) , other_name = , nickname = Nupi Keithel ( en, Women's Market)
Khwairamband Keithel ( en, Khwairamband Market) , settlement_type = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Different scenes of the Ima Keithel (Mothers' Market) of

Imphal Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the f ...

, image_alt = , pushpin_map = India Manipur#India , pushpin_label_position = , pushpin_map_alt = , pushpin_map_caption = Location in Manipur, India , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 =

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, subdivision_name1 =

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 ...

, subdivision_type2 =

District A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

, subdivision_name2 =

Imphal West , native_name_lang = Meitei , other_name = omp, Nongchup Yumphal , nickname = , settlement_type = District of Manipur , image_skyline = Knagla fort, manipur, India 6.jpg , image_a ...

, subdivision_type3 = , subdivision_name3 = Municipal Administration, Housing and Urban Development (MAHUD) , established_title = , established_date = , founder = , named_for = Meitei women , unit_pref = Metric , area_footnotes = , area_rank = , area_total_km2 = , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = , demographics_type1 = Languages , demographics1_title1 = Colloquial , demographics1_info1 = Meitei , timezone1 = IST , utc_offset1 = +5:30 , postal_code_type =

PIN A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. Pin or PIN may also refer to: Computers and technology * Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system ** PIN pad, a PIN entry device * PIN, a former Dutch ...

, postal_code
795001
, registration_plate = , website = , footnotes = , blank3_name_sec1 =

Management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a Government agency, government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includ ...

, blank3_info_sec1 = Ima Keithel Union , official_name = The Ima Market ( mni, Ima Keithel; literally, Mothers' Market), also known as the Nupi Keithel ( en, Women's Market) or the Khwairamband Keithel ( en, Khwairamband Market), is a market in the middle of

in the Indian state of

. It is the only market in the world run entirely by women. Inside the market, male shopkeepers and vendors are not allowed to sell anything. The

Government of Manipur The Government of Manipur ( mni, Manipur Leingak; /mə.ni.pur lə́i.ŋak/), also known as the State Government of Manipur, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Manipur and its 16 districts. ...

has announced that the male shopkeepers and vendors will be punished if their shops and vendors are found inside the market. It is a commercial center and a popular tourist attraction in the state of

. It was established in the 16th century and hosts around 5,000–6,000 women

vendor In a supply chain, a vendor, supplier, provider or a seller, is an enterprise that contributes goods or services. Generally, a supply chain vendor manufactures inventory/stock items and sells them to the next link in the chain. Today, these terms ...

s who sell a variety of products. Products such as vegetables, fruits, textiles, toys, fish, spices and utensils are available in the market. It is the largest all–women market in Asia.

History

The market was established in the 16th century following the imposition of the labour system, ''lallup-kaba'' in 1533 CE. The ''lallup-kaba'' was a forced labour system in

Manipur Kingdom The Manipur Kingdom was an ancient independent kingdom at the India–Burma frontier that was in subsidiary alliance with British India from 1824, and became a princely state in 1891. It bordered Assam Province in the west and Brit ...

which required male members of the

Meitei ethnicity 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 ...

to work in distant lands or to serve in the army. As a consequence of the system, women had to support their households by cultivating their fields or weaving textiles and then selling the products on improvised markets. The improvised markets led to the formation of the organized Ima Keithel. The Ima Keithel was the primary permanent market in

until the 20th century. In 1891, the British colonial administration attempted to impose economic and political reform in

which disrupted the functioning of the market. The reforms involved large scale seizure and export of food corps from Manipur without consideration for local requirements which caused starvation at times of

Mautam ''Mautâm'' is a cyclic ecological phenomenon that occurs every 48–50 years in the northeastern Indian states of Tripura, Mizoram and Manipur, as well as in many places of Assam which are 30% covered by wild bamboo forests, and Chin State in ...

. It led to agitations by the women of the Ima Keithel and in response, the British attempted to sell off the assets and properties of Ima Keithel to foreigners and external buyers. This among other causes resulted in the Nupi Lan or the women's war, which eventually seized with the

Japanese invasion of India J, or j, is the tenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual name in English is ''jay'' (pronounced ), with a now-uncommon varia ...

. Following

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

, the market regained prominence as a commercial center and a hub of socio-political discussions. In 2010, the market was moved into the Khawairamband Bazaar complex constructed by the

Municipal Corporation A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally ...

. The complex had sustained damaged in the

2016 Imphal earthquake The 2016 Imphal earthquake struck northeast India in the state of Manipur on January 4 with a moment magnitude of 6.7 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (''Very strong''). Its epicentre was located in the Tamenglong district; about 3 ...

which effected the livelihood of around 800 vendors.

Market

The Ima Keithel is located in the Khawairamband Bazaar Complex reconstructed on the site of Purana Bazaar in central Imphal. It is located west of

Kangla Fort The Kangla Palace ( mni, /kəŋ.la/), popularly as well as officially known as the Kangla Fort, is an old Fortification, fortified palace at Imphal in the Manipur state of India. It was formerly situated on both sides (western and eastern) of ...

and on the Bir Tikendrajit Road in the Thangal Bazar locality. The complex consists of three large buildings with

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

styled roofs. The market is split into two sections on either side of the road. Two buildings are located to the north of the main road and one to the south. The buildings are segregated into textile housing sections and household groceries sections. There is also a section of stalls under a large tin and tarp arrangement market to the east of the main buildings. In order to set up stalls in the main buildings of the market, an annual municipal fees is levied. The fee of a stall was ₹140,000 per

annum A year or annus is the orbital period of a planetary body, for example, the Earth, moving in its orbit around the Sun. Due to the Earth's axial tilt, the course of a year sees the passing of the seasons, marked by change in weather, the h ...

at the time of construction in 2010. There is a licensing system in place for vendors with stalls. The market houses around 5000–6000 women vendors at any given day. As of 2017, the vendors at the market make an annual profit between ₹73,000 and ₹200,000. The annual turnover of the market was estimated to be between ₹40–50 Crore.

Management

The market is managed by a

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

of all the vendors of the market. It maintains a custom of only allowing women who have been married at least once to set up stalls. The women vendors include those who are divorced or have been widowed in the

insurgency in Manipur The Insurgency in Manipur is an ongoing armed conflict between India and a number of separatist rebel groups, taking place in the state of Manipur. The Insurgency in Manipur is part of the wider Insurgency in Northeast India; it combines elemen ...

. The vendors are primarily in the age of 45–70 years. The union also runs a

credit Credit (from Latin verb ''credit'', meaning "one believes") is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately (thereby generating a debt) ...

system for lending to women traders.

References

{{reflist Meitei culture 16th-century establishments in India Markets in India Retail markets in India Bazaars in India Shopping districts and streets in India History of Manipur Organisations based in Manipur Tourist attractions in Manipur Imphal

History

Market

Management

See also

References