ABSTRACT
Manipur is a state in north-eastern India with its capital in the city of Imphal. It is bounded by Nagaland in north, Mizoram in the south and Assam in the west, it also borders Myanmar on the east with an area of 22,327 sq. kms. and has a population of almost 3 million including the Meitei, who are the majority group in the state. About 41.39 per cent of Manipur people are Hindus. Hinduism is professed mostly by Meitei people. The Meiteis, who live primarily in the valley region of the state are one of the primary ethnic groups. Their language Meiteillon (also known as Manipuri) is the lingua franca in the state and was recognized as one of India’s national languages in 1992. The people of early Manipur comprised a number of ethnic groups who had emigrated from different parts of Southeast Asian countries and China. It was their cultural affinity to the Southeast Asia people that their culture was quite distinct from the rest of India. The process if the formation of Meitei state under the Ningthouja dynasty coincided with the cultural and political absorption of various ethnic groups into the Meitei state. The numerous immigrants from many parts of India in successive periods gave an impetus to the Manipuri culture which was intermixed with Indian culture.
