Moni
{{Short description|Pre-Islamic deity}}
{{other uses}}
Moni or Mone (Kamkata-vari: Mone/Mune), also known as Mandi (from Prasun) was, after Imra, the second-most important god in the pre-Islamic pantheon of the Nuristani people. With his breath, Imra created Moni and Gish. Moni was believed to be a divine prophet, whom Imra selected to fulfill his behests. Nearly every village had a temple devoted to Moni.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LPsvytmN3mUC&q=moni+kafir&pg=PA429|title=A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province: A.-K|date=1997|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist|isbn=9788185297699|language=en}}
Etymology
The name of the deity is said to have been derived from a borrowing of Sanskrit Mahādeva, a title ascribed to the god Shiva, who is similar to Moni in most aspects, such as the bow, bull, and destroyer of the cattle of demons.Halfmann, Jakob. "Nuristani Theonyms in Light of Historical Phonology". In: 6th Indo-European Research Colloquium, 2022. [DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.31805.54244]; www.researchgate.net/publication/359109254_Nuristani_Theonyms_in_Light_of_Historical_Phonology