Manipuri Textile from Bangladesh and Myanmar
- Art of Textile -
- Part 7 -
By: Mutua Bahadur *
Treasure
During the period of Chingthangkhomba Maharaja of Manipur, in 1715, one big bell made of bronze and weighing around 200 kg was brought from Manipur and it was dedicated to Mahaprabhu temple of Dhaka Dhakhin. The bell was used for evening prayers.
In 1878, there was another big bronze bell brought from Manipur and put up at Mahaprabhu temple of Sylhet and it was offered by Chandrakriti Maharaja of Manipur. The bell is inscribed with Bengali / Assamese script in Manipuri language - "This bell is dedicated to Lord Mahaprabhu by Shri Panchajukta Manipureshwara Chandrakirti Singh, in the sake year 1800, in the month of Jeisthat".
The whereabouts of the first bell is not known but it is believed that the it is somewhere in Dhaka Dakhin. The latter one remains unused as it has got cracked lines and is now in the custody of Gurumayum of Manipuri Rajbari, Sylhet district.
Those two swords used by Marjit Maharaja are in the custody of Rajkumar Kirtijit of Konung leikai, Bhanugasch. Not only the two swords but the shirt and dhoti used by the Maharaja are in a bad condition. Besides, there was a belief that the turban (koyet) worn by
Chingthangkhomba Maharaja (1759-62,1763-1793) of Manipur was in one of the villages of Mouluvibazar district till 1981. The walking stick used by Yubaraj Tikendrajit of Manipur is believed to be in one place of Sylhet district. It is believed that there might be more treasures. There is more room for further investigation.
The Antiquities Act 1976 of Bangladesh Protects and preserves tombs, buildings, temples and those antiques which are more than 100 Years. Unfortunately, no work for protection and reservation of these remains and treasures has been taken up within the purview of this act till date.
Language and script
Bangladeshi Manipuris speak Manipuri language (Meiteilon) in their family and locality, But when they come out and interact with other communities, they speak Bangla. They have Bangla script in their writings, books, magazines and newspapers but they use Manipuri language. Sometimes they use both Bangla and Manipuri language in some magazines.
Since 1996 onwards, a Manipuri radio programme was started in Bangladesh on a weekly basis. Dipannita, a Manipuri magazine, use Meitei mayek (Manipuri script) on top of the magazine just above the Bangla title since 1975. Most of the Bangladeshi Manipuris have learnt Meitei mayek of 27 alphabets approved by Manipur government.
See a gallery photo of this Textile here.
To be continued ....
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* Mutua Bahadur contributes to e-pao.net regularly. This article was webcasted on October 20, 2010.
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