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Manipur

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State · Capital: Imphal

Key facts
TypeState
CapitalImphal
Formed21 January 1972
Official languagesManipuri (Meitei)
Population (Census 2011)28,55,794
Andaman and Nicobar IslandsAndhra PradeshArunachal PradeshAssamBiharChandigarhChhattisgarhDadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and DiuDelhiGoaGujaratHaryanaHimachal PradeshJammu and KashmirJharkhandKarnatakaKeralaLadakhLakshadweepMadhya PradeshMaharashtraManipurMeghalayaMizoramNagalandOdishaPuducherryPunjabRajasthanSikkimTamil NaduTelanganaTripuraUttar PradeshUttarakhandWest Bengal

Known for

  • Manipuri classical dance and the Ras Lila
  • Loktak Lake with its floating phumdis, and Keibul Lamjao, the only floating national park in the world
  • The sangai, the brow-antlered deer found in the wild only in Keibul Lamjao
  • Sagol Kangjei, the Manipuri form of polo
  • Ima Keithel, the market run entirely by women in Imphal
  • Chak-hao, the GI-tagged black rice of Manipur
  • Handloom weaving and a strong sporting culture that has produced many national and Olympic athletes
  • Hill peoples such as the Naga and Kuki-Zo tribes alongside the Meitei of the Imphal valley

Main sources of income

Most households in Manipur combine farming with weaving, small trade or government jobs; women play an unusually large role in the State’s markets.

  • Agriculture and allied activities: Paddy is the main crop of the Imphal valley; also maize, pulses, vegetables, livestock and fisheries; farming employs the largest number of people
  • Services and government: Public administration, education, health care, trade and transport form a large part of the State economy
  • Horticulture: Pineapple, oranges, Kachai lemon, passion fruit, banana and other fruits grown in the hills and sold across the North East
  • Handloom and handicrafts: Household weaving of phanek, innaphi and shawls, and crafts such as Longpi pottery, cane and bamboo work
  • Fisheries: Fish farming and capture fishing in Loktak Lake and other wetlands of the valley
  • Border trade and tourism: Trade with Myanmar through Moreh, and visitors drawn to Loktak, Imphal and the Sangai Festival

Top 5 specialities

  1. Chak-hao (black rice): GI-tagged aromatic black rice grown in the Imphal valley, used for festive kheer and increasingly sold outside the State and abroad
  2. Kachai lemon: GI-tagged lemon from Kachai village in Ukhrul district, large and juicy, grown and sold by the Tangkhul Naga villagers
  3. Manipuri handloom textiles: GI-tagged Shaphee Lanphee, Wangkhei Phee and Moirang Phee, woven by women at home on looms and sold across the country
  4. Tamenglong orange: GI-tagged mandarin orange from the hills of Tamenglong district, a cash crop for the Zeliangrong Naga farmers, celebrated at an annual orange festival
  5. Longpi pottery: Black stone-ware pots made by hand without a wheel by the Tangkhul Naga of Longpi villages in Ukhrul, sold as cookware and gifts

Best practices

  • Women-run markets: At Ima Keithel in Imphal thousands of women traders sell food, cloth and household goods. The market has been run only by women for centuries and shows how women’s economic independence can be built into daily life.
  • Grassroots sports culture: Traditional games, local clubs and family support have made Manipur a source of champions in boxing, weightlifting, hockey, football and martial arts. India’s National Sports University was set up in Imphal under an Act of Parliament in 2018.
  • Household weaving: Weaving is traditionally a skill learned by women in almost every Meitei home, which keeps handloom alive as a source of income without large factories.

