Manipuri Weaving Villages

The Manipuri community settled in Sylhet and Moulvibazar after leaving Manipur in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and weaving is at the centre of the culture: girls traditionally learn on the loom at home, and the villages around Kamalganj produce shawls, saris, sarongs and the moirang-patterned cloth with its distinctive stepped temple motif, on backstrap and frame looms set up under the houses. Cloth is sold from the homes and in Srimangal shops. The community also keeps its own dance tradition, the Manipuri classical style, and its Ras festival in November fills the temple courtyards with dancers in stiff embellished skirts. Visits work best with a local contact who can take you into a weaving household.

What you actually see

• Backstrap and frame looms under the houses - weaving as household work.
• The moirang temple motif - the stepped pattern of Manipuri cloth.
• Cloth sold from the homes - shawls and saris direct from the weaver.
• The November Ras festival - the dance gathering in the temple courtyards.

When to go

November to March; the Ras festival falls on the November full moon and is the community's great occasion. Half a day. A local contact makes the difference between watching and just buying.

Honest expectations

Without an introduction you may see shops rather than looms. Cloth sold in Srimangal as Manipuri is not all handwoven. The festival is a religious occasion and visitors should behave as guests. Villages are spread out and need a car.

Nearby

Srimangal is north; Lawachara park lies between.