From the beginning of history of Ma

From the beginning of history of Manipur - dance, music and religion were inseperably interlinked. this is true of the hill people as much as of the plain people. It is stated that the indigenous people of this valley were the dance-expert Gandharva's, mentioned in the epic Ramayana and Mahabharata [Note 1.1]. The Aswamedha Parva of Mahabharata refer to the defeat of Pandava's at Manipur and the identification of Babhrubahana, the son of Arjuna and Chitrangoda, the soul daughter of the Gandharva king Chitrabahana. Babhrubahana, the legendary King of Manipur played a vital role in the formation of the existing professional caste and races of Manipur. The dance patterns in Manipur must have a link with the Gandharva's Culture - which is mythological believed to excel over all other dance forms. Among the classical categories, 'RasLeela' - a highly evolved dance drama, choreographed on Vaishnav Padavali’s, is the highest expression of artistic genius, devotion and excellence of the Manipuris.