Introduction

By: N Mangi Devi *

Manipur is situated on the North-Eastern corner of the Indian Union bordering Myanmar on the East and the South. The state of Manipur geographically, lies between 93.2°E and 94.47°E longitude and 23.50 N and 25.41°N latitude. The whole area of the State is 22, 327 Sq. Km. with a population of about 25 lakhs (in 2006).

The culture of a nation reflects its people and the society. Majority of the people of Manipur are the Meiteis who mainly inhabit the plains whereas the hill tribes dominate the hilly areas they are commonly known as Chingmis (hill men). It is believed that Meiteis and Chingmis are children of the same parents living on the top of Koubru Hill while the plain remained under water (say 8000 B.C.).

When one talks of Manipuri society it broadly means the Meiteis society. The society is neither a contract nor an organism. To preserve the long standing customs and traditions is the convention of Meiteis society. The hill and the plain tribes are not in the same footing socially or politically. There are Meitei Pangals, Lois (scheduled castes) and Chingmis (scheduled tribes).

The Meitei concept of creation theory is found in the ancient social history of the Meiteis. The forefathers of the Meiteis were born in Manipur and the seven yeks-salai originated from Kangleipak (Manipur) played prominent role in the formation of Meitei society. Atiya Guru Shidaba had come out of the earth through the cavity which was created by the breath of Vishnu as the Boar. Seven Lairembas and Lairembis gods and goddesses had also with the Guru-Shidaba.

Each of divine couples had a son. These seven sons became the ancestors of the seven salais or clans derived from the seven divine beings resembles the Hindu Puranic story of the seven celestial rishies or sages being the ancestors of the seven clans of Brahmans. According to another-Meitei version of the legend the seven salais were derived from different parts of the body of Gurushidaba like the Brahmana in the Hindu legend originated from the mouths of the purusha or the supreme spirit, Brahman the Kshetriya from his arms the Vaishya from his thigh or loin and the Sudra from his feet so the seven salais came out of the right and left eye, right and left ear right and left nostril, the teeth of Guru Shidaba.

As religion is the basis of the culture, the approximation of the old Meitei religion to the Hindu Brahmanical one began with the identification of the gods of the two religions. Song and dance as ritual was from ancient times a very beautiful expression of Meitei ritual. The old Meitei gods and goddess and their myths were identified with puranic deities and myths, and puranic and vaishnava ideologies were assimilated.

The cult of Manipuris both in the hill and the plain is the ancestor worship APOKPA NINGBA which is the foundation of all religions as pronounced by Herbert Spencer the author of "System of Synthetic Philosophy". The actual cults and myths of Meitei world are still carried on by the MAIBAS and MAIBIS (The priests & priestesses) reverently through the gestures of dancing in place of Mantras and Hymns as are in other regions of the country. Culture is the basis of all the festivals and ceremonies observed by a certain society of the people.

During the last part of the seventeenth & the first part of the eighteenth centuries Hindu Vaishnavism had been added to the ancestor worship APOKPA NINGBA of Manipuri Meiteis by the then king of Manipur, Pamheiba/Garibaniwaj and thus somehow or other synthethised the traditional cults with the incoming concepts of Hindu Vaishnavism. The festivals and the ceremonies are beautifully systematised and performed in a decorative manner to suit the taste of the modern society.

Yet APOKPA NINGBA ( Ancestor-worship) which is a variation from Vaishnaism is inevitably, invariably and reverently observed in the main ceremonies such as Birth, Marriage and Cremation. Manipuri Vaishnavism is blended and merged into Ancestor-Worship (APOKPA NINGBA) following due rites in leading ceremonies The pattern of the Meitei society has to be considered at the context of its social relationship with one another among the people themselves. The total equality between different sections of the people and metropolitan nature can be seen in the modern Manipuri society. While compared with other states of India the Meitei society can be considered classless and casteless.

However, due to more or less influence of the outsiders, there are such localised names, namely, Imphal Macha, Lawai Macha, Hao Macha, Loi Macha, Yaithibi Macha and Bamon Macha. All these names have both positive and negative concepts of the term. The positive concept of Imphal Macha is the man who is a resident of Imphal City and qualified as a gentleman, whereas its negative concept indicates the rude attitude of the man toward his fellowmen.

The positive concept of Lawai Macha is one who is sincere and honest villager, whereas the negative concept carries the meaning of most uncivilised person in the society. The positive concept of Hao Macha is one who is very faithful hillman of the society, whereas the negative concept of Hao Macha is hillman possessed by odd character. The positive concept of Loimacha is the man who is adorned with pure qualities of citizenship, whereas its negative concept carries the socially boycotted people.

The positive concept of Yaithibi Macha is the omen to the foreign invaders, whereas its negative concept discloses the outcasts of the society. The positive concept of Bamon Macha is the priestly class who look after the Radha-Krishna Temples and conduct the ceremonies of the Hindu Vaishnavites, whereas its negative concept shows the cook in the service of the society. There is no personal classification amongst themselves except the Bamon Macha.

Any Yaithibi, Loi, Hao or Lawai may become the socially high Imphal Macha if he or she resides in Imphal city and behaves properly acceptable to the social norms of the society. Historically, the Lois settled in the horizontal areas of Manipur valley, the Yaithibi settled in Haochongban, Samupal and Thoubal Khunou villages and the Haos settled in the vast hilly areas.

Most of them excluding the Haos have a peculiar Meitei language as their mother tongue but quite similar to Burmese language. Phayeng, Leimaram, Sugnu, Andro, Thanga, Sellou, Khurkhul and Kwatha are important Loi villages. However, in the real sense they do not carry ihe negative concept of Loi now-a-days since the negative mandate was issued by the time when the kings reigned.

There are such other classless goups called Khangabok, Ningthoukhong or Bislmupriya whose origins arc considered to be from the western India. They are assigned Meitei surname and recently are accustomed to the Meitei way of social life.

The main ceremonies related to human life are -BIRTH. MARRAGE & DEATH in Ihe Meitei Society and in between inter¬related ceremonies Chaomba (feeding the child) Nahutpa (shaving of birth hair) lugun Thangba (thread wearing), and Laiming Louba (initiation ceremony). These ceremonies are detailed in different headings with photographs and foot-notes on typical traditional practices that are still in vogue like "EEPAN THABA" " NAHUTPA", LU-HONGBA etc. here and there wherever suitable.

The book tries to give a picture of the social setting of the people of Manipur for general reading inside and outside the State. The book is written in common language based on common knowledge for light reading by the common people and thus it is not related to any-scholastic findings.