Classical dance of India
Manipuri dance, also referred to as the Manipuri Raas Leela (), is a jagoi and is one of the major Indian classical dance forms, originating from the state of Manipur. It is one of the greatest cultural achievements of the traditional Vaishnavism adhering Meitei people of Manipur. Owing to the Meitei civilization, the classical dance form, first formally developed by Meitei Hindu king of the Kingdom of Manipur, is considered to be the highest spiritual expression of the worship of Hindu deity Krishna. 
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, and is honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Manipuri annually.
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.
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.
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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Though the term " Manipuri Dance" is associated with the "Raas Leela", Manipuri dance consists of "jagoi", "cholom" and "huyen langlon".
History.
The first reliably dated written texts describing the art of Manipuri dance are from the early 18th-century.
Medieval period.
Historical texts of Manipur have not survived into the modern era, and reliable records trace to early 18th century. Theories about the antiquity of Manipuri Raas Leela dance rely on the oral tradition, archaeological discoveries and references about Manipur in Asian manuscripts whose date can be better established.
The Meitei language text "Bamon Khunthok", which literally means "Brahmin migration", states that Vaishnavism practices were adopted by the king of Manipur in the 15th century CE, arriving from Shan Kingdom of Pong. Further waves of Buddhists and Hindus arrived from Assam and Bengal, after mid 16th-century during Hindu-Muslim wars of Bengal Sultanate, and were welcomed in Manipur. In 1704, the Meitei King Pitambar Charairongba () adopted Vaishnavism, and declared it to be the state religion. In 1717, the Meitei King Gareeb Niwaz () converted to Chaitanya style devotional Vaishnavism, which emphasized singing, dancing and religious performance arts centered around Hindu god Krishna. In 1734, devotional dance drama centered around Hindu god Rama expanded Manipuri dance tradition.
Meitei King Rajarshi Bhagyachandra () (r. 1759–1798 CE) of Manipur State adopted Gaudiya Vaishnavism (Krishna oriented), documented and codified the Manipuri dance style, launching the golden era of its development and refinement. He composed three of the five types of Raas Leelas, the "Maha Raas", the "Basanta Raas" and the "Kunja Raas", performed at the Sri Sri Govindaji temple in Imphal during his reign and also the "Achouba Bhangi Pareng" dance. He designed an elaborate costume known as "Kumil" (the cylindrical long mini-mirror-embellished stiff skirt costume, that makes the dancer appear to be floating). The "Govinda Sangeet Lila Vilasa", an important text detailing the fundamentals of the dance, is also attributed to him. Rajarshi Bhagyachandra is also credited with starting public performances of Raas Leela and Manipuri dances in Hindu temples.
Meitei King Gambhir Singh () (r. 1825–1834 CE) composed two of the tandava type, the "Goshtha Bhangi Pareng" and the "Goshtha Vrindaban Pareng". King Chandrakirti Singh (r. 1849–1886 CE), a gifted drummer, composed at least 64 Pung choloms (drum dances) and two of the "Lasya" type, the "Vrindaban Bhangi Pareng" and "Khrumba Bhangi Pareng". The composition of the "Nitya Raas" is also attributed to these kings.
British ruling period.
In 1891, the British colonial government annexed Manipur into its Empire, marking an end to its golden era of creative systematization and expansion of Manipuri dance. The "Manipuri Raas Leela" dance was thereafter ridiculed as immoral, ignorant and old-fashioned, like all other classical Hindu performance arts. The dance and artists survived only in temples, such as in Imphal's Shree Govindajee Temple. The cultural discrimination was resisted and the dance revived by Indian independence movement activists and scholars.
Modern era.
The classical "Manipuri Raas Leela dance" genre got a second life through the efforts of the Noble Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. In 1919, he was impressed after seeing a dance composition of "Goshtha Lila" in Sylhet (in present-day Bangladesh). He invited Guru Budhimantra Singh who had trained in "Manipuri Raas Leela dance", as faculty to the Indian culture and studies center named Shantiniketan. In 1926, Guru Naba Kumar joined the faculty to teach the "Raas Leela". Other celebrated Gurus, Senarik Singh Rajkumar, Nileshwar Mukherji and Atomba Singh were also invited to teach there and assisted Tagore with the choreography of several of his dance-dramas.
Status and significance.
In Hindu world.
The Manipuri classical dance form, which is a masterpiece of Meitei Hindu king of the historical Kingdom of Manipur, is regarded as the highest spiritual expression of the worship of Hindu deity Krishna.
In India.
Native to the Meitei civilization of Manipur, India, having significant cultural influences on the different civilizations across the Indian subcontinent, the Manipuri classical dance 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. At the same time, it is annually honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Manipuri.
In Bangladesh.
According to Banglapedia, the national encyclopedia of Bangladesh, the importance of Manipuri classical dance in Meitei civilization is described as follows:
 ;templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" / ;"“Dance and music play a vital role in the life span of Manipuri people. The most flourishing branch of Manipuri culture is dance. The Manipuri synonym of dance is jagoi and in this dance, body movements create either circle or ellipse. Rasa dance is the finest product of Manipuri culture. Maharaj Bhagyachandra innovated it and it was first performed in Manipur in 1779 in the fullmoon of Kartik.”"
