |title=Karbi Anglong Celebrates Lokhimon Karcho |date=6 February 2025 |access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehillstimes.in/assam/66th-lokhimon-karcho-celebration |title=66th Lokhimon Karcho Celebration |date=4 February 2024 |access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref> Some of these observances take place at Dolamara Bokaram Tokbi village, which is closely associated with the early development of the movement and functions as one of its symbolic centres.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/TheDrongoExpress/posts/63rd-foundation-day-of-hemphu-lokhimon-religion-celebrated-across-karbi-anglongc/242961310711617/ |title=63rd Foundation Day of Hemphu Lokhimon Religion Celebrated Across Karbi Anglong |access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref>

Besides fixed commemorations, Lokhimon congregations regularly conduct community feasts and cultural gatherings, often featuring musical and dramatic performances that express the history and teachings of the movement. In many congregations these occasions have taken the place of earlier animal-sacrifice rituals, in line with the reformist and devotional ethos emphasised within Lokhimon.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehillstimes.in/assam/lokhimon-adhorom-observes-76th-kuru-chingduk |title=Lokhimon Adhorom Observes 76th Kuru Chingduk |date=18 June 2022 |access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Bhattacharjee |first=Swapan |title=Tradition and Contemporary Changes in the Religious Belief of the Karbi People in Karbi Anglong, Assam |journal=Anthropologist |year=2020 |volume=40 |issue=1–3 |pages=16–33 |doi=10.31901/24566802.2020/40.1-3.2054|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Although Lokhimon has developed its own ritual calendar, several observances occur in proximity to cycles in the wider Karbi religious calendar; for example, Karcho frequently follows the traditional Karbi festival Rongker, reinforcing symbolism of renewal and community identity.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://assamtribune.com/rongker-58th-hemphu-lokhimon-karcho-festivals-celebrated/ |title=Rongker, 58th Hemphu Lokhimon Karcho Festival Celebrated |date=14 September 2010 |access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref>
==Demography==
Lokhimon is followed primarily among sections of the Karbi population of Assam and, to a smaller extent, Arunachal Pradesh.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2402135.pdf |title=A study on the Karbis of Arunachal Pradesh |publisher=JETIR |date=February 2024}}</ref> In some settlements it is the predominant religious affiliation, while in others it coexists with Karbi ancestral religion and Christianity.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Ingti |first=Ruth K. |title=New Karbi Religious Movements and Identity Formation |journal=International Review of Tribal Studies |year=2023 |volume=10 |issue=1 |pages=45–63 |publisher=Equinox Publishing |url=https://journal.equinoxpub.com/IRT/article/view/26186 |access-date=22 November 2025 }}</ref>

The movement has about 60,000<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2023-11-26 |title=Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on November 26 the construction of the Lokhiman temple in Karbi Anglong |url=https://pragnews.com/en/assam-cm-himanta-biswa-sarma-announces-rs-5-crore-for-the-construction-of-lokhimon-temple-in-karbi-anglong |access-date=2025-11-22 |website=pragnews.com |language=en}}</ref> to 1 lakh followers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2025-02-06 |title=Karbi Anglong Celebrates Lokhimon Karcho - The Hills Times |url=https://thehillstimes.in/assam/karbi-anglong-celebrates-lokhimon-karcho |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250422132247/https://thehillstimes.in/assam/karbi-anglong-celebrates-lokhimon-karcho |archive-date=2025-04-22 |access-date=2025-11-22 |work=The Hills Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Karbi people]]
* [[Religion in Assam]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Religious syncretism]]
[[Category:New religious movements established in the 1950s]]
[[Category:Religion in Assam]]
[[Category:Culture of Assam]]
[[Category:Culture of Arunachal Pradesh]]
[[Category:Vaishnavism]]