DOI: 10.36344/ccijhss.2023.v09i01.001

Pages: 1-8

In this paper, I propose to examine the history and evolution of the society of Manipur in the past through the historical pattern. Manipuri society over the centuries has been subject to changes under which the people have had to adjust themselves to the new environment. The concept of society is dynamic. Manipuri society does not follow the classification of traditional Indian society. They follow a system of social division where the society is divided between the Meiteis, Brahmans, Pangals or the Muslims and the Lois. The early Manipuri society consisted of seven clans or yek- salais and they were merged into the Meitei community (major community). Over course of time, many people get influxes in Manipur from various corners of the world. With the coming of such people, a new period of the social history of Manipur has emerged. History also reveals to us that Manipur had relations with Burma and the rest of India as far as immigration is concerned. History credits King Ngophamba (426-518) A.D., with the organization of society and the basis of clan assignments of the newcomers. From the fifteenth century onwards, the immigrants did not lose their identity even though they became part and parcel of the Meitei society.