Ima Keithel

Ima Keithel means mothers' market, and the rule is absolute: every one of the several thousand stalls across its buildings is run by a woman, a practice traced back some five centuries to a labour system that sent men away to work and left trade to women. Only married women or widows may hold a stall, and places pass within families. The market sells vegetables, fish, rice, textiles including handwoven phanek and shawls, pottery and household goods, in separate sections.

History

The market was established in the 16th century after the introduction in 1533 of lallup-kaba, a system of forced labour in the Manipur kingdom that sent Meitei men to work in distant lands or serve in the army, leaving women to support their households by farming and trading. In 2010 the market moved into the Khwairamband Bazaar complex built by the Imphal Municipal Corporation, which was damaged in the Imphal earthquake of 2016 (Wikipedia, Ima Market).

What's there

• The all-women stalls - several thousand, held only by women.
• The handloom section - phanek, shawls and Manipuri weaving.
• The produce halls - vegetables, fish and rice in separate buildings.
• The market halls - the Khwairamband complex the market moved into in 2010.

When to go

October to March for comfortable weather; the market runs daily from morning into the evening and is busiest in the morning. Manipur summers are hot and the monsoon heavy.

What to expect

Photography of the vendors should be asked for, not assumed. The market is dense and crowded, and the narrow aisles between stalls fill quickly by mid-morning.

Nearby

Kangla Fort lies nearby; Loktak Lake is southwest.

Key facts