Khamba Thoibi Jagoi (), also known as Khamba Thoibi classical dance or Khamba Thoibi ballet, is a traditional Meitei

ritualistic A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, ...

and

theatrical Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

classical dance form,—
—
—
—
— which is usually enacted as a part and parcel of the

Lai Haraoba Lai Haraoba is a festival associated with the Meitei people celebrated to please the Umang Lai, the traditional deities of Sanamahism. Translated, Lai Haraoba means ''merry making of the Gods'' in Meiteilon. In this festival, the people worship ...

performances, dedicated to God , the national deity of

Ancient Moirang Ancient Moirang, also known as Keke Moirang, was an ancient civilization that flourished in the southern plains of the present day Manipur, India. The Keke Kangla served as the capital city of the kingdom since time immemorial. The major body of a ...

realm. Notably, it is one of the cultural elements, giving inspirations to the development of the

Manipuri Raas Leela , image = , alt = , caption = An illustration of the ''Manipuri Raas Leela'' dance, being depicted in a stamp from Armenia; transliterations of "Jagoi Raas" and "Manipuri Raas Leela", the terms in Meitei language (offi ...

classical dance drama form. The dance form is believed to be first performed by

Khuman Khamba Khuman Khamba or Moirang Khamba is a hero in Meitei folklore. He belongs to the Khuman clan ( mni, Khuman Salai). He is the hero as well as the protagonist of the Meitei epic poem ''Khamba Thoibi'' of the Moirang Shayon legends in the Moirang ...

and Moirang Thoibi, in the premise of the deity. Another remarkable achievement of Meitei cultural heritage, directly related to the Khamba Thoibi dance, is , the third longest Indian epic poem, next to the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

and the

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

, which is a classical Meitei language

epic poem An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

, having 39,000 lines, recognised and honoured to be the

national epic A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation—not necessarily a nation state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group with as ...

of the

Manipuris The Meitei people, also known as the Manipuri people,P.20: "historically, academically and conventionally Manipuri prominently refers to the Meetei people."P.24: "For the Meeteis, Manipuris comprise Meeteis, Lois, Kukis, Nagas and Pangal." is ...

, originated from the

traditional ballads A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

, popularly sung by minstrels or bards, by playing

Pena (musical instrument) Pena is a string instrument, mono string instrument falling in the lute category, slightly similar to some of the traditional Indian stringed musical instruments such as the ravanahatha, ''ubo'' or the ''kenda''. It is the traditional musical in ...

Origin

, once

and his rival Nongban (alias Kongyamba) were asked by the then ruling king, to bring rare orchid flowers from the hilly and mountainous terrains, for the celebration of the annual sacred

festival in honour of deity . With great difficulty but by the grace of gods, Khamba brought finest of all the available flowers from the wilds, with extreme care. On the other hand, without any difficulty, Kongyamba brought some flowers which were messy due to his carelessness. Kongyamba distributed the flowers to the King first and then to others. However, Khamba, being humble, sought advice from a high priestess, and first set flowers before deity

Thangching Thangching or Thangjing is a primordial deity in Meitei mythology and religion of Ancient Kangleipak (Antique Manipur). He is the ruling deity of the Moirang dynasty of Ancient Moirang. He rules supreme on the banks of the landlocked sea, Lo ...

, and then to the King, the Queen, the high officers of kingdom. Pleased with the courtesy, decorum and etiquette of Khamba, the royalties and nobles presented him rare gifts, many times more than the customary presents which Kongyamba received. After Kongyamba and his wives had danced, Khamba and his lover

Thoibi ) , image= PRINCESS THOIBI TRICKED KONGYAMBA AND ESCAPED FROM HIM.jpg , caption= Princess Thoibi tricked Angom Nongban Kongyamba and escaped from him , alias= * Moirang Thoibi * Moilang Thoipi * Ewanglon Thoibi * Iwanglon Thoibi , gender=Female , ...

danced and sang before God

, and their party was great, and the people gathered together and shouted with joy as they danced, whirling together, till at last they knelt in salutation before the God.

Khamba Thoibi dance drama

In the 1960s, Mrs. Vimala Raina composed a new dance drama cum

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

, known as ''Khamba Thoibi dance drama'', based on the traditions of Khamba and

. It was performed for the first time on 1st January 1960, in an event attended by Humayun Kabir, the then Union Minister for Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

. It was again performed in Delhi on 6th and 7th November, 1961, where it was acclaimed by the

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...

. The art form was later even witnessed by John Kenneth Galbraith, the then US Ambassador to India, and Mrs. J.K., Galbraith on 2nd May, 1962. Afterwards, the Khamba Thoibi dance drama was staged multiple times in numerous places, where it was praised and appreciated.

Influences to notable personalities & groups

; Humayun Kabir ; Times of India ; The Baltimore Sun ; Catherine Galbraith

Depiction in painting

Khamba_and_Thoibi_(The_Dance_before_the_King)

References

External links