IndianTimeline

Khurumjari!

Manipur

Manipur is a hill-and-valley state in India's far north-east — its name means "land of jewels." About 28.6 lakh people live here: the Meitei mostly in the central Imphal valley, and the Naga and Kuki-Zo tribes largely in the surrounding hills. It is the birthplace of modern polo, home of the rare Sangai deer, and the source of one of India's classical dances.

Capital Imphal · A state since 21 January 1972

  • "Land of jewels" — a green valley ringed by hills
  • Birthplace of modern polo (Sagol Kangjei)
  • The Sangai — the rare "dancing deer"
  • Loktak — the north-east's largest freshwater lake
  • Manipuri — one of India's classical dances
  • A cradle of Indian sport — Mary Kom, Mirabai Chanu
Tap a district to highlight it

Illustrative district boundaries (derived from open data) — a reference, not an official survey map.

The Basics

Manipur at a Glance

Manipur is a small state of valley and hills in India's far north-east, on the Myanmar border. A former princely kingdom centred on Kangla, it merged with India in 1949 and became a full state in 1972, with special provisions for its hill areas under Article 371C.

  • Imphal Capital and largest city, in the central valley
  • 21 Jan 1972 Became a full state — a princely kingdom that merged with India in 1949
  • 22,327 km² Area — about 90% hills and 10% central valley
  • 16 districts Reorganised from the original nine in December 2016
  • Meitei (Manipuri) Official language, in the 8th Schedule — increasingly written in the Meitei Mayek script
  • 60 seats Legislative Assembly — with 2 Lok Sabha seats (Inner & Outer Manipur)
  • Borders Nagaland, Assam and Mizoram within India; Myanmar to the east and south
  • Article 371C Special provisions, with a Hill Areas Committee of the Assembly
  • Mount Tempü The highest peak (~2,994 m), near the Nagaland border
  • State symbols Animal: Sangai deer · Bird: Nongin · Flower: Shirui lily

People

Population & Society

Census 2011 is the last full count. Manipur's people are spread between the valley and the hills, and the state is unusual for its near-equal balance of Hindus and Christians. Figures below are Census 2011.

  • 28.56 lakh Population, 2011 (2,855,794)
  • 24.5% Decadal growth, 2001–2011
  • 128 /km² Population density, 2011
  • 985 Sex ratio — females per 1,000 males, 2011 (above the national average)
  • 76.9% Literacy rate, 2011
  • ~41% / ~41% Hindu and Christian — the two largest faiths, almost equal; with ~8% Muslim (Meitei Pangal) and the indigenous Sanamahi faith — Census 2011
  • ~41% Scheduled Tribes — the Naga & Kuki-Zo tribes, largely in the hills
  • Meitei The valley's language and the state's lingua franca; many tribal languages in the hills

Economy

Rice, Handloom & Hydro

Manipur is a small, valley-and-hills economy led by services, with rice farming, a large weaving tradition and Loktak's hydropower. Like its neighbours it leans on central support, and the unrest from 2023 weighed on activity.

  • ₹49,937 cr GSDP 2024-25 (budget estimate)
  • ~9.6% Nominal GSDP growth, 2024-25 (budget estimate)
  • ~₹1.25 lakh Per-capita income (2022-23) — below the national average
  • Services-led Services ~68%, farming ~22% and manufacturing ~10% of the economy

Land & resources

  • Chakhao Manipur's aromatic black rice — GI-tagged in 2020
  • Handloom One of India's largest weaving workforces — Moirang Phee & Wangkhei Phee cloth
  • Loktak hydro A 105 MW hydro plant on Loktak Lake powers the region
  • Hill fruit Tamenglong oranges, Kachai lemons and a notable pineapple crop
  • Centre-dependent: like other north-eastern states, Manipur relies heavily on central transfers; the unrest from 2023 weighed on the economy.
  • Figures here are the latest Manipur Budget estimates (via PRS). The India GDP page compares all states at FY2024-25.

Agriculture

Rice, Chakhao & the Hills

Rice fills the valley's wet fields and the hills' terraces and jhum plots — and a clutch of GI-tagged specialities, from black rice to hill lemons, oranges and chillies, carry Manipur's name.

  • Chakhao The fragrant black rice, used in the famous kheer — GI-tagged in 2020
  • Rice The staple — valley wet-rice, and hill terraces & jhum
  • Kachai Lemon The prized hill lemon of Ukhrul — GI-tagged in 2015
  • Tamenglong Orange The orange of the western hills — GI-tagged in 2021
  • Hathei Chilli The Sirarakhong chilli of Ukhrul — GI-tagged in 2021
  • Pineapple & fruit A notable pineapple state, with passion fruit and abundant bamboo
  • Handloom cloth Shaphee Lanphee, Wangkhei Phee & Moirang Phee — all GI-tagged textiles

Administrative

The Sixteen Districts

Manipur has sixteen districts — the original nine were reorganised into 16 in December 2016, split between the central valley and the surrounding hills. Select a district to highlight it on the map above.

    The map and this list share the same data. Clicking a district highlights it on the interactive map in the hero; soon each will open its own page.

    What Makes Manipur Unique

    Strengths, Heritage & Nature

    For a small state, Manipur holds a lot — the floating lake of Loktak and its dancing deer, the ancient citadel of Kangla, a hill where a rare lily blooms, and the field where the INA first raised the flag.

