Manipur is a landlocked state in northeast India with Imphal as its capital. It borders Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north. It shares international borders with Myanmar, specifically the Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the southeast. Covering an area of 8,621 square miles, the state consists mostly of hilly terrain with the 700-square-mile Imphal Valley inhabited by the Meitei (Manipuri) community, historically a kingdom. Surrounding hills are home to Naga and Kuki-Zo communities, who speak Tibeto-Burman languages. The official language and lingua franca, Meitei (Manipuri), also belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family.
Meitei also known as Manipuri, is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the constitutionally scheduled official languages of the Indian Republic. Meitei is the most widely-spoken Tibeto-Burman language of India and the third most widely spoken language of northeast India after Assamese and Bengali. There are 1.76 million Meitei native speakers in India according to the 2011 census, 1.52 million of whom are found in the state of Manipur, where they represent the majority of its population. There are smaller communities in neighbouring Indian states, such as Assam (168,000), Tripura (24,000), Nagaland (9,500), and elsewhere in the country (37,500). The language is also spoken by smaller groups in neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Senapati district, is one of the 16 districts of the Indian state of Manipur. The present Senapati district was formed in December 2016, after spawning off the Sadar Hills region in the south into a separate Kangpokpi district. The district headquarter is located in the town of Senapati, also known as Tahamzam.
Tamenglong district is one of the 16 districts of Manipur state in northeastern India. In 2011, Tamenglong was the least populous district in Manipur. In 2016, the Nungba subdivision was separated as a separate district. Tamenglong district is also the largest district of Manipur in 2024 with an area of 3,315 km2.
Tamenglong is a town in the Naga hills of Manipur and the district headquarter of the Tamenglong district.
The Zemeic, Zeme, Zeliangrong or Western Naga are a languages branch of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken mostly in Indian state of Nagaland, Assam and Manipur in northeast India. It may have close relationship with other Naga languages pending further research. The corresponding ethnic group is the Zeliangrong people. There were 63,529 Zeliang-speaking people in India in 2011.
Christianity is the second largest religion in Manipur, a state in Northeast India, according to 2011 census. The tribal communities, Kukis and Nagas are overwhelmingly Christian, along with their kindred communities in the neighbouring states. The dominant Meitei community has only small numbers of Christians, but Meitei groups claim Christianity to be a threat. At the start of the 2023–2024 Manipur violence, Meitei mobs burned down 200–300 churches in the Imphal Valley belonging to all communities, and prohibited pastors from rebuilding them.
Rongmei is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Rongmei Naga community in Northeast India. It has been called Songbu and is close to Zeme and Liangmai. The language has been nomenclatured as "Ruangmei" and studied as a First Language paper from class I to X of Board of Secondary Education, Manipur. Ruangmei is studied as a Minor Indian Language (MIL) in Class XI & XII of Council of Higher Secondary Education Manipur (COHSEM).
The Zeliangrong people are one of the major indigenous Naga communities living in the tri-junction of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland in India. They are the descendants of Nguiba. The term "Zeliangrong" refers to the Zeme, Liangmai and Rongmei Kindred tribes combined. Earlier, the term also covered the Inpui tribe. The descendants of Hoi of Makuilongdi (Makhel) were divided and were made peripheral appendages to three political entities - Nagaland, Manipur and the Dima Hasao of Assam. The Zeliangrong may be classified as an ethno-cultural entity. The Zeliangrong belong to the larger Southern Mongoloid population and their language belongs to the Sino-Tibetan family of languages.
Lianglad is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by Liangmai Naga community in India. It has been called Kwoireng and is particularly close to Zeme and Rongmei.
Maram is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken in India. The speakers of this language use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue.
Chiru is a Kuki-Chin language spoken mostly in Manipur. The Chiru population numbers approximately 8,599. It is an endangered spoken in three districts of Manipur: Senapati, Noney district of Manipur and Cachar district of Assam. Chiru has been recognized as a Scheduled Tribe of Manipur by the government of India since 1956 under "The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Orders (Amendment) Act, Act No. 63 of 1956" Dated 25 September 1956. The total population of the native speakers of Chiru is only 8599. The native speakers have high proficiency in Meitei language. The language is neither used in schools nor in radio or mass media. Older people read and write in Meitei language. The younger generation of Chiru speakers prefers Roman script.
Aimol, also known as Aimual, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Aimol people of Manipur, India. It is considered endangered and has less than 9,000 speakers worldwide as per 2011 census. The speakers of this language use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue.
The Thangal people are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group inhabiting Senapati district in the Northeast Indian state of Manipur. They speak the Thangal language, which resembles Maram, and Rongmei. They use Meitei language as their second language (L2) according to the Ethnologue.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Manipur:
Noney, also known as Longmai, is a town located in the western part of Manipur, India. It is 63 kilometres (39 mi) west of Imphal, the capital of the state of Manipur. Its population is almost entirely made up of Rongmei Naga. Previously known as a village, recently has been declared as one of the new district headquarters of Manipur and is separated from the existing Tamenglong District and now comprises Haochong, Khoupum, Nungba and the Longmai subdivision.
Noney district is a district in Manipur, India, created by bifurcating erstwhile Tamenglong district.
Pongringlong (Charoipandongba), also known locally as Puangringluang, is a Rongmei Naga village located along NH 37. The village is located within the Saitu Gamphazol subdivision of Senapati district, Manipur state, India. The villagers are mostly small farmers practicing Slash-and-burn, or jhum, cultivation of land that is communally owned.
The Inpui people, also known as the Inpui Naga, are a Tibeto-Burmese indigenous ethnic group of Northeast India.
Uchathol is a census village in Jiribam district, Manipur, India. It is close to the National Highway 37, on Kashmirpur Road which branches off at Gularthol. The next village to its east is Kuki-Zo-dominated Phaitol, which is in Tamenglong district. Being close to the tribal population, Uchathol played a seminal role during the 2023–2024 Manipur violence.
