Keeping aside the question of the prehistoric position of the land and people of Manipur, we may put forward the following historical, linguistic, socio-cultural, religious and legal points to show that the Bishnupriyas, like the Meiteis, are verily Manipuris -

1. Historical Points:

a) The people of Manipur comprise both the migrants of East and West who came to Manipur in different periods of history. During the earlier period migrants were in general assimilated and assigned to one or other to the clans, no doubt according to the area in which they settled. There origins were remembered by the terms Nongpok Haram (The Mongoloid migrants from the East, mainly the Shans, Kabaws and Pongs, a little of Chinese and Burmese) and Nongchup Haram (The Dravidian and Aryan migrants from the West, mainly the Bishnupriya's, the Brahmins etc.). The history of Manipur witnesses the process of racial fusion undermining the geographical features. So the mass people of Manipur is a composite one to which the Mongoloids, Dravidians, Aryans, Pongs, Chinese, Siamese, etc, were contributory.

b) Though the Bishnupriyas never identify themselves as Mayangs, the Meiteis sometimes call them Mayang Kalishas and the written history of the Mayang Kalishas in Manipur goes back to the 7th century A. D. if not earlier, when kamrupi people entered Manipur in the company of Mayang Leima chingurembi who was married to king Naothing khong of Manipur (667 AD) as per Mayang Leima Chingurembi Nayaun (ms).

c) The land was known as Manipur towards the 17th century, and the people were called Manipuris after that time. The term 'Manipur' was attributed to the land, in all Probability, after this period, i.e., towards the 17th century when the land was on way to full Aryanisation, in consequence whereof the term 'Manipuri' was attributed to the people of Manipur. So, when the terms of 'Manipur' and 'Manipuri' came into use, both the Meiteis and the Bishnupriyas had 'equal right' to them as the Bishnupriyas were living in the valley of Manipur from centuries before the period of Aryanisation.


2. Logical Points:

a) As formerly, Manipur, was an independent state, and all the people of Manipur were identified as Manipuris. Of course, this concept of was not accepted by some tribes like the Nagas, the kukis, Lusais etc., as they are but off shoots of the people of the neighboring states. But as the Meiteis and the Bishnupriyas were wholly confined to Manipur itself, they identified themselves as 'Manipuris'. At present also, both these groups in their social forum identify themselves as 'Manipuris' without any discrimination.

b) Bishnupriyas living in the political boundary of Assam, Tripura, Myanmar and Bangladesh are a fraction of the people who migrated from Manipur during 18th and 19th century due to political insecurity and Burmese attack. After Seven years devastation(1819-1826) some went back to their land and those who couldn't, settled in there new places. The major settlements are Silchar in Assam, Komolpur in Tripura and Sylhet in Bangldesh. For about 200 years Meiteis and Bishnupriyas living in their newly settled places with a very close relationship and harmony as Manipuri- as an undivided community.

c) Even a few years back, a Bisnupriya would identify himself not as "bishnupriya manipuri',but as Manipuri. Bishnupriyas outside manipur, in pursuance of their tradition, call themselves and their language 'Manipuri' even now, and use the term 'Bishnupriya' to distinguish themselves from 'Meitei'.


3. Linguistic Points:

a) The relation between the Bishnupriya and Meitei language is well established. The Bishnupriya grammar is also influenced by Meitei

b) Bishnupriya Manipuri language incorporated some features from the languages of hill tribes. Sir G.A. Griersons(LSI Vol-4, p- 419) observation on BPM was the word for 'bad' is 'good-not' hoba-naya, as in all Kuki-Chin languages. The use of demonstrative pronoun after the noun which it qualifies is also a typical of Kuki. The Suffix of the dative 'rang' a Kuki idiom. The form of future that in ng, is taken from Thado Kuki.

c) Bishnupriya language has considerably good number of (more than 4,000) Meitei words. For example: laupuk, mang, matik, marup, ning, nungsi, pang, pham, sing, thungba, yathang etc. The most remarkable feature of Bishnupriya Manipuri Language is that it retained many older phonology of Meitei and also some words of Meitei of archaic and medieval age. It was because the Bishnupriyas left Manipur during the last part of 18th century. Colonel W McCulloch compiled a comparative vocabulary of Meitei and Bishnupriya which in published in 1859.


