Manipuri: The Bishnupriyas and Meiteis of Manipur
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[edit] The origin of Manipuris
There is not much solid historical evidence available on the origin of the people of Manipur. There are various different opinions regarding their origin. Some believe that Manipuris are descended from Indo-Chinese stock with some mixture of Aryan blood. Some scholars believe that the Manipuris are the Indo-Aryan Kshatriyas as mentioned in the Mahabharatha. Another school of thought considers Manipuris the descendants of Kiratas.[citation needed]
[edit] The concept of "Manipur" and "Manipuri"
The inhabitants of Manipur have identified themselves as "Manipuris" for many centuries. Manipur was formerly divided into small territories occupied by different clans, such as the Khumals, the Moirangs, the Angoms, the Luwangs, and the Ningthoujas. The territories were named after the clans. Some of the clans are from Aryan branches and some are from kuki-chin branches.
These different clans of Aryan and Mongoloid people lived side-by-side in Manipur for centuries. Over the course of time, the Meiteis (the Ningtauja clan) occupied all the territories towards 15th century AD and established a sovereign kingdom known as ‘Meitei Leibak’ (the land of Meiteis). The land was given the name 'Manipur' towards eighteenth century, when religious development of India reached Manipur. But the Bishnupriyas were living in the Valley of Manipur from centuries before the period. There are many historical accounts and works of both Indian European scholars bears the testimony. Therefore, the term ‘Manipur’ and ‘Manipuris’ have been in use by both the Meiteis and the Bishnupriyas commonly with equal right to them; and practically, people of both these clans used these two terms ‘Manipur’ and ‘Manipuris’ without any reservation to identify their land and themselves respectively.[citation needed]
