Manipuri Handloom Weaving
The phanek, the innaphi and the moirang phee border — cloth woven by the women of every valley household.
Handloom weaving in Manipur is a near-universal skill among Meitei women of the valley, done on loin (backstrap) and fly-shuttle looms in almost every household. The core products are the phanek (a wrap-skirt, plain, striped or with an embroidered border), the innaphi (a light shawl or wrap), shirting and dress cloth, and, increasingly, sarees. Signature patterns include the moirang phee, a triangular temple-step border, the fine transparent wangkhei phee, and the embroidered shaphee lanphee cloth once given to warriors.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Imphal, Manipur
Also Known As
Manipuri handloom, Meitei weaving, phanek and innaphi weaving
Craft Type
Handloom cotton and silk weaving
Practising Community
Meitei women of the Manipur valley, for whom weaving is a near-universal household skill; some tribal weaving in the hills
Materials
Cotton and mulberry, eri and muga silk yarn; acid and natural dyes; and, for the embroidered phanek border, silk and cotton embroidery thread.
Known For
Phanek wrap-skirts, innaphi shawls, shirting and the moirang phee temple-step border; Manipuri sarees
Where It's Made
Imphal and the valley districts of Manipur — Wangkhei, Kongman, Moirang, Bishnupur and Thoubal
Time to Create
Two to seven days per piece, depending on the border and motif work
GI Status
Moirang Phee, Wangkhei Phee and Shaphee Lanphee are registered GIs of Manipur
Process Steps
Dyeing the yarn
Cotton and silk are dyed in the colours the phanek, innaphi or saree needs, including the deep border shades.
Warping
The warp is prepared with the stripe or border-colour sequence built in, for a loin or frame loom.
Setting the loom
For a loin loom, the warp is tensioned by a strap around the seated weaver's back; a frame loom is drafted and reeded.
Weaving the body
The plain, striped or checked body of the cloth is woven, the weft thrown by hand or fly shuttle.
Weaving the border pattern
The moirang phee triangles or other border motifs are built row by row with a supplementary weft.
Weaving the pallu or shawl ends
The end panels of an innaphi or saree are woven with their bands and motifs.
Embroidering the phanek border
For an embroidered phanek, a dense band of stylised flowers and creepers is worked along the hem by hand.
Technique Glossary
Phanek
The Meitei wrap-skirt, woven plain, striped, or with a woven or embroidered border.
Innaphi
The light shawl or wrap worn over the phanek by Manipuri women.
Moirang phee
A border pattern of stepped triangles, a signature Manipuri motif with its own GI.
Wangkhei phee
A very fine, sheer white cotton cloth from the Wangkhei area of Imphal, GI-tagged.
Shaphee lanphee
An embroidered cloth of honour, historically given to warriors, now GI-tagged.
Loin (backstrap) loom
A portable loom tensioned by a strap around the weaver's body, used across Manipur and the northeast.
Phanek mapan naiba
A phanek with a densely hand-embroidered floral border along the hem.
A Craft Through Time
Pre-modern
Weaving as women's life
Meitei girls learn to weave young, and specific cloths belong to specific rituals, ranks and rites of passage.
Pre-modern
Cloths of honour and vision
The shaphee lanphee is a warrior's cloth, and the moirang phee border enters tradition as a revealed design.
20th century
Cooperatives and market
Development support and an urban market for phaneks, innaphis and sarees turn domestic weaving into a livelihood.
2010s
Geographical Indications
Moirang Phee, Wangkhei Phee and Shaphee Lanphee are registered as GIs of Manipur.
21st century
Manipuri sarees
Weavers develop saree ranges that carry Manipuri borders and motifs to a national market.
Present
A household and cottage craft
Weaving remains near-universal among valley women, supplying both the family and a wide commercial market.
Did You Know?
In Meitei tradition the moirang phee's stepped-triangle border was not designed but revealed — the story goes that a weaver saw the pattern in a dream or vision and wove it from memory.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.