In my earlier post, I introduced to you what Malawi native shrines are, their nature and the general purpose they serve to their respective communities. In this post, I was wondering if I could literary list down all shrines that exist or existed in our country. It amazed as I found my writing pad getting dirtier with a bountiful list of religious shrines. This should suggest that our forefathers must have been very religious people since time immemorial.
Here is a list of five known religious shrines for various cults in the country
1. Khulubvi sacred shrine
This is a spiritual place dedicated to the worship of the Mbona cult. At this place, Mbona—a heroic figure among the Mang’anja people—was killed, and buried at this place, after many failed attempts to do so, by his adversaries. His fame did ris at the time Lundu’s kingdom was rising in southern Malawi.
The legend goes that Mbona’s Uncle, Mlauli was a magician, and was not happy with the success of Mbona when he himself had failed—a couple of times to bring rains, but Mbona successfully managed to do so. Consequently, Mlauli and his compatriots chased down Mbona from the north. This made Mbona to ran to the south of the lower shire for refuge. Whilst he was running, he rested in various places in the south; places which later became his shrines.
One reason Mlauli failed to kill his uncle was that Mbona was equally mysterious, such that he would turn into an enormous snake or fly among other surprises. Mbona would have remained alive if he did not voluntarily reveal his secret weapon, which was to tell his rivals to cut his throat using a leaf from a reed.
Upon his death, his followers took his head, and buried it at Khulubvi, In Traditional Authority Ngabu in Nsanje district.
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Related: 7 Shrines Associated With Mbona Cult (a Part from Nkhulubvi)
2. Chikang’ombe shrine
This is the shrine dedicated to the worship of the Chikang’ombe cult of the Tumbuka people in the Rumphi District of Malawi. The Tumbuka worship the spirit of Chikang’ombe near Chikang’ombe hills, where Mwadandambi of the Kachali clan is the priest. Whenever disasters such as drought struck, the Tumbuka assembled at Chikang’ombe in Nkhamanga to pray for rains. Chiuta would also lay havoc on people such as withholding rains if angry.
Prayers went to Chiuta (God, and literary “a bow”) or Leza through an intermediary spirit Chikang’ombe. This spirit had some dwelling places in different parts of the Tumbuka area. These places include the Chikang’ombe hill in Nkhamanga from where Chikang’ombe would visit Zambwe on Peiekezi mountain in eastern Zambia, Njwakwa where Henga valley starts, and Mwanda hill on the borders of modern Malawi and Zambia.
This spirit of Chikang’ombe—like Thunga of the northern Chewa—assumed the physical form of a snake, and people believed it took a male force. He had many wives devoted to his service. It should not be a surprise therefore that there arose many shrines out of this cult in many places which included Bumba and Nkhonjera in Nkhamanga, Phwezi hill in the Henga valley, Nkhozi, Mlowe, Mwanda in Hewe and Chitende island in Chilumba.
3. Mponda shrine
The Chewa dedicated thus shrine to the worship of the Bimbi cult. It's the principal shrine with several satellite rain shrines that breath their spiritual authority and strength from it. It's located under the Group Village Headman Nadumbo Kasira within the Paramount chief Kalembo in Manjinga district.
The Mponda shrine was once one but at present there're are subdivisions: Kachisi–wa – milawe and Kachisi–wa–Mvula. The former is for the spirit possession by Bimbi himself, while the latter focuses on the making of rain offerings. These sub-shrines are separated by a distance of about 6 kilometres apart. Despite the absence of archival records, oral sources maintain the colonialists had the shrine split into two because they said no to the system of the spirit wife since they were confined to the Mponda forest for a prolonged time, and died in isolation.
4. Msinja shrine
This was one of the Chewa venerated shrines found in the Lilongwe district. They dedicated it to the worship of Chauta, whose messenger was a snake called Thunga (Python). Thunga performed the role of a husband to Makewana, and Chauwa her daughter at Msinja.
5. Mlira shrine
This was dedicated to the worship of the Mlira cult and was under Mwari at Mwankhamba. Kalonga Chidzozi, the leader of the Chewa introduced the Mlira cult which became an annual event to commemorate the spirit of the first kalonga to lead Kalonga Chinkhole.
There you have it, five main religious shrines in Malawi. As you might have noted already, these principal shrines acted as the hub of worshipping Chiuta, its other shrines sprouting from it its surrounding area.
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