Manipur, historically known as Kangleipak, is a state in northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanmar, Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the south. The state covers an area of 22,327 km2 (8,621 sq mi). The official and most widely spoken language is Meitei language. Native to the Meitei people, it is also used as a lingua franca by smaller communities, who speak a variety of other Tibeto-Burman languages. Manipur has been at the crossroads of Asian economic and cultural exchange for more than 2,500 years. This exchange connects the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia to Southeast Asia, East Asia, Siberia, regions in the Arctic, Micronesia and Polynesia enabling migration of people, cultures and religions.
Meitei, officially known as Manipuri, is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur as well as one of the 22 official languages of the Indian Republic, included in the 8th Schedule to the Indian Constitution. Native to the Meitei people, it is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in parts of neighbouring Myanmar and Bangladesh. It was used as a court language in the historic Manipur Kingdom.
The Manipuri Dance, also referred to as the ManipuriRaas Leela, is a jagoi and is one of the eight major Indian classical dance forms, originating from the state of Manipur. The dance form is imbued with the devotional themes of Madhura Raas of Radha-Krishna and characterised by gentle eyes and soft peaceful body movements. The facial expressions are peaceful mostly expressing Bhakti Rasa or the emotion of devotion, no matter if a dancer is Hindu or not. The dance form is based on Hindu scriptures of Vaishnavism and is exclusively attached to the worship of Radha and Krishna. It is a portrayal of the dance of divine love of Lord Krishna with goddess Radha and the cowherd damsels of Vrindavan, famously known as the Raas Leela.
The Meitei script, also known as the Meetei script, is an abugida used for the Meitei language, the official language of Manipur state and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is one of the official scripts of the Indian Republic. It is also popularly known as the Kanglei script and the Kok Sam Lai script. Its earliest known evidence of existence dates back to the 6th century AD coins, engraving the Meitei letters, as verified by the various publications of the National Sahitya Akademi. It was used until the 18th century, when it was replaced by the Bengali alphabet. A few manuscripts survive. In the 20th century, the script has experienced a resurgence, and is again being used. Starting from 2021, Meitei script was officially used by the Government of Manipur, along with the Bengali-Assamese script, to write the Meitei language, as per "The Manipur Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2021".
Charairongba also known as "Eningthou Ningthem Charairongba" was the Meitei king and the ruler of Kangleipak from 1697 to 1709.
Meitei literature, also known as Manipuri literature, is literature written in the Meitei language of Manipur. An ancient institution of learning, the Luwang Nonghumsang, later known as the Pandit Loishang, collected sources of indigenous Meitei knowledge and philosophy until the 18th century. Writing by Meiteis is assumed to go back to the Kingdom of Kangleipak in the early 12th century. The Meitei script is a Brahmic abugida. It is known only from the Puya manuscripts discovered in the first half of the 20th century. Manuscripts of the 18th and 19th centuries were written using the Bengali alphabet. The existence of the Meitei script in the 15th-century hinges on the authenticity of an inscription dated to the reign of Senbi Kiyamba. The first printed Manipuri book, Manipurer Itihas, appeared in 1890 from the Baptist Mission Press, Calcutta. Though the kings of Manipur had established contact with the British from the middle of the eighteenth century onward the real impact of the contact came much later. Johnstone Middle English School, based on the western system of education, was started in 1885 at Imphal, and in 1891 Manipur lost its independence to the British. British domination facilitated the introduction of new systems in the civil, political and educational spheres, which hastened the process of modernization in Manipur, exposed as it was to new ideas and influences.
The Manipur Kingdom was an ancient independent kingdom at the India–Burma frontier that was in subsidiary alliance with East India Company from 1824, and became a princely state in 1891. It bordered Assam Province in the west and British Burma in the east, and in the 20th century covered an area of 22,327 square kilometres and contained 467 villages. The capital of the state was Imphal.
Maharaja Sir Meidingngu Churachand, also known as Churachandra or Chura Chand (1886–1941), was a Meitei King and a Maharaja of Kangleipak. He ascended the throne after his predecessor Kulachandra Singh was jailed. He was a 5-year-old boy when he was placed on the throne on 22 September 1891, after the troubles of the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891. In 1907, he was formally declared king, after completing education at Mayo College.
Leimarel Sidabi or Leimalel Sitapi is a goddess in Meitei mythology and the religion of Ancient Kangleipak. She is the highest female divinity in the Meitei pantheon. She is the goddess of earth, of nature and the household. She is revered as the mother of every living being in the universe.
