HISTORY

The Land of Manipur

Manipur boasts of an exotic landscape with gently undulating hills, emerald green valleys, blue lakes and dense forests. It is the sheer tranquility enveloping it, interrupted only by a soft breeze that sets it apart from the other northeastern states, and makes it the ideal getaway. Manipur, literally meaning the land of jewel, is a paradise on earth when Mother Nature has been extra generous in her beauty. And from the very inception, this princely state of Manipur has always been a shinning outpost of the country in the sparse of the eastern Himalayas. It never lost its basic link with the mainstream of the Indian culture

The present state of Manipur geographically by Nagaland in the North, Mizoram in the South, Cachar district of Assam in the West and bordering Myanmer in the East. The land surface of Manipur is 22,347 sq. kms. And about 90% of the land is mountainous. Its rain varies between 2,600 to 3, 350 meters.

In 1826, Manipur was brought into India by the treaty of Yandavo by Raja Jai Singh with the British at the end of the Indo-Burmese war. This followed a dispute in accession to the throne. With the intervention of the British the dispute was settled. In 1891 Churachand was nominated the Raja and it came under British rule as a princely state. During World War II Imphal was occupied by the Japanese. After Indian independence Manipur became a Union Territory and subsequently achieved statehood in January 21,1972.

The People

The people of Present Manipur include Meitei, Bishnupriyas, Naga, Meitei Pangal and other colourful communities which have lived together in complete harmony for centuries. Theses are the people whose folklore, myths & legends, dances, indigenous games and martial arts, exotic handlooms & handicrafts are infested with the mystique of nature.

The Meiteis

The origin Meitei lies with the term Meitei itself. The term Meitei is most probably derived from "Mai" ( Mai =people, comp. Burmese "mai" =man) + "Tai"(=Thai), meaning the Thai people. Shri R. M. Nath states " Mei-theis is clearly - people of Theis land meaning people coming from central China". Another theory holds that Meitei is derived from Mi (=men) and Thei(=sperate) that men from different tribes merged together. The sven tribes or clan of meiteis are Moirang, Ningthouja, Angom, Chenglei, Ngangba, Looang and Khuman (or Khumal).

The Meteis are related to the present Naga race of the hills also in respect of many customs still in existence in both groups. The distribution of Kiratas in north-eastern region is one of the evidences to support this school of thought. Another school of thought considers Manipuris to be descended from the stock of Dravidians who migrated from south India to Manipur and Naga hills through Burma.

The Bishnupriyas

The term Bishnupriya is derived from Vishnupurika or Bishnupriya. It is said that these people were the followers of the Vishnu cult from the very ancient times. They installed the image of lord Vishnu at a place in Manipur, which was given the name Bishnupur.

Sir G. A. Grierson recorded the people "Bishnupuriya Manipuris" and Dr. Suniti kumar Catterji calls them simply "Bishnupriya" or "Mayang". But "Mayang" is a misnomer for this language. The Bishnupriya Manipuris never called themselves as "Mayang". It is term used by the Meiteis in a degrading sense. In Meitei, the "Mayang" means foreigner, westerner.

Like the meiteis, Bishnupriya Manipuri community also divided into five sub-clans viz.; The Khumals, the Moirangs, The Angoms, The Luwangs and the Mangang. The calls them Lokeis and collectively as "Pancha Bishnupriyas". Besides there are 70 Lokei( Ningthou Khongya or members of Royel Family), Lempa Lokei (Thakcham), Moirango Lokei (Moirang them) are the dominating groups. Each of the Lokei have their distinct ethnic identity( Gotros).

The origin of Manipuris

There is not much of historical evidence available on the origin of the people of Manipur. There are different opinions regarding the origin. Some believe that Manipuris are a fine stalwart race descended from an Indo-Chinese stock, with some admixture of Aryan blood. Some scholars consider that the Manipuris are Indo-aryan Kshatriyas as mentioned in the Epic, 'Mahabharatha'. Another school of thought consider Manipuris the descendants of Kiratas.

The concept of "Manipur" and "Manipuri"

The inhabitants of Manipur did identify them as "Manipuris" since past centuries. The land Manipur was formerly divided into small territories occupied by different clans, namely, the Khumals, the Moirangs, The Angoms, The Luwangs, the Ningthoujas, etc. The territories were after the names of the respective clans. Some of the clans are of Aryan branches and some are of of kuki-chin branch.

So different clans of the Aryan and Mongoloid people lived side by side in Manipur for centuries. In course of time the Meiteis ( the Ningtauja clan) occupied all the territories towards 15th century AD and established a sovereign kingdom known as ‘ Meitei Leipak’ ( the land of Meiteis).

Historians without any prejudice will agree that the Bishnupriyas were living in the Valley of Manipur from centuries before the establishment of that "Meitei- Laipak" (Sometimes refers as to be Senalaipak, Kongleipak, Metrabak etc.). The Meiteis called the Bishnupriyas as ‘Mayangs’ and the history Manipur goes back the 7th century AD, if not still earlier.