4. Socio-Cultural Points:

a) The Bishnupriyas and the Meiteis have formed a homogenous culture. Their kirtana, Rasalila, dance, music, dress, style of living, food-habit, marriage-system, birth and death rituals and all other socio-cultural matters are identical in nature. For centuries, the same songs and ragas of Kirtana and Rasa are sung uniformly by the people of both these sections living anywhere-whether in Manipur, Assam, Tripura or Bangladesh.

b) The Bishnupriya and Meitei Bamons have regular and formal matrimonial relations. In fact there is no bar to matrimonial relations between these two sections of people, although in actual practice it is a rare occurrence.

c) Bishnupriyas never allow any person of any other community to take part in their socio-religious feasts, but they not only allow but also invite the Meiteis to take part in such feasts. In religio-cultural functions, artists like singers, drummers, dancers etc. of both these sections of people jointly take part without the least sense of 'otherness'.


5. Religious Points:

a) People of both sections excepting a few adopted Vaishnavism during 18th century. Now Bishnupriyas are conservative Vaishnavs but there are solid evidences that they were much related with the traditional though and faith of Manipur than Hinduism.

b) Bishnupriya old folklore, folk-tales, waries and proverbs tells numerous prominent gods of olden faith of Manipur namely Sorelel, Pakhangba , Sanamahi etc.

c) Bishnupriya Rain invoking song (Baran-dahani-ela, 1450 AD) and Madai Soralel Song (Madai Soralel Ela,1600-1700) which are perhaps the earliest evidence of BPM literature, refers a lot about Sorelel, Pakhangba and Sanamahi.

d) The traditional ancestral god Apokpa and other lais like Nompok Panthoibi, Wangbaren, Koubru etc are worshipped along with the Hindu deities, sometimes with more admiration and esteem. As we see both sets of deities are now worshipped side by side, a conflict between Hindu Gods and traditional Gods now no longer felt; two originally quite distinct sets of Gods have been merged into a generally accepted Manipuri vaishnav pantheon.



6. Legal points:

That the Bishnupriyas have been legally accepted as 'Manipuris, by the Govt. of India both of the British regime and of the Independent India - can te attested by the following facts -

a) G.A Grierson,s in his Linguistic Survey of India (the only basis of India's language classification) has described the Bishnupriyas as 'Bishnupriya Manipuris.

b) In the statistics of students of the School Board, Cachar, during the British regime, the main heading 'Manipuri' was sub-divided into 'Meitei' and Bishnupriya'

c) In the Census Report of India, 1961, also the main heading 'Manipuri' was Subdivided into 'Meitei' and Bishnupriya.

d) In the census Report of India. 1971, the nomenclature 'Bishnupriya Manipuri' has been strongly defended.

e) The Assam and Tripura govt. introduced Bishnupriya Manipuri Language at the Primary stage of education as a medium of instruction since 1983.

f) The High court of Gowahati gave a ruling that Manipuris includes Bishnupriyas, Manipuri Bamons and the Pangans too, in 1999.

g) The supreme court of India recognized Bishnupriya Manipuri language and community in a landmark judgement in March 8, 2006.



To sum up:

• The term 'Manipuri' includes the Bishinupriyas also, as the Bishnupriyas were living in the valley from centuries before the pre-Hindu period.
• The ethnicity Bishnupriya evolved from Manipur and also Bishnupriya language was formed in the soil of Manipur, so Bishnupriyas are subjectively and objectively Manipuris.
• Both the Meiteis and Bishnupriyas have a common stock of culture.
• Bishnupriyas do have a practice of olden religious culture of Manipur.
• The British Govt. records and records of neighboring states clearly testify that Bishnupriyas and Meiteis living in Assam, Tripura, Myanmar and Bangladesh are people who migrated from Manipur.
• Both Meiteis and Bishnupriyas use the term 'Manipuri' in common to identify themselves even after they fled away from Manipur.