“The Living Heritage of Manipur: History of the Manipuri Language”

Manipuri—also called Meitei or Meiteilon—sits at the heart of Manipur’s identity. It’s not just the main language; it’s woven into daily life, tradition, and even the way people see themselves. Its roots go deep, tying straight back to the early Meitei civilization in the Imphal Valley. This language has been around for centuries, picking up influences from religion, politics, neighboring cultures, and, honestly, whatever else history threw its way.

The story of Manipuri starts with the Meitei people. They built a pretty organized society in the Imphal Valley, complete with their own political systems, religious beliefs, and traditions. From the start, they wrote Manipuri in the Meitei Mayek script—a writing system that fits the language like a glove. You’ll find ancient texts in this script: religious manuscripts, laws, poems, folklore, and, maybe most famously, the Cheitharol Kumbaba. That’s the royal chronicle, a record that tracks Manipur’s kings and their world for centuries.

Things changed in the 18th century, big time. When King Pamheiba (Garib Niwaz) embraced Vaishnavism, the region opened up to new influences from Bengal. The Bengali script started taking over from Meitei Mayek, and that shift lasted more than a hundred years. Along with the script came a flood of new words from Sanskrit and Bengali, and Manipuri’s vocabulary stretched to fit this new world shaped by Hindu culture and literature.

Even with all these changes, Manipuri held onto its own flavor—its grammar, sounds, and sentence patterns stayed distinct from languages nearby. It remained the voice of Meitei poetry, drama, stories, and religious texts. Those beautiful Ras Leela dance performances, the old songs, the epic tales—they all kept flowing in Manipuri, passed down from one generation to the next.

Now, things have come full circle. There’s a real push to revive the Meitei Mayek script. Schools teach it, cultural groups promote it, and the government’s on board. Using the original script isn’t just about language—it’s about pride, history, and keeping a community’s identity alive. These days, Manipuri is officially one of India’s 22 scheduled languages. People speak it all over Manipur, and you’ll hear it in places like Assam, Tripura, and Myanmar too.

So, Manipuri is more than just words people use to talk to each other. It’s a living thread running through Manipur’s past and present—a symbol of how the Meitei people have held onto their roots, adapted, and kept their culture alive. From the first lines scratched in Meitei Mayek to today’s revival, the language has survived and thrived, connecting generations and reminding everyone where they came from.