Repertoire.
"Chali" or "Chari" is the basic dance movement in Manipuri "Raas" dances. The repertoire and underlying play depends on the season. The dances are celebrated on full moon nights, three times in autumn (August through November) and once again in spring (March or April). The "Basanta Raas" is timed with the Hindu festival of colors called Holi, while others are timed with post-harvest festivals of Diwali and others. The plays and songs recited during the dance performance center around the love and frolics between Radha and Krishna, in the presence of "Gopis" named Lalita, Vishakha, Chitra, Champaklata, Tungavidya, Indurekha, Rangadevi and Sudevi. There is a composition and dance sequence for each Gopi, and the words have two layers of meanings, one literal and other spiritual. The longest piece of the play focusses on Radha and Krishna. The dancer playing Krishna expresses emotions, while the body language and hand gestures of the Gopi display their feelings such as longing, dejection or cheer.
The rhythmic depiction form of "abhinaya"[acting] is to show the "ashtanayika" [eight shades of a heroine] in every "nayika", which are colored by the scenes of the season in which the "abhisarika" expresses her love for Krishna; so that a "kuaasha abhisarika" who dances in the foggy winter is very different to the "varsha abhisarika" who faces the thunderous downpouring rain.
In other plays, the Manipuri dancers are more forceful, acrobatic and their costumes adjust to the need of the dance. Dozens of boys synchronously dance the "Gopa Ras", where they enact the chores of daily life such as feeding the cows. In "Uddhata Akanba", states Ragini Devi, the dance is full of vigor (jumps, squats, spins), energy and elegance.
Costumes.
The classical Manipuri dance features unique costumes. The women characters are dressed, in doll-like "Potloi" costumes. The brilliant design of the Potloi was conceived in a dream by Vaishnavite Meitei King Rajarshi Bhagyachandra, in which he saw his daughter dancing in a Potloi. The Potloi costumes for women are tailored such that it is avoids arousal of any unhealthy stimulus in the audience.
Female garments.
"Kumin" is an elaborately decorated barrel shaped long skirt stiffened at the bottom and close to the top. The decorations on the barrel include gold and silver embroidery, small pieces of mirrors, and border prints of lotus, Kwaklei orchid, and other items in nature.
The dancers do not wear bells on ankles but do wear anklets and foot ornaments. Manipuri dance artists wear "kolu" necklaces on the neck and adorn the face, back, waist, hands and legs with round jewellery ornaments or flower garlands that flow with the dress symmetry. The face is decorated with the sacred Gaudiya Vaishnava Tilak on the forehead and Gopi dots made of sandalwood above the eyebrows. The symmetrical translucent dress, states Reginald Massey, makes "the dancers appear to float on the stage, as if from another world".
"Koknam" (gauze oveerhead, embossed with silver zari), "Koktombi" (cap covering the head) and "Meikhumbi" (a transparent thin veil) thrown over the head to symbolically mark elusiveness.
Male garments.
Men wear "Leittreng (Kajenglei)" (golden headdress around the head) and "Chura" (made of peacock feathers, wired on top of the head).
The male characters dress in a "dhoti" (also called "" or "dhora") – a brilliantly colored broadcloth pleated, wrapped and tied at waist and allowing complete freedom of movement for the legs. Dancers wear a bright yellow-orange dhoti while playing Krishna and a green/blue dhoti while playing Balaram. A crown decorated with peacock feather adorns the dancer's head, who portrays Krishna.
The "Pung Cholom" dancers wear white dhoti that covers the lower part of body from waist and a snow-white turban on the head. A shawl neatly folded adorns their left shoulders while the drum strap falls on their right shoulders.
The costume tradition of the Manipuri dance celebrates its more ancient artistic local traditions, fused with the spiritual themes of "prema" bhava of Radha-Krishna found in the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana.
The "Huyen langlon" dancers, however, typically wear costumes of Manipuri warriors. The costume varies depending on their gender.
Music and instruments.
The musical accompaniment for Manipuri dance comes from a percussion instrument called the Pung (a barrel drum), a singer, small "" (cymbals), "sembong", harmonium, and wind instrument such as a flute.
The drummers are male artistes and, after learning to play the pung, students train to dance with it while drumming. This dance is celebrated, states Massey, with the dancer wearing white turbans, white "dhotis" (for Hindu dummers) or "kurtas" (for Muslim dummers), a folded shawl over the left shoulder, and the drum strap worn over the right shoulder. It is known as Pung cholom, and the dancer plays the drum and performs the dance jumps and other movements.
Another dance called "Kartal cholom", is similar to "Pung cholom", but the dancers carry and dance to the rhythm created with cymbals. This is a group dance, where dancers form a circle, move in the same direction while making music and dancing to the rhythm. Women dance too as groups, such as in the Manipuri dance called "Mandilla cholom", and these usually go with devotional songs and playing colorful tassels-string tied cymbals where one side