Cultural implications of Manipuri festivals in Tripura

Abstract

Festivals tell much about a community’s culture and traditions. Manipuris celebrate almost all the Hindu festivals, but they have localised each festival by adding local elements. This very act of localising Hindu festivals achieved two goals. One, they appealed to the locals. Two, Hinduism spread quickly in Manipur. Manipuris who migrated to Tripura also celebrate many festivals, but many of them are different from how they are celebrated in Manipur. In this paper, the researcher does not indulge in a comparative study of the festivals but rather lays out the important festivals celebrated in Tripura by the small yet significant Manipuri community and their cultural implications. Furthermore, there is a growing sense of revivalism among the Manipuris in Tripura in terms of their cultural identity, which can be interpreted as an import from their diasporic centre. Towards the end of the paper, the researcher touches upon the issue of diaspora very imperceptibly because the issue of whether or not the Manipuris in Tripura should be regarded as diasporic people remains inconclusive.