Manipuri Kshatriya
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Mostly in Manipur, also in Assam. | |
| Languages | |
| Meitei | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Rajputs, Kshatriyas |
Manipuri Kshatriya is a Hindu Kshatriya caste in Manipur, India. Census reports from Manipur in 1883 note that nearly all Manipuris in the Valley of Manipur professed to be Kshatriya. This group was descended from the Meitei, a tribe which absorbed the three other neighboring tribes, and was converted to Hinduism in 1720 AD, and attached themselves to the Kshatryia caste.[1][2]
Subdivisions
They are divided into seven exogamous clans (yek-salai): Ningthouja, Angom, Luwang, Kuman, Khaba-Nganba, Chenglei & Moirang. These clans are further divided into several subclans or yumnaks. Each subclan is further divided into lineages or sagei.
Customs
The Manipuri Kshatriya call themselves Khatriya and usually wear the sacred thread across the chest. Traditionally meat dishes were avoided, although fish was permitted. However nowadays consumption of meat is very common. Orthodox Meiteis eat food outside only when it is cooked by Brahmins. They usually refuse to have food cooked by other castes. [3] Endogamy is generally followed, but Brahmin-Kshatriya marriages are not that unusual.[4]
