Manipuri Brahmins () or Meitei Brahmins () are the

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

s who speak the

Manipuri language Meitei (; ) also known as Manipuri ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of northeast India. It is the official language and the lingua franca of Manipur and an additional official language in four districts of Assam. It is one of the scheduled ...

as their native tongue and mainly reside in the valley areas of

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

Description

Manipuri Brahmin origins stretch as far as

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

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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 Nepa ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

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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 gotr ...

indicating their origin.

Ethnicity, origin and history

The recording of the migration of Brahmins from other parts of India, including

, and

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

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

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 () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

in Manipur. These Brahmins learned the Manipuri language, mixed the customs they brought in with the local customs which are acceptable to Brahmin culture, later inter-marrying with the local Manipuri women, and became a part of the larger Manipuri society.

Notable people

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.

References

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