Manipur 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 the 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.
In India, a deemed university or deemed-to-be-university is an accreditation granted to higher educational institutions in India by the Ministry of Education. According to the ministry's definition, the accreditation indicates, "an Institution of higher education, other than universities, working at a very high standard in specific area of study" and the accreditation grants "the academic status and privileges of a university".
University Grants Commission is a statutory body under Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Government of India. It was set up in accordance to the UGC Act 1956 and is charged with coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of higher education in India. It provides recognition to universities in India, and disbursements of funds to such recognized universities and colleges. The UGC headquarters are in New Delhi, and it has six regional centres in Pune, Bhopal, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bangalore. A proposal to replace it with another new regulatory body called HECI is under consideration by the Government of India. The UGC provides doctoral scholarships to all those who clear JRF in the National Eligibility Test. On an average, each year ₹725 crore (US$87 million) is spent on doctoral and post-doctoral fellowships by the commission.
The sangai is an endemic and endangered subspecies of Eld's deer found only in Manipur, India. It is also the state animal of Manipur. Its common English name is Manipur brow-antlered deer or Eld's deer. Its original natural habitat is the floating marshy grasslands of the Keibul Lamjao National Park, located in the southern parts of the Loktak Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in South Asia.
The Manipur State League is the highest state-level football league in Manipur, India. It has been organised since 2006 by the All Manipur Football Association under the Vision India program with guidance from the AFC and the AIFF.
Elam Endira Devi, is an Indian classical dancer and teacher, known for her expertise and scholarship in the classical dance form of Manipuri, especially in the genres of Lai Haraoba and Raas. The Government of India honored her, in 2014, with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for her services to the field of art and culture.
Elangbam Nilakanta Singh (1927-2000) was an Indian poet and critic, considered by many as one of the pioneers of modern Meitei literature. A recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1987, Nilakanta Singh was honored by the Government of India, in 2000, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Gitchandra Tongbra, popularly known as G. C. Tongbra, was an Indian satirist, poet, playwright and art academic from Imphal. Born on 6 February 1913 in the Indian state of Manipur, Tongbra was known for his socio-realistic plays such as Mani Manou (1962), Matric Pass (1964) and Upu Baksi (1972).
Rajkumar Jhalajit Singh was an Indian writer, historian, Gandhian and academic. He was known for his book, "A Short History of Manipur", which was banned from publishing or selling by his own family members, because the book misleads the readers that the Manipuris are the descendants of Arjuna of the Mahabharata.
The Cinema of Manipur is the film industry based in Manipur, India. It includes not only Meitei language movies but all the films made in different languages of the different communities in Manipur. The Manipuri film industry was born when Matamgi Manipur by Debkumar Bose was released on 9 April 1972. From Aribam Syam Sharma's Paokhum Ama and M.A. Singh's Langlen Thadoi to Oken Amakcham's Lammei and Haobam Paban Kumar's Loktak Lairembee and many others, Manipuri cinema, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022, has grown in both its form and culture.
Manipur University of Culture is a State Public University established and recognised by the State Government of Manipur.
Romi Meitei is an Indian film director, screenwriter and lyricist who works in Manipuri films. He is a recipient of several awards at film festivals organized in India and abroad, including a National Film Award.
Maharaj Kumar Priyobrata Singh was a member of the royal family and a political official in the princely state of Manipur, under British Raj and later Indian Union. He served as chief minister of the princely state in independent India from 15 August 1947 to 15 October 1949.
Manipuri Language Day, is an annual celebration of the Manipuri (Meitei) language in India and Bangladesh on 20 August. It is the day in 1992 on which Manipuri was added to the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India, making it one of the official languages of India.
The Meitei language movement sought to achieve recognition of Meitei as a Classical language of India. It was supported by various literary, political, social associations and organisations as well as notable individual personalities of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Northeast India.
Khwairakpam Bishwamittra is an Indian film director, actor and script writer who works in theatre and Manipuri films. He first appeared on silver screen in the 1996 hit film Kanaga Hinghouni, where he co-directed with Chan Heisnam. Some of the famous films he directed include Kaorage, Torei and Sur Da Ngaojabee. He is also a renowned playwright of Manipuri Shumang Leelas and stage plays produced by AIR Imphal and Doordarshan DDK Imphal. As of 2022, his non-feature Eewai got official selection at the 4th Nepal Cultural International Film Festival 2022. Eewai was screened at the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival in Short and Documentary Panorama section on 19 and 21 December 2022 at Nandan-III and Sichir Mancha, Kolkata.
There are three notable museums inside the Kangla Fort in Imphal West district of Kangleipak, which are the Kangla Museum, the Archaeological Museum and the Memento Museum. Some people also count the Hijagang as a museum.
The South East Asia Cultural Organisation (SEACO) is an international cultural organization that works for the development of the Meitei culture of Kangleipak (Meitei for 'Manipur'). It aims to preserve the unique history, culture, identity, and religion of Manipur. It also advocates to take "extra caution about the issue of preservation of the cultural identity of the Indigenous people in the wake of the present globalization".
