Manipuri Classical Dance, Manipur
The Manipuri Dance form is one of the top ten major classical traditional dances of the Indian culture. As the name suggests the Manipur dance form is developed in the north eastern provinces of India like Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam and the main epicentre being the verdant Indian state of Manipur. The neighbouring country of India, Myanmar also has a deep root of Manipuri dance.
The Manipuri Dance is mainly developed keeping in mind the Rasleela chapter of the life of Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of the supreme god, Lord Vishnu. Safe to say this dance form is the way of life and way of prayer for the Vaishnavism sect of Hinduism. The Rasleela chapter or the love affair chapter between Radha & Krishna aside, the dance is also a way to appease and worship the religious sects of Hinduism like Shaivism & Shaktism.
Apart from these the local Meitei people of Manipur also perform this dance for local deity during Lai Harabo festival. The earliest instances of the mention of Manipuri Dance are found in the Sanskrit scriptures of Natya Shastra by Bharat Muni. However, the promotion of the modernised Manipuri dance started during the 18th century CE.
The dance is done very aesthetically and the attire of the dance is the main attraction of the dance. The women wear a specially woven dress that looks like a hurricane lamp at the base. The men usually dress in Krishna costume. The dance play recites and showcases the stories of Ramayan, Mahabharat, Vaishnav Padavali and so on in their performance.
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Questions & Answers
Pooja Kalal
12 October 2019Where and how can I get Manipuri Krishna dance dress and ornaments?
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Being as one of the top 10 classical dance forms in India, Manipuri dance is known by many .