Panthoibi, also known as Nongpok Leima, is a goddess associated with civilization, courage, fertility, handicraft, love, victory, warfare and wisdom in the mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak. She is a consort of the God Nongpok Ningthou. She is considered to be one of the divine incarnations of Leimarel Sidabi and is also identified as a form of Goddess Nongthang Leima. She is worshipped mainly by the Meitei people in Manipur, Assam, Tripura, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The Imphal Peace Museum (IPM) (Meitei: Imphal Aying-Achik Pukei Lankei Shanglen, Japanese: インパール平和資料館, romanized: Inpāru heiwa shiryōkan) is a World War II museum at the foothills of the Red Hills (Maibam Lokpa Ching) in Manipur, India. It is a living memory of the Battle of Imphal (Anglo-Japanese war) and other World War II battles (March–July 1944) fought in Manipur. It is supported by the non profit grant making Nippon Foundation (TNF), collaborating with the Manipur Tourism Forum and the Government of Manipur. Notably, in a poll conducted by the British National Army Museum, the Battle of Imphal and Kohima was bestowed as Britain's Greatest Battle.
The INA War Museum or the Indian National Army War Museum is a WWII museum in Moirang, Manipur. It is the only official WWII museum in Manipur though many other WWII museums are opened in the state. This museum is situated inside the INA Memorial Complex. The museum focuses primarily on the rise of the Indian National Army (INA) and the contributions of Subhash Chandra Bose to the Indian independence movement. This museum is the only official museum dedicated to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
Phouoibi (Fouoibi) or Phouoipi (Fouoipi) or Phouleima (Fouleima) or Phoureima (Foureima) is the goddess and the female personification of the agriculture, crops, fertility, grains, harvest, paddy, rice and wealth in Meitei mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak (early Manipur). She is the lover of Akongjamba, a hero in ancient legends. But fate does not permit the lovers to unite. So, Phouoibi and Akongjamba reincarnated in the legends. She was sent by Thangching (Thangjing) to Kege Moirang (Keke Moilang) kingdom to prosper the human world. The legends of her love with Akongjamba were believed to be enacted by Thangching (Thangjing) as a part of the Epic cycles of incarnations (Moirang Saiyon) of the Moirang Kangleirol legends.
Pureiromba is a God in Meitei mythology and religion. He is the giver of rain and agricultural prosperity. He is one of the major Umang Lai deities. He is the Ancestor God of the Angom clan of the Meitei ethnicity.
Meitei mythology or Manipuri mythology is a collection of myths, belonging to the religious and cultural traditions of the Meitei people, the predominant ethnic group of Manipur. It is associated with traditional Meitei religion (Sanamahism). Meitei myths are a part of Meitei culture and explain various natural phenomena, how the human civilization developed, and the reasons of many things happening. Most of the Meitei legends are found in the Meitei language texts.
The Sanggai Yumpham was a fortified royal residence (citadel) of the Meitei royalties inside the Kangla Fort in Imphal. It is presently preserved as an archaeological site as well as one of the tourist attractions in the Kangla.
In Meitei mythology and religion, Kangla Sa, also spelled as Kangla Sha, is a guardian dragon lion. It has a lion's body and a dragon's head, with two horns. It is considered sacred to the Meitei heritage. It is a royal symbol of the Meitei royalties . The most remarkable statues dedicated to "Kangla Sa" stand inside the Kangla.
In Meitei mythology and folklore, the epic cycles of incarnations in Moirang is a cyclic epic of seven incarnations of two divine lovers in the kingdom of Moirang in the realm of Ancient Kangleipak.
The ancient legend of Ura Naha Khongjomba and Pidonnu is one of the epic cycles of incarnations of Meitei mythology and folklore, that is originated from Moirang kingdom of Ancient Kangleipak. It concerns the love and the adventures of Ura Naha Khongjomba, a forgotten prince, for the beautiful Pidonnu. Khongjomba was the biological son of King Laijing Ningthou Punsiba of Moirang and Lady Tonu Laijinglembi, but he was born in the house of his foster father Kadeng Thangjahanba, the second husband of Tonu Laijinglembi. Pidonnu was the daughter of a nobleman of Moirang.
The Nongmaiching Ching, also known as the Selloi Langmai Ching, is a mountain in Imphal Valley, Manipur. It has an altitude of around 5,133 feet (1,565 m). It is a holy pilgrimage site for the Meitei people. In Meitei mythology and religion (Sanamahism), it is a sacred mountain and the abode of God Nongpok Ningthou and Goddess Panthoibi. In Meitei folklore, the Nongmaiching is described as the hill that produces "the seven days of a week".