    Heritage

    • Kangla The ancient citadel of the Meitei kings in Imphal, guarded by the Kangla-Sa
    • Moirang Where the Indian National Army first hoisted the flag on the Indian mainland, in 1944
    • Khongjom The site of the last battle of the 1891 Anglo-Manipur War
    • Imphal War Cemetery Commonwealth graves from the 1944 Battle of Imphal — a WWII turning point

    Nature

    • Loktak Lake The largest freshwater lake in the north-east, dotted with floating phumdis — a Ramsar site
    • Keibul Lamjao The world's only floating national park — the last refuge of the Sangai
    • The Sangai The endangered brow-antlered "dancing deer," the state animal
    • Shirui lily The rare pink-lilac flower found only on the Shirui hills near Ukhrul

    Culture & Traditions

    Dance, Polo & the Ima Market

    Manipur gave India a classical dance and the modern game of polo. Its capital holds a market run entirely by women, and its kitchens turn on rice and the fermented fish called ngari.

    • Manipuri dance The Ras Lila — one of India's classical dance forms, on Radha–Krishna themes, in the cylindrical Kumil skirt
    • Home of polo The local Sagol Kangjei; Imphal's Mapal Kangjeibung is described as the world's oldest polo ground
    • Ima Keithel Imphal's centuries-old "Mothers' Market," run entirely by women
    • Festivals Yaoshang (the spring festival, with the Thabal Chongba dance), Lai Haraoba and Cheiraoba, the new year
    • Sangai Festival The state's flagship tourism festival each November, named after the deer
    • Manipuri food Rice with ngari (fermented fish), the eromba mash and black-rice chak-hao kheer

    Places to Visit

    Lakes, Hills & Imphal

    From the floating world of Loktak to the lily hills of Ukhrul and the heritage of Imphal, Manipur rewards the unhurried traveller.

    • Imphal Kangla, the Ima Keithel market and the war cemetery
    • Loktak Lake Floating islands, the Sendra viewpoint and Keibul Lamjao
    • Moirang The INA memorial by the lake
    • Ukhrul The Shirui hills, where the rare lily blooms
    • Dzükou Valley The flower valley shared with Nagaland, near Senapati
    • Andro A village preserving old Meitei crafts and pottery
    • Sangai Festival Ten days of Manipuri culture each November

    Rail, Road & Air

    Reaching Manipur

    Hemmed in by hills and reliant for decades on a single highway, Manipur is widening its links — an international airport at Imphal, and a railway climbing toward the capital across a record-breaking bridge.

    • Imphal Airport Bir Tikendrajit International Airport — among the busiest in the north-east
    • Rail toward Imphal The Jiribam–Imphal line is under construction; trains now reach Khongsang
    • Noney Bridge On that line, a pier set to be the world's tallest railway bridge pier (~141 m)
    • NH-2 The Imphal–Kohima–Dimapur highway (the old NH-39) — the state's main lifeline
    • Moreh The India–Myanmar border town and trade gateway on the Trilateral Highway
    • Learning hubs Manipur University (central), NIT Manipur and the National Sports University

    People

    Manipuri Voices

    From kings and freedom fighters to Olympic athletes, Manipur has given India some of its most celebrated names — especially in the boxing ring and on the weightlifting platform.

    • Mary Kom The six-time world champion boxer and Olympic medallist
    • Mirabai Chanu The weightlifter who won silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
    • Maharaja Bhagyachandra The 18th-century king credited with creating the Ras Lila dance
    • Bir Tikendrajit The prince who led Manipur in the 1891 war; Imphal's airport bears his name
    • Irom Sharmila The activist whose 16-year hunger strike (2000–2016) drew national attention
    • Renedy Singh A former captain of India's national football team

    Through the Ages

    A Short History of Manipur

    From an ancient kingdom at Kangla to a princely state, a merger with India and statehood, a few of the milestones — told plainly.

    Key milestones in the history of Manipur, from its ancient kingdom to 2026.
    WhenMilestone
    Ancient timesThe Meitei kingdom rises around Kangla, in the Imphal valley
    Early 1700sKing Pamheiba (Garib Niwaz) expands the kingdom; the name "Manipur" comes into use
    1891The Anglo-Manipur War; Manipur comes under British paramountcy as a princely state
    Mar–Jul 1944The Battle of Imphal — a turning point of the Second World War in the East
    14 April 1944The INA hoists the flag at Moirang, on the Indian mainland
    15 October 1949Manipur merges with the Indian Union (agreement signed 21 September 1949)
    1956Manipur becomes a Union Territory
    21 January 1972Manipur becomes a full state, with special provisions under Article 371C
    2000–2016Irom Sharmila's long hunger strike against the AFSPA
    2023Ethnic violence between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities (from 3 May) causes many deaths and large-scale displacement
    2026President's Rule (imposed in February 2025) is revoked and an elected government returns

    Spotted an error, or know this state well?

    This profile is compiled from Census 2011, the Manipur budget (via PRS), MoSPI, the GI Registry, the CWGC and Manipur Tourism. If you find an inaccuracy or have a better source, tell us and we'll review and correct it.

    Report incorrect data