The tiny northeast Indian state of Manipur has a rich theatrical legacy that preserves both later "classical" forms and archaic and animistic ones. The dance-oriented forms of Manipur have developed independently and have managed to maintain their distinct identity and essence to this day.
The first reliably dated written texts describing Manipuri dance date back to the early 18th century.
The origins of Manipuri dance can be traced back to ancient times, even before recorded history.
Lai Haraoba, the earliest form of dance in Manipur, is still celebrated as a festival in the state and has its roots in Manipur’s pre-Vaishnavite era. Its literal meaning is "the merrymaking of the gods," and the chief performers are the priests and priestesses known as maibas and maibis.
Manipuri culture is a blend of Indian and southeastern cultures, which is reflected in its dances. The classical Manipuri dance has two divisions: Jagoi, which is predominant in Ras Leela and represents the Lasya element, and Cholom, representing the Tandava form of classical dance. The dance streams are independent of each other, and artists typically specialize in one or the other throughout their lives.
The central themes of Manipuri dance are the love stories of Krishna and Radha, although other themes are also showcased. The chief instruments used in Manipuri dance are the drum and the flute.
Hinduism is deeply ingrained in Manipur's ancient belief system and the civilization it produced. The rich dance heritage reflects this, with Hindu themes performed distinctively indigenously. At the same time, certain dances still have a direct connection to the Sanamahi religion and its rites and ceremonies.
History Of Manipuri Dance
The roots of Manipuri dance can be found in prehistoric periods that predate written history.
In Manipuri dance, the term used for 'hasta' or 'mudra' is Khut-thek; where khut refers to hand and thek denotes gestural movement in Meiteilon, or Manipuri language. Khut-thek is often associated with the term jagoi – which means dance.
There are mythical allusions to the dances of Shiva and Parvati as well as other gods and goddesses who created the universe. One of the most important festivals, still celebrated in Manipur, is Lai Haraoba, which dates back to the time before the Vaishnavites.
The origin of all Manipur's stylized dances is the ancient dance form known as Lai Haraoba. Sung and danced as a ceremonial sacrifice, it means "the merrymaking of the gods." The major performers portraying the theme of the world's creation are the maibas and maibis, or priests and priestesses.
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During the rule of King Bhagyachandra, the well-known Rasleela dances of Manipur were believed to have originated. According to legend, this philosophical king from the 18th century envisioned the entire dance form, including its distinctive attire and music, in a dream.
Origin of Manipuri Dance
A copper-plate inscription from the second century AD is the first known written record of Manipuri dance form, attributing the introduction of drums and cymbals to a particular king. They continue to be the primary musical accompaniment. The introduction of Krishna bhakti in Manipur in the fifteenth century gave dance new purposes and themes.
The primary textual sources for Manipuri bhakti-related dance dramas, known as Manipuri raas leela, were the traditional bhakti poetry.
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The raas leela, or Hindu dance drama, most likely took on its current shape in the eighteenth century. The fact that three of the five categories of raas leela were written by Maharaja Bhagyachandra, who ruled from 1759 to 1798, suggests this. Additionally, he created the unique dance outfit—a barrel-like garment—that is still a hallmark of the raas leela tradition. He is also credited with writing the Govindasangeet Lila Vilasa, the Manipuri dance manual. Two other Maharajas contributed further to the repertory in the 19th century.
Upon witnessing Manipuri dances in 1919 and growing to be a big lover of them, Bengali philosopher, poet, and Nobel Prize laureate Rabindranath Tagore helped to popularize Manipuri dance across the country. He asked a prominent teacher-guru to instruct students at his university, Santiniketan. Manipuri dance was later included in the list of classical Indian dance traditions, despite the fact that it is essentially very different from other margi-style classical dance forms. These days, it is taught and practised all over India, and fascinating contemporary interpretations of the style have been and are still being produced.
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Manipuri Dance Form
The Manipuri classical dance, created by the Meitei Hindu king Ching Thang Khomba (also known as 'Rajarshi Bhagyachandra') of the historical Kingdom of Manipur, is considered the ultimate spiritual manifestation of devotion to the Hindu deity Krishna.
Manipuri dance is distinguished by its elegant and delicate style of movement. The form of an eight is frequently repeated in both the floor patterns and the body movements. The motions are circular and have an almost infinite, spiral-like feel. The Manipuri dance method does not involve the abrupt body deflections that are typical of dances from the southern region of India. The dancers' hands, arms, and bodies move in unison, in a serpentine stride. The masculine style involves movements that are more upward-facing, including the use of dynamic, acrobatic jumps and leaps, whereas the female style aims for closed, low poses where the feet never rise above the knee level.
The Raas Leela, a traditional dance from Manipur, is one of India's eight main classical dance forms. The folk dances of Manipur are typically performed as a form of worship for local deities like Umang Lai, especially during festivals like Lai Haraoba.
