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[replace with] Manipuri, The one of the many ethnic communities
[replace with] in Bangladesh. Their original homeland is Manipur,
[replace with]  once a sovereign state
[replace with] and now the northeastern zonal state of India. In the early days, Manipur
[replace with] had different names such as Kyangleipak, Kyangkleipang,
[replace with] Kyanglei, Meitrabak, and Mekhali and the Manipuris were
[replace with] known as Meitei. During the reign of Maharaj Garibniwaz (1709-1748),
[replace with] some missionaries arrived here from
[replace with]
[replace with] sylhet. There was an
[replace with] opinion that these missionaries named this land 'Manipur' and its principal
[replace with] inhabitants, Manipuris. The
[replace with]
[replace with] mahabharata has a mention
[replace with] of Manipur and the missionaries but as it was discovered later, Manipur of
[replace with] Mahabharata and Manipur of Sylhet were not the same place.
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[replace with] Historical Background:
[replace with] Ethnologically, Manipuris belong to the Kuki-Chin
[replace with] group of the Tibeto-Burman family of the Mongolian race. But a good
[replace with] admixture of Aryan and other blood groups also took place in the mainstream
[replace with] of Manipuri nation. Because of its special geographical location and as a
[replace with] result of several religious and political interactions, Manipur became the
[replace with] melting point of different ethnic groups and cultures from the time
[replace with] immemorial. This assimilation resulted in the formation of the modern
[replace with] Meitei people who are now widely known as Manipuri.
[replace with] Manipuris migrated to the Bangladesh area and settled
[replace with] here at different times due to wars, conflicts and other socio-political
[replace with] reasons. Their migration started during the reign of Rajarshi Bhagyachandra
[replace with] (1764-1789) and the process was accelerated by the Manipur-Burma War
[replace with] (1819-1825) which is a black chapter in the history of Manipur. After the
[replace with] war with Burma, Manipur was ruled by the Burmese invaders for about seven
[replace with] years. During that period, King Chourajit Singh along with two younger
[replace with] brothers, Marjit Singh and Gambhir Singh took refuge in Sylhet. A hoard of
[replace with] Manipuri subjects followed them. A palace was built at that time at
[replace with] Mirzajangal of Sylhet town.
[replace with]
[replace with] kasba of Brahmanbaria,
[replace with] Durgapur of Mymensingh, and Tejgaon of Dhaka became Manipuri settlements
[replace with] during this period. However, these places are not special Manipuri
[replace with] settlements at present. Most Manipuris now live in Sylhet town and its
[replace with] suburbs, and
[replace with] kamalganj,
[replace with]
[replace with] sreemangal,
[replace with]
[replace with] kulaura and
[replace with]
[replace with] barlekha thanas of
[replace with]
[replace with] maulvi bazar district;
[replace with]
[replace with] chunarughat thana of
[replace with]
[replace with] habiganj district, and
[replace with]
[replace with] chhatak thana of
[replace with]
[replace with] sunamganj district.
[replace with] According to the 1991 Population Census, there are about 25,000 Manipuris in
[replace with] Bangladesh. Of them about 13,000 are in Maulvi Bazar, 7,000 in Sylhet and
[replace with] 4,000 in Habiganj.
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[replace with] Social System:
[replace with]
[replace with] Social Structure: Historically, Manipuris are grouped into seven yek
[replace with] or salais. These are Ningthauja, Luwang, Khuman,
[replace with] Moirang, Angom, Chenglei and Khaba-Nganba. Each
[replace with] yek or salai is again divided into many Shageis. Subsequently, these
[replace with] yek or salais were converted to Vaisnavite sects. In this way
[replace with] Ningthauja yeks became Shandilya gotra, Khumans-Moudgalya,
[replace with] Moirangs-Atreya and Angirasya, Angom-Goutama, Luwang-Kashyapa,
[replace with] Chenglei-Bashistha and Angirasya and Khaba-Nganba-Bharadwaj
[replace with] and Naimisya.
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[replace with]
[replace with] Lifestyle:
[replace with] Meitei Lon or Manipuri language, the mother tongue
[replace with] of the Manipuri people, belongs to the Kuki-Chin group of the Tibeto-Burman
[replace with] sub-family of the Mongolian family of languages. Manipuri literature is very
[replace with] old. It has a rich and variegated history and traditions. Manipuri language
[replace with] is now the state language of Manipur and is recognised as one of the
[replace with] national languages of India.
[replace with] A characteristic feature of the old Manipuri script is
[replace with] its each and every alphabet named according to a limb of human body. Their
[replace with] shapes are also in consonance with those of the limbs. The script was
[replace with] substituted by Bengali script in the 18th century during the reign of Raja
[replace with] Garibniwaj to forge a closer relation with the newly preached Chaitanya
[replace with] School of Sanatana Dharma which originated in Benga
[replace with]
[replace with] Culture & Literature: The earliest gem of Manipuri literature is Ougri,
[replace with] a lyrical verse, which is believed to have been sung in the honour of the
[replace with] sun god in 33 AD on the coronation ceremony of the Manipuri king Pakhangba.