As regards the name Meitei and Bishnupriya, there is a story prevalent and found in a Meitei purana or puya called " Khumal Purana". This purana states that conversion of Meiteis in Hinduism by Shri Santidas Babaji in 19th century at the instance of the king Shri Pamhaiba was aimed at linking the with the Aryans, the mainstream of people of Manipur and their language too with Sanskrit. The Aryans, the followers of Lord Vishnu denied to accept the initiation by Shri Santadas Babaji and the others(accepted). And thus the Manipuri people Aryan and Kuki-chin group have been classified and renamed as Bishnupriya and Meiteis.

Therefore, the term ‘Manipur’ and ‘Manipuris’ have been in use by both the Meiteis and the Bishnupriyas commonly with equal right to them; and practically, people of both these clans used these two terms ‘Manipur’ and ‘Manipuris’ without any reservation to identify their land and themselves respectively.

Culturally, the Meiteis and Bishnupriyas cannot be distinguished from each other. Both these two clans developed a homogeneous culture, and the concept of the one community grew among them. Mutual social intercourse between the two exists in practice.

Compiled by Ashim Kumar Singha on  November 12, 2002

References:

1. Tribals and their culture in Manipur and Nagaland, Vol 3  by G. K. Ghosh
2. Religion and Culture of Manipur By Dr. M. Kiti Singh
3. Khumal Purana by Pandit Navakhendra Sharma
4. Manipur Itihas by R.K. Sanahal Singha, Imphal 1947
5. The Bishnupriya Manipuris By Dr. K.P. Sinha
6. Manipur and the Mainstream, by Prof. N. Tombi Singh, 1975 
7. http://manipuri.freeservers.com
8. http://manipuri.20m.com
9. http://themanipurpage.tripod.com/culture/culrel.html

Manipuri Culture: Customs and Traditions

The religious customs and traditions of Manipur are unique. They are organized in such a manner that in temple institutions those reveal the real festivity and reflect the curious character of socio-religious life of the valley. Mass propagation of Hindu customs and traditions in Manipuri society is the indicator of their reverence towards the Hindu deities and temples.

Almost all the elements of Bishnupriya Manipuri culture, excepting a very few, are identical to those of Meitei culture. Religious performances, fine arts, Festivals, marriage, dress, ornaments - all these are common to both Bishnupriyas and Meiteis.

Sannamahi and Leimarel are worshiped in every house of the Meiteis. The other gods and the three hundred and sixty four deities are worshipped in the "Umanglai Laisangs" (temple of gods in the reserved woods with spacious grounds) in the villages. The performances are absent in BPM Culture. On the other hand Tulsipung and Githanipung are worshiped in every house of the Bishnupriyas and the "Kartika -festival" and "pali" , which are performed gorgeously by the Bishnupriyas has little importance in the Meitei culture.

Fine Arts: During the reign of king Bhagya Chandra, towards the 18th century, Vaishnavism became very popular in Manipur . As result Vaishnav Palakirtan with Mridanga and Kartalaa became the most prominent factor in manipuri fine arts. Rasleela is another most important aspect of manipuri culture. Here in Ras-dance the philosophy of the manipuris is the basis on which the philosophy of the Vaisnavism is the body and plot of the dances with the essence of the Bhagavata philosophy.

Religions and beleifs: The Bishnupriya Manipuris are said to be the followers of Vishnu from the ancient times, as before the reign of King Garib Nawaj. On the other hand, Meiteis are followers of Atiya Shidaba, Apanba and Asheeba, who are according to them are the three manifestations or incarnations of God as the creator, the preserver and the annihilator of this universe respectively. At the end of the 17th century and at the advent of the 18th century, great force of the Neo-Vaisnavism came and spread in this land. Later on, the Meiteis adopted Gouriya Vaisnavism.
Meitei pangons are muslims and the observe Islam.

Festivals: To the Manipuris, festivals are the symbols of their cultural, social and religious aspirations which, besides removing the monotony of life by providing physical diversions, mental recreation and emotional outlet, help them lead a better and fuller life. Bishu, Rathyatra or Kang-Festival, Kartika festival, Maharas Purnima, Phaguwa or Holi festival ,Lai-Harouba, Thabol Chongba etc. are major manipuri festivals.

Marriage: Marriage in society is based on the Hindu pattern and mostly Aryan and non-Aryan elements having certain traditional customs. Out of the eight kind of marriage as referred in the Monu Songhita only Brahma and Kanya or Prajapatya are prevalent in the Society. There is the practice of Gandharva (secret union) system . the secret marriage
of Arjuna with Chitrangoda, the princes of Manipur, suggests as the Gandharva style of marriage. Marriage is restricted within the sub-clans or gutros in BM community.

Class System: The Bishnupriya Manipuris are reputed to be a highly conservative race devoted to strict vedic culture. there is no Vaisya or Sudra people in this community excepting Ksatriyas and Brahmins. On the other hand the Meiteis are divided into seven yek's or Shalais. The Meitei Pangons have no class system.

