Manipuri Brahmins ( mni, Manipuri Bamon) or Meitei Brahmins ( mni, Meitei Bamon) are the

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

s who speak the Meitei ( Manipuri) language as their native tongue and mainly reside in the valley areas of

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

. They constitute 4.5% of Manipur's population.

Description

Manipuri Brahmin origins stretch as far as

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

and other parts of India. Each Brahmin family within the community belongs to a specific

gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra fo ...

indicating their origin. They have many

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

s of

Maithil Brahmin Maithil Brahmins are a Hindu Brahmin community from the Mithila region of the Indian subcontinent that comprises Tirhut, Darbhanga, Kosi, Purnia, Munger, Bhagalpur; Bokaro in Jharkhand and Santhal Pargana divisions of India and some adjoining ...

Ethnicity, origin and history

The recording of the migration of

Indo Aryan Indo-Aryan peoples are a diverse collection of Indo-European peoples speaking Indo-Aryan languages in the Indian subcontinent. Historically, Aryan were the Indo-European pastoralists who migrated from Central Asia into South Asia and intro ...

Brahmins from other parts of India, including

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepal ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

, and

to the Manipur Valley was started from the 15th century. The appearance of Brahmins in Manipur in the 15th century may be due to the rise of

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

power in

. Followed by a steady stream of Brahmin migration to Manipur who were brought in based on their requirements after the adoption of

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

in Manipur. These Brahmins learned the Manipuri language, mixed the customs they brought in with the local customs which are acceptable to Brahmin culture and became a part of the larger Manipuri society. They are known for their contributions in Manipuri literature, arts, cuisine, music, etc., since they are an advanced group in these fields.

Notable people

Aribam Shyam Sharma Aribam Syam Sharma is an Indian filmmaker and composer from Manipur. He debuted in the first Manipuri film '' Matamgi Manipur'' as an actor. In 1974, he directed his first movie '' Lamja Parshuram''. It became the first Manipuri film to run for 1 ...

, filmmaker and composer. *

Atombapu Sharma Atombapu Sharma (died 1963) also known as Pandit Raja Atombapu Sharma was a Manipuri Brahmin Sanskrit scholar, a Vaishnava, also versed in astronomy and astrology, a journalist and social reformer from Manipur, India. He is considered as "The Doyen ...

, Sanskrit scholar, journalist and social reformer. *

Bachaspatimayum Jayantakumar Sharma Bachaspatimayum Jayantakumar Sharma (14 January 1935 – 9 April 2015), shortly known as B. Jayantakumar Sharma, was an Indian writer, composer and lyricist from Manipur. Early life and education Jayantakumar was born on 14 January 1935 to a Mani ...

, Manipuri music lyricist. * Bonny Sharma, Manipuri film actor. * Hanjabam Radhe Devi, Padmashree awardee, traditional bridal wear designer. * Sanathoiba Sharma, Padmashree awardee, Manipuri Martial arts guru. *

Shanglakpam Nilakanta Sharma Shanglakpam Nilakanta Sharma (born 2 May 1995) is an Indian field hockey player who plays as a midfielder for the Indian national team. He was part of the Indian squad that won the 2016 Men's Hockey Junior World Cup. And Finally he won gold me ...

, Indian field hockey player.

References

{{authority control Brahmin communities by language Brahmin communities across India Ethnic groups in Manipur Indian castes