[replace with] But the first written Manipuri literature is found in a copper plate of the
[replace with] 8th century, inscribed during the reign of Maharaja Khongteckcha. At
[replace with] present, Manipuri literature is growing very fast and many a writings of the
[replace with] modern Manipuri literature have been honoured in India with the Sahitya
[replace with] Academy awards. In the field of translation also Manipuri does not fall
[replace with] far back. It has to its credit the translations of
[replace with]
[replace with] ramayana, Mahabharata,
[replace with] Sreemadbhagavatgita, Bible and many a classic writings of
[replace with]
[replace with] rabindranath tagore,
[replace with] Tolstoy, Shakespeare, Homer, Bernard Shaw, Sophocles,
[replace with]
[replace with] bankimchandra chattopadhyay
[replace with] and
[replace with] sharat chandra chattopadhyay.
[replace with] The history of Manipuri literature took a new turn in
[replace with] 1975 with the formation of 'Bangladesh Manipuri Sahitya Sangsad' and
[replace with] publication of Manipuri literary magazine Dipanvita. Bangladesh
[replace with] Manipuri Sahitya Sangsad publishes an irregular journal named Meira
[replace with] (flame). Many other Manipuri organisations have also been publishing
[replace with] literary journals such as Epom, Shajibu, Mitkapthokpa
[replace with] and Khollao. In 1982, Bangladesh Manipuri Sahitya Sangsad published a
[replace with] book of Manipuri poems Basanta Kunnipalaji Leibang, which is the
[replace with] first of its kind in Bangladesh. In 1990, it published another book
[replace with] Bangladesher Manipuri Kabita containing 20 Manipuri poems of 10 selected
[replace with] Manipuri poets of Bangladesh. Subsequently, 2 other books of Manipuri poems
[replace with] Myang Mapei Marakta and Wakhalji Nachom were published.
[replace with] Some books on Manipuri subjects have also been published in Bengali
[replace with] language.
[replace with] Manipuri culture has a rich and colourful tradition.
[replace with] Dance and music play a vital role in the life span of Manipuri people. The
[replace with] most flourishing branch of Manipuri culture is dance. The Manipuri synonym
[replace with] of dance is jagoi and in this dance, body movements create either
[replace with] circle or ellipse. Rasa dance is the finest product of Manipuri
[replace with] culture. Maharaj Bhagyachandra innovated it and it was first performed in
[replace with] Manipur in 1779 in the fullmoon of Kartik. Variations of Manipuri
[replace with] dance can be grouped into two broad classes: folk dance and shastriya
[replace with] or classical dance. Manipuri folk dance includes Laiharaoba,
[replace with] Khamba-Thoibi, Meibi Jagoi and Leisham Jagoi, while
[replace with] Rasa, Gostha leela, Udukhol and Mridanga fall under
[replace with] the classical group. Manipuri dance was brought to the horizon of outside
[replace with] world by Rabindranath Tagore. He first witnessed the Manipuri dance in a
[replace with] visit to Sylhet in 1919. Soon, he introduced teaching of the dance at
[replace with]
[replace with] santiniketan.
[replace with] Manipuri dance is characterised by its lashya
[replace with] (gentleness), tenderness, and devotion. Laiharaoba is full of sweet
[replace with] elegance, grace and a gesture of dedication. Thyang-Ta, Mridonga
[replace with] Nritya and some forms of Shri Krishna Nartan display
[replace with] boundlessness of the emotions of life. Khamba-Thoibi dance demonstrates a
[replace with] balanced combination of Tanva (forceful form) and lashya.
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[replace with] Rituals: Almost all Manipuris are now the followers of the
[replace with]
[replace with] chaitanya cult of
[replace with] Sanatana Dharma. But before accepting the Sanatana Dharma in the 18th
[replace with] century, Manipuris practised Apokpa Dharma. They, however, did
[replace with] not altogether renounce their earlier religious beliefs. Their rites and
[replace with] rituals reflect a synthesis of the old and new beliefs. Manipuris observe
[replace with] with great grandeur the religious ceremonies of Sanatana Dharma like
[replace with]
[replace with] rathayatra, Rasa
[replace with] Purnima, Jhulanjatra and also those of their traditional culture such as
[replace with] Laiharaoba and Sajibu Chairaoba and worship household deities
[replace with] such as Sanamahi, Pakangba, and Leimaren. Many Manipuris now
[replace with] follow the teachings of
[replace with]
[replace with] islam also. They are known
[replace with] as Meitei Pangon or Manipuri Muslims. Rites, rituals and beliefs are
[replace with] part and parcel of the day to day life of Manipuris. They observe special
[replace with] religious ceremonies and customary rituals on major occasions of life such
[replace with] as birth, marriage and death. [AK Sheram] |
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