View source for Manipuri sankirtana

== Summary ==
Manipuri sankirtana is a Vaishnava ritual performing tradition of Manipur's plains, integrating singing, drumming, movement and community ceremony. It is not simply any devotional chorus or a spectacular percussion dance excerpt. Performers narrate and embody religious material while participating in occasions that connect individual lives with a wider community. Learned musical organization, bodily discipline and devotional purpose work together. The catalogue keeps this particular practice distinct from the many other musical traditions of Manipur and from generic uses of the word kirtan elsewhere in South Asia. <ref name="ge-sankirtana">[https://ich.unesco.org/doc/src/38598-EN.pdf Sankirtana inventory, Sangeet Natak Akademi/UNESCO].</ref>

== Contemporary and trending ==
Sankirtana continues in religