National List for Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)
Traditional Craftsmanship
Music of Pena
Pena (musical instrument) is single stringed. It has two parts. One part is a bamboo pole attached to a coconut shell. The other part is the pena cheijing (Meitei for 'chorr'). It acts as a bow used to give friction on the string. A Pena Asheiba/Pena Khongba (Meitei for 'pena player') sings songs while playing the musical instrument. Pena is an inseparable part of Meitei civilization. It is used in ritualistic functions like Lai Haraoba, Lai Ikouba, etc.[14]
Applique art
In Meitei culture, through the art of applique, decorative effects are achieved by superposing patches of coloured fabrics on a basic fabric, with the stitching of the edges of the patches. This unique art from is distinctively different from the modern day patchwork, in which small pieces of cut clothes are connected side by side, so as to make a bigger form of cloth, or for renovating a ragged cloth. In fact, it is the application of smaller ornaments or devices into bigger articles. It can be particularly seen in costumes of Meitei classical dance forms such as Khamba Thoibi classical dance, Maibi Jagoi (Meitei for 'Priestesses' dance'), etc.[15]
Performing arts
Thok Leela
Thok Leela is a traditional Meitei satire, wit and comedy theatre of Manipur. It mocks the social conditions, the royal courtiers and the rulers. The talented actors with their repartee produce mocking, humorous, ironical, exaggerated, comic and rollicking effects. It has no written theatrical texts. It depends on the self generated exercise of the artist's skills, humour and intellect, focusing on the theme for the storyline. The Meitei language word "thok" means 'at random'. Thus, "Thok Leela" means a randomly performed satirical comedy play, with no written scripts and no directors. The only support of the actors is the advice of the elders and the teachers. It is a union of "the critical and the humourist". It produces a big humorous temperament. Its common character includes pastiche. It aims whatever is ridiculous or unseemly.[16]
“... Woven within the framework of sacrosanct rituals and ceremonies the art consists of narrative singing and dancing. Always performed in a Mandala (circular area) inside a Mandapa (hall) attached to a temple or erected in a courtyard. The rituals and formalities are strict and even the audience are seated according to set rules. It employs musical instruments like drums and cymbals. The artistes play these instruments and dance at the same time. An artiste spends a life-time specializing only in one aspect.”
The Chapka Phayeng people of Manipur are a part of the Meitei people itself.[19] But they have a unique culture of burying the death. Shikaplon is a tradition of “requiem and a funeral march”, along with Khousaba (Meitei for 'martial movement'). According to their beliefs, in the afterlife, people go to the Khamnung Sawa (Meitei for 'netherworld') to unite with their ancestors. Among the mourning people during the time of burial, one of them should sing the Shikaplon, which gives instructions to the journey of the dead person to the underworld. The pena (musical instrument) should be played by the singer while singing the Shikaplon.[20]
Another funeral tradition is the accompanying of a very rare martial art form known as Yenpha Khousa. Yenpha Khousa is a form of Ta Khousaba. It is performed by young, close relative of the departed. It is performed with spear and shield.[21]
National Inventory of ICH
The National Inventory of the intangible cultural heritage of India includes some Meitei intangible cultural heritage too, which are Lai Haraoba, folklore of Moirang, Meitei Sankirtana, Shikalpan and Khousaba (ritual ceremony of the dead people of Phayeng caste), and the making of Pena (musical instrument).[22]
^The ritualistic and theatrical dances of the Lai Haraoba, in general and one of its primary forms, the Khamba Thoibi Jagoi (Meitei for 'Khamba Thoibi dance') in particular, are also considered to be classical dances.[2]
^ abcManipuri dance form, along with the Armenian Hov Arek, are referred to as the "National Dances" (of India and Armenia respectively) during the Armenia-India joint issue of postage stamps.[5][6][7]
^It is the highest spiritual expression of the worship of Hindu deity Krishna,[8] as well as a cultural heritage of the Meitei civilization.[9]
