Costumes of Manipur

The costumes of Manipur carry their own unique characteristics. Stressed on its functionality, the traditional Manipuri costumes are simple and easy to wear. A traditional Manipuri costume for women includes a shawl called Innaphi, a Phanek and a wrap around skirt called sarong. A Manipuri man wears a dhoti, a jacket and a white Pagri or turban.

With the advancement of time and the spread of Christianity and western education, people in Manipur have become extremely fashion conscious. Jeans and jacket have emerged as a big hit with the Manipuri youth. However, they still love to flaunt their traditional attires and have modified the old styled clothes with modernized variations. For instance, the Innaphis worn by Manipuri women resembles the modern wrap around skirts. Innaphis are nowadays made with different materials from cotton to silk rather than the thick textured Innaphis of the yesteryears.

Different costumes are worn during the colorful Manipuri festivals. In fact there are separate costumes for separate festivals in Manipur. The Potlois and Kumins are the traditional costumes for the Rasa Leela festivals. Other traditional dresses worn during the festivals and festival related dances are the Koks, Phurits etc. Some other dress forms used by different tribes in Manipur are Lmaphie, Saijounba, Ningthoupee and Phiranji.