Traditional dress: Manipur, the land of Jewel

The conventional dress of Manipur, the land of Jewel, is simple and functional. The women here wear Phanek, a long wrapper around the waist, and an Innaphi (literally meaning wrapper) that covers the upper part of the body. Men wear Khudei which is a knee-length cloth wrapped in folds at the waist. But these days men's formal wear is a longer and ankle-length version called a Pheijom which is similar to the dhoti worn in the rest of India. Mayek Naibi, is a type of Phanek used by women when they go out.

The main ethnic group in the state is Meitei, Different communities have varieties of dresses broadly classified for various occasions such as festivals, marriages an also for kings and queens and noblemen.

In most of the north-eastern states weaving is a common hereditary occupation. So the traditional dresses of the people here are basically made of hand woven materials.


This video clip has been shot at OCTAVE 2008, a cultural extravaganza of north-eastern states, held at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala state.