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 An illustration of the Manipuri Raas Leela dance, being depicted in a stamp from Armenia | |
| Native name | Meitei: Jagoi Raas, Raas Jagoi[1][2][3] |
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| Inventor | Rajarshi Bhagyachandra (Meitei: Ching-Thang Khomba)[4][5][6] |
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| Part of a series on |
| Hinduism |
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Manipuri dance, sometimes also referred to as the Manipuri Raas Leela (Meitei: Jagoi Raas/Raas Jagoi[1][2][3]), is a jagoi and is one of the major Indian classical dance forms, originating from the state of Manipur.[7][8] It is one of the Meitei intangible cultural heritage.[9] The "Manipuri dance" is a confluence of four ritualistic traditions – Lai Haraoba, Huyen Langlon, Meitei Nata Sankirtana and Raaslila.[10] Owing to the Meitei civilization,[11] the classical dance form, first formally developed by Meitei Hindu king Ching Thang Khomba (Meitei for 'Rajarshi Bhagyachandra') of the Kingdom of Manipur,[4][5][6] is considered to be the highest spiritual expression of the worship of Hindu deity Krishna.[12] Owing to its huge influences on the diverse cultural heritages across the Indian subcontinent, it is recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi of the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India as one of the few primary classical dance forms of the Republic of India,[9] and is honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Manipuri annually.[13] It is referred to as the "national dance" during the Armenia-India joint issue of postage stamps, as a part of the Armenia-India international relations.[14][15][16]
It is imbued with the devotional themes of Madhura Raas of Radha-Krishna and characterised by gentle eyes and soft peaceful body movements. The facial expressions are peaceful mostly expressing Bhakti Rasa or the emotion of devotion, no matter if a dancer is Hindu or not. The dance form is based on Hindu scriptures of Vaishnavism and is exclusively attached to the worship of Radha and Krishna. It is a portrayal of the dance of divine love of Krishna with goddess Radha and the cowherd damsels of Vrindavan, famously known as the Raas Leela.[17][18][19]
Kapila Vatsyayan said ‘Manipuri may be described as a dance form which is at once the oldest and the youngest among the classical dances’ signifying the ever changing structures of Manipuri dance.[20]
The roots of the Manipuri Raas Leela dance, as with all classical Indian dances, is the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text Natya Shastra, with influences and the cultural fusion of the traditional Meitei art forms.[21] At a time when other Indian classical dances were struggling to shake off the stigma of decadent crudity and disrepute, the Manipuri classical dance was a top favorite with girls of 'respectable' families. This Manipuri dance drama is, for most part is entirely religious and is considered to be a purely spiritual experience.[22][23] It is accompanied with devotional music created with many instruments, with the beat set by cymbals (kartal or manjira) and double-headed drum (pung or Manipuri mrdanga) of sankirtan.[24] The dance drama choreography shares the plays and stories of Vaishnavite Padavalis, that also inspired the major Gaudiya Vaishnavism-related performing arts found in Assam and Bengal.[17]
- ^ a b Banerjee, Utpal Kumar (2006). Indian Performing Arts: A Mosaic. Harman Publishing House. ISBN 978-81-86622-75-9.
- ^ a b Sruti. P.N. Sundaresan. 2006.
- ^ a b Derek, O' Brien (2006). Knowledge Trek 7, 2/E. Pearson Education India. ISBN 978-81-7758-055-6.
- ^ a b Meitei, Sanjenbam Yaiphaba; Chaudhuri, Sarit K.; Arunkumar, M. C. (25 November 2020). The Cultural Heritage of Manipur. Routledge. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-000-29629-7.
- ^ a b Kulasrestha, Mahendra (2006). Culture India. Lotus Press. p. 257. ISBN 978-81-8382-013-4.
- ^ a b Balasubramanian, G. A beautiful life: Value education & life skills. Pearson Education India. p. 30. ISBN 978-81-317-6644-6.
- ^ "6 Classical Dances of India | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Williams 2004, pp. 83–84, the other major classical Indian dances are: Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Cchau, Satriya, Yaksagana and Bhagavata Mela.
- ^ a b "Dance | Ministry of Culture, Government of India". www.indiaculture.gov.in. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Kathy (2 June 2020). "Hasta in Manipuri - Part 1 - Wednesday Wisdom". Akademi. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
The classical dance of Manipuri was born out of rituals that are danced by the Meitei community residing in Manipur, India. The style of Manipuri that we see on stage is a confluence of traditions that are associated with four rituals. These rituals are observed as devotional service, or rites of passage, or propitiation rites, or all. Dance is derived from each of these rituals – Lai Haraoba, Huyen Langlon, Nata Sankirtana and Raaslila. These dances are considered as genres of Manipuri dance, alongside being integral part of Meitei social fabric. However, the classical Manipuri tradition is often associated with only the Raaslila tradition (which is debated by different institutions).
- ^ "Dance | Ministry of Culture, Government of India". www.indiaculture.gov.in. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Sarwal, Amit (15 May 2022). The Celestial Dancers: Manipuri Dance on Australian Stage. Routledge. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-000-62550-9.
- ^ "Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar (Akademi Awards)". Sangeet Natak Akademi, Ministry of Culture, Government of India. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ "Two new postage stamps celebrate Armenian, Indian national dances". panarmenian.net. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ "Two new postage stamps dedicated to "Armenia-India joint issue. National dances" theme".
- ^ "Two new postage stamps celebrate Armenian, Indian national dances". www.newsinfo.am. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ a b James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 420–421. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.
- ^ Reginald Massey 2004, p. 177.
- ^ Ragini Devi 1990, pp. 175–180.
- ^ Kathy (10 June 2020). "Hasta in Manipuri - Part 2 - Wednesday Wisdom". Akademi. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ Saryu Doshi 1989, pp. xv–xviii.
- ^ Farley P. Richmond, Darius L. Swann & Phillip B. Zarrilli 1993, pp. 174–175.
- ^ Ragini Devi 1990, p. 176.
- ^ Saryu Doshi 1989, pp. 78–84.
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