^—Pathway Volume 41. Vol. 41. University of Michigan; Marg Foundation (Mumbai, India), Modern Architectural Research Group, Modern Artists and Architects Research Group, National Centre for the Performing Arts (India). 1988. pp. XV. First and foremost are the surviving ritual dances which have been absorbed into the repertoire. The Lai-haraoba and the Khamba Thoibi may be counted amongst these. Their historical and mythical theme makes them as classical as any of the later Vaishnavite dances.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) —Doshi, Saryu (1989). Dances of Manipur: The Classical Tradition. University of Michigan. Marg Publications. pp. XIX. ISBN978-81-85026-09-1. First and foremost are the surviving ritual dances which have been absorbed into the repertoire. The Lai-haraoba and the Khamba Thoibi may be counted amongst these. Their historical and mythical theme makes them as classical as any of the later Vaishnavite dances. They have an element of abhinaya (histrionic representation)... —DM Silveira's India Book. University of Michigan. Classic Publishers. 1994. p. 230. ISBN978-81-900218-2-1. ...Lai Haraoba is the ritual folk-cum-classical dance of Manipur and tells the story of creation according to the Manipuris. Khamba Thoibi is a popular Manipuri dance which tells the story of princess Thoibi and poor boy Khamba...{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) —Mãrg. Vol. 41. Pennsylvania State University; National Centre for the Performing Arts (India). p. 109. First and foremost are the surviving ritual dances which have been absorbed into the repertoire. The Lai-haraoba and the Khamba Thoibi may be counted amongst these. Their historical and mythical theme makes them as classical as any of the later Vaishnavite dances. They have an element of abhinaya histrionic representation)...{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) —Khuraijam, Bobo (2011-03-13). "Three Cheers – KanglaOnline". ... Would it not be like asking for a Hip-Hop dance from a classical Khamba-Thoibi jagoi performance if we expect street aggression from our teachers? ...
^"Seventeen States and Six Central Ministries to showcase their tableaux in Republic Day Parade – 2017". pib.gov.in. Press Information Bureau (PIB), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India). Lai Haraoba is one of the oldest ritualistic theatres of the world jealously preserved by the Meitei community of Manipur with utmost awe and sanctity. The entire community participates in it with complete devotion. Lai Haraoba, translated as 'Happiness of the Gods' is celebrated to worship local deities to bring prosperity and well-being of the land and its inhabitants. These divinities are referred to as Umag Lais or Sylvan Gods as their abodes are located in a wooded area. The sacred ceremonies are conducted by Maibis or priestesses who are adept in dance and sacred rituals. The common people also dance as an act of worship to the accompaniment of the traditional stringed instruments (pena) and drums (langdeng pung). The Manipur tableau is an effort to recreate the ambience of this quaint and rich cultural tradition with a replica of the deities, elaborate traditional paraphernalia and live dancing by the devotees as well as a Maibi (priestess) performing the sacred dance to awaken the God from his slumber.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^"A unique manuscript tradition records the civilisation of the Meiteis of Manipur". The Hindu. 2021-06-26. ISSN0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-12-23. The myths in the puya might be relatively unknown as written stories, but their oral counterparts are likely to be more familiar, since Manipuri civilisation — with its cultural high notes as embodied in nat sankirtan music, declared part of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage, or Manipuri dance, one of the classical dances of India — is predominantly performative. But manuscripts constitute the core of the patrimony of the essentially non-material civilisation of the Meiteis, who established the feudal kingdom of Manipur.
^"An Archaeological Study on the Chakpa Phayeng Haraoba"(PDF). www.ijcrt.org. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CREATIVE RESEARCH THOUGHTS (IJCRT). ... The Chakpa people belong to the major ethnic group the Meitei of Manipur. ... The Chakpa villages of Manipur are Phayeng, Andro, Koutruk, Sekmai, Khurkhul, Tairenpokpi and Chairen....
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