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Manipuri Raas Leela
Raas Leela, or simply raas dances, is the name for the Krishna-related dance dramas of Manipur. These are big compositions, usually executed by a female dance company, while there are also male-only troupes that perform the pieces while disguising themselves as females. Every play depicts a different event in Krishna's life, mostly the loves and marvels of his early years. The Radha-Krishna topic is the subject of five raas leelas, while dozens more depict different incidents in Krishna's life. Manipur's Maharajas wrote a large number of the major raas leelas. Additional poems are also incorporated, encompassing the compositions of notable bhakti poets like Jayadeva, Vidyapati, and Chandidas.
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The dance dramas feature multiple solo and pair dances in addition to their predominant group formations. While Krishna, who is also performed by a female dancer, uses a more animated and lively tandava style, all the female characters—Radha and the gopi cowherd girls—dance in the elegant lasya style. Raas leelas have traditionally been performed in front of temples within a designated enclosure. There's no use of stagecraft or backdrops. The unusual costumes are the main feature of the dance. A legend claims that the designer of the current dance costumes witnessed the gopis' raas dance in a dream and took inspiration from it.
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Types of Manipuri Dance
Jagoi
It is well-known for its raas leela, which stands for the lasya element that Bharata Muni originally referenced in the Natya Shastra. The legs are bowed and the knees are kept together in this dance style. In addition, compared to other prominent traditional dances in India, the foot movements are not as strong or loud.
Cholom
This style represents classical dance in its Tandava form. It takes an artist nearly their whole life to become proficient in both of this dance form's divisions, which are primarily autonomous. The flute and the drum are the two main instruments utilized in classical Manipuri dancing.
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Manipuri Dance Dress
Manipuri dance costumes are usually very different from those of other Indian traditional dance genres. The performer portraying Lord Krishna wears a crown embellished with peacock feathers. The female dancers are dressed as Manipuri brides in Potloi dresses. He is dressed in a yellow dhoti and a velvet jacket of a dark hue.
Some Manipuri dance styles feature female dancers wearing long, fitting skirts with a drum base shaped like a barrel and embroidered with ornaments. They wear a dark-coloured velvet blouse in addition to this. Typically, the male dancers wear a turban, white kurta, dhoti, and shawl draped over their left shoulder.
Several online retailers in India specialize in selling authentic Manipuri dance costumes. These include Sanskriti Fancy Dresses, Kakufancydresses, and IndiaMart. These platforms offer a wide variety of costumes for both adults and children, catering to different styles and budgets.
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Famous Dancers of Manipuri Dance
Yumlembam Gambhini Devi
Yumlembam Gambhini Devi is a well-known Manipuri singer and dancer. She is the first female musician in the state to receive the 2008 Nat Sankirtan Music "Top" grade artist award from All India Radio, Imphal. In 2005, the Indian government bestowed upon her the Padma Shri award for her achievements in singing and dance. In 1988, she was conferred the Sangeet Natak Academy Award in recognition of her contributions to the field of Nat Sankirtan.
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Darshana Jhaveri
Among the four globally recognized Jhaveri Sisters, whose name has come to be associated with Manipuri dance, Padmashri Darshana Jhaveri is foremost. Under the capable tutelage of Guru Bipin Singh, who has developed her skill as a technically versatile and flawlessly proficient dancer, Darshana has devoted her life to preserving, perpetuating, and spreading the classicism of Manipuri dance. She has specialized in both drumming and the Tandav Lasya elements of Manipuri dancing.
Guru Bipin Singh
For a variety of reasons, Guru Bipin Singh, a Manipuri dance scholar, choreographer, and director, is recognized as the founder of the Manipuri dance style. Firstly, he showed an early aptitude for ordinal skill, i.e., selecting the relative importance to be given to each element, interval skill, i.e., deciding how much or how little he would attach depth and duration to each element, and naming the elements he could identify in the traditions of Lai Haraoba as well as Nata Sankirtan and the seven Raas Leelas that could be amalgamated in the emerging Manipuri form. Add to this his remarkable aptitude in combinatorial analysis, i.e., figuring out what combination would be most aesthetically pleasing and actually improve the newly emerging style and its holistic expression.
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Singh, a talented vocalist and the scion of a traditional doctor, was raised in a Bishnupriya Manipuri family. He studied singing and dancing as a child before concentrating on dance training under Guru Amudon Sharma with the King of Manipur's approval. When he founded the Govindji Nartanalaya, a dance school for women in Imphal, or when he moved to Kolkata in 1972 to found the Manipuri Nartanalaya, where he remained for the remainder of his life and produced a very large group of talented dancers, he never lost sight of his goal to increase awareness of the traditional dance form.
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