Manipuri is unique amongst the classical dances of India in the fact that it is comparatively less rigid than the other forms and its movements appear free and spontaneous. It has a unique easy and fluid style
Manipuri developed in what is today the state of Manipur. It is located on the north eastern portion of the country in a mountainous region of tremendous natural beauty. The area was inhabited by a number of different tribes, which can be broadly categorized into the hill people or the valley people. Manipuri developed amongst the valley people who were known as Meities. They trace their origins to Vedic times and as a result religious rituals were an important part of their society. These eventually manifested themselves into dances that demonstrated a devotion to God. The Meities practiced a number of ritual dances that dealt with a different aspect of worship. For instance there was a dance form which was practiced by priests, who clad in spotless white would demonstrate in a series of disciplined movements their devotion to In the seventeenth Century these dances of Manipur would interact with the Vaishnavite (worshippers of Lord Vishnu) sect of Hinduism and develop many of the characteristics seen today. Manipuri acquired its present form and repertoire during the eighteenth Century. Legend has it that a king known as Bhagyachandra had a dream in which he visualized Lord Krishna and the gopis performing the dance. The movements and costumes visualized by the king in his dream forms what is today known as Manipuri. Recent evidence suggests that there may have been some truth in the legend for manuscripts and manuals of the dance that were written by the king have been found. The king wrote a dance manual known as the Govinda Sangita Lila Vilas and it lays down the basic framework of the dance. It essentially followed the Natyasastra but had some distinct differences. Manipuri is known as the youngest and oldest classical dance of India because although its origins are ancient, it acquired its present form relatively recently. It can perhaps be described as a combination of ideas set forth in the Natyasastra and an older book known as the Srimad Bhagvata . Unlike most of the other classical dances it does not pay much attention to facial movements and instead lays a greater emphasis on knee and hand positions.
Manipuri is unique amongst the classical dances of India in the fact that it is comparatively less rigid than the other forms and its movements appear free and spontaneous. It has a unique easy and fluid style
Manipuri developed in what is today the state of Manipur. It is located on the north eastern portion of the country in a mountainous region of tremendous natural beauty. The area was inhabited by a number of different tribes, which can be broadly categorized into the hill people or the valley people. Manipuri developed amongst the valley people who were known as Meities. They trace their origins to Vedic times and as a result religious rituals were an important part of their society. These eventually manifested themselves into dances that demonstrated a devotion to God. The Meities practiced a number of ritual dances that dealt with a different aspect of worship. For instance there was a dance form which was practiced by priests, who clad in spotless white would demonstrate in a series of disciplined movements their devotion to God. There was another form in which two couples would execute a series of abstract serpentine movements to demonstrate their devotion to a God whose form they could not visualize.
In the seventeenth Century these dances of Manipur would interact with the Vaishnavite (worshippers of Lord Vishnu) sect of Hinduism and develop many of the characteristics seen today. Manipuri acquired its present form and repertoire during the eighteenth Century. Legend has it that a king known as Bhagyachandra had a dream in which he visualized Lord Krishna and the gopis performing the dance. The movements and costumes visualized by the king in his dream forms what is today known as Manipuri. Recent evidence suggests that there may have been some truth in the legend for manuscripts and manuals of the dance that were written by the king have been found. The king wrote a dance manual known as the Govinda Sangita Lila Vilas and it lays down the basic framework of the dance. It essentially followed the Natyasastra but had some distinct differences. Manipuri is known as the youngest and oldest classical dance of India because although its origins are ancient, it acquired its present form relatively recently. It can perhaps be described as a combination of ideas set forth in the Natyasastra and an older book known as the Srimad Bhagvata . Unlike most of the other classical dances it does not pay much attention to facial movements and instead lays a greater emphasis on knee and hand positions.
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