Dance & performing arts

  • Manipuri Raas Leela (classical)
  • Sankirtana (UNESCO)
  • Thang-Ta (martial art)

Festivals

  • Lai Haraoba
  • Yaoshang
  • Ningol Chakouba

Food

  • Eromba
  • Chak-hao kheer (black rice, GI)
  • Singju

Crafts & heritage

  • Moirang phee weaving
  • Longpi black pottery
  • Sagol Kangjei, the traditional form of polo

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More from Manipur

Traditional recipes (20)

  • Eromba

    Boiled vegetables mashed with roasted fermented fish (ngari) and fiery chillies, the most loved side dish of every Manipuri meal.

  • Singju

    A crunchy salad of finely shredded cabbage, lotus stem, banana flower and herbs, dressed with roasted gram flour, perilla seeds and chilli.

  • Kangshoi

    A light, brothy stew of seasonal vegetables with ginger, onion leaves and dried fish, eaten with rice every day in Manipur.

  • Morok metpa

    A fiery chutney of roasted chillies, fermented fish, onion and herbs, served on the side of every Manipuri meal.

  • Ooti

    Dried peas cooked very soft with a little cooking soda, rice and spring onions into a thick, mild dish served at feasts.

  • Nga thongba

    A Manipuri fish curry in which the fish is lightly fried and simmered with potato, onion and tomato in a thin, spiced gravy.

  • Paknam

    A savoury cake of gram flour, fermented fish and herbs, wrapped in leaves, steamed and then roasted.

  • Manipuri bora

    Crisp gram-flour fritters of vegetables and herbs, eaten with a chilli chutney as an evening snack.

  • Alu kangmet

    Boiled potatoes mashed with roasted dried chillies, onion and mustard oil. Simple, smoky and very hot.

  • Kelli chana

    A spicy, tangy snack of boiled chickpeas and peas in a thin gravy, sold by street vendors in Imphal.

  • Chak-hao kheer

    A deep purple pudding of Manipur’s GI-tagged black rice cooked slowly in milk with sugar and cardamom.

  • Sana thongba

    Soft cottage cheese (paneer) and peas cooked in a light, golden gravy, a vegetarian favourite at Manipuri feasts.

See all 20

Traditional dances (5)

  • Manipuri

    One of India’s classical dances, known for its gentle, flowing movements and its Ras Lila performances of the love of Radha and Krishna.

  • Sankirtana and Pung Cholom

    The devotional singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur’s Vaishnava community, in which drummers leap and spin while playing the pung.

  • Thang-Ta

    The traditional martial art of Manipur, using the sword (thang) and the spear (ta), performed today as both a fighting art and a graceful display.

  • Lai Haraoba

    The ritual festival-dance of the Meitei, 'the merrymaking of the gods', in which priestesses (maibis) dance the story of creation.

  • Thabal Chongba

    ‘Dancing in the moonlight’: young men and women hold hands and dance in a circle during the Yaoshang festival.

Festivals and New Years (2)

  • Sajibu Nongma Panba (Cheiraoba)

    The Meitei New Year in Manipur, on the first day of the month Sajibu. Families cook a feast, offer food at the gate, and then climb a nearby hill to mark rising in life.

  • Manipur Sangai Festival

    A State festival of Manipur in November, named after the Sangai, the brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur, showcasing the State's dance, crafts, food and sport.

Famous places (6)

  • Loktak Lake

    The largest freshwater lake in North East India, famous for its floating islands of vegetation called phumdis.

  • Keibul Lamjao National Park

    The world’s only floating national park, on the phumdis of Loktak Lake, and the last natural home of the sangai deer.

  • Kangla Fort

    The ancient seat of the Meitei kings on the banks of the Imphal river, sacred to the people of Manipur.

  • Shree Govindajee Temple

    The main Vaishnava temple of Manipur, beside the old royal palace in Imphal, with twin domes and a large hall for dance and worship.

  • Ima Keithel (Mothers’ Market)

    A large market in the heart of Imphal where every stall is run by a woman, said to be one of the biggest women-run markets in Asia.

  • INA Memorial, Moirang

    The memorial and museum at Moirang where the Indian National Army (INA) hoisted its flag on 14 April 1944.

Heritage (1)

Sources