 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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Manipuri dance, 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 greatest cultural achievements of the traditional Vaishnavism adhering Meitei people of Manipur.[9] Owing to the Meitei civilization,[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13][14][15]
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.[16][17][18]
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 culture fusion between various local folk dance forms.[19] With evidence of Vishnu temples in the medieval era, this dance form has been passed down verbally from generation to generation as an oral tradition.[20][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 Vaishnava-related performance arts found in Assam and West Bengal.[16]
Though the term Manipuri Dance is associated with the Raas Leela, Manipuri dance consists of jagoi, cholom and huyen langlon.[25][26][27]
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Saryu Doshi 1989, pp. xv–xviii.
- ^ Saryu Doshi 1989, pp. ix–xii, 5–6.
- ^ Reginald Massey 2004, p. 179.
- ^ Farley P. Richmond, Darius L. Swann & Phillip B. Zarrilli 1993, pp. 174–175.
- ^ Ragini Devi 1990, p. 176.
- ^ Saryu Doshi 1989, pp. 78–84.
- ^ Chowdhurie, Tapati (2 January 2014). "Gem of a journey". The Hindu.
- ^ https://www.esamskriti.com/essays/pdf/14-dec-manipuri-dance-a-journey.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Manipuri dance elbowed out by Bharat Natyam, Odissi, Kathak".