Food: Rice, vegetable and fish are principle foodstuffs of both the Bishnupriyas and Meiteis. Meat and Drinking is strictly prohibited in the society. In religious and social feats even, fish is never used.

Dress and Ornaments: The dresses and Garments uses by the Manipuri Bishnupriya's and Meiteis are identical. The traditional dress used by the males is called Pachhati - a about five feet long cloth manufactured by themselves which worn round the waist. Females usually wares blouses with traditional Lahing/Fanek/Chakshabi (a coarse cloth with length wise stripes and embroidered on both sides length wise) with an Enaphi ( Single or multicolor coarse cloth with laces on both ends) and a Angei or blouse. The extreme beauty of women dress is the design of Moirang, a special and artistic type of embroidery which is done by the weavers.
 
Compiled by Ashim Kumar Singha on  November 12, 2002

Manipuri Language

Two Manipuri Languages

Manipuri community is comprised of Aryans and Kuki-chin people and thus the people of this community speaks in two distinct languages namely " The Meitei language" and "the Bishnupriya Manipuri language" . As the Meiteis entered Manipur from the east, their Language is of the Tibeto-Burman group. The Bishnupriyas entered Manipur from the west and so their language is of the Indo-Aryan group.

The records maintained by the British India Government as well as the Government of India in independent India attest to this practice and in Govt. records Manipuris are classified into two sub-heads: Meitei and the Bishnupriyas. During the British regime, in the school statistics maintained by the Cachar School Board, Cachar, the main heading "Manipuri" was sub-divided into "Meitei" and "Bishnupriya". The Census of India, 1961, also subdivided the main heading "Manipuri" into "Meitei" and "Bishnupriya". Commission for Linguistic minorities in India states - "The manipuris residing in Cachar district are divided into two distinct Sub-groups, viz, Meithei and Bishnupriya"

The Meitei Language

Meitei (called Meiteilon in the language itself) is a Tibeto-Burman language belonging to the Kuki-Chin subgroup. As the term "Meitei" was taken to be wholly synonymous to "Manipuri" by passing a language bill in Manipur states assembly, the language is included as Manipuri language in the Eighth schedule of the Constitution of India. The Resistance, a journal from Imphal, Manipur dated 9 January, 1976, observed thus - " Manipuri, used to denote Meiteilon (i.e, Meitei language) is a misnomer. It neither signifies that it is the language of Meiteis nor does follow that it is the language of the Manipuris"

Meiteilon or Meitei language is spoken primarily in the valley region of the State of Manipur, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland in Índia, some parts in Burma and in Bangladesh.

Meitei language have its own scripts named Meetei-Mayek, that is the script which was used to write Meeteilon (Manipuri) till the 18th century. Subsequently, Bengali script was adopted to write the language and is being used till date.

For details on Meitei Language please visit

http://www.e-pao.net/epPageExtractor.asp?src=education.Learn_Manipuri.html
http://www.arbornet.org/~prava/eeyek/

The Bishnupriya Manipuri Language

The Bishnupriya Manipuri language (also known as BPM or BM) is highly influenced by the Sanskrit and Maharastri as well as Sauraseni Prakrits, though some words of the Hindi language of Northern India , some demoting terms of Meitei and Assamese language and a little influence of Benignly language are incorporated in the BM language.

Bishnupriya Manipuri has two dialects, namely,(1). Rajar Gang ( Kings Village) and (2). Madoi Gang ( Queens village ).

Bishnupriya Manipuri was originally confined only to the surroundings of the Lake Loktak in Manipur. The principal localities where this language was spoken are now known as Khangabok, Heirok, Mayang Yamphal, Bishnupur, khunan, Ningthankhong, Ngakhong, Thamnapoxpi and so on. However, later a great majority of speakers fled away from Manipur and took refuge in Assam, Tripura, Sylhet and Cachar during eighteen and nineteenth century due to internal conflicts among the prices of Manipur and due to Burmese attack. Consequently, it was difficult for the small number of Bishnupriyas who remained in Manipur to retain their language in face of the impact of Meitei, although Dr. G.A. Grierson, in 1891 found the existence of a considerable number of speakers in two or three villages near Bishnupur, locally known as Lamangdong.( LSI, Vol -V, Page 419). This Language is now spoken in parts of Assam, Tripura, Manipur( Jiribam Sub-division) in India ,in Bangladesh, in Burma and some other overseas countries.

The Bishnupriyas also claim that they have their own scripts that is Devanagari Scripts which was used to write Bishnupriya language till 1627 A.D. W.Shaw and Raj Mohan Nath , two eminent scholars are of the view that " Bishnupriya " with its Devanagai script had been the court language of Manipur and was replaced by king Khagenba. R. M.Nath says "so in Manipur in spite of Devanagari scripts which the kala-chaias might have been using, the Meitai when they came into power introduced the new scripts."

For details on Bishnupriya Manipuri Language please visit

http://www.languageinindia.com/dec2002/bishnupriya.html
http://manipuri.freeservers.com/

Compiled by Ashim Kumar Singha on  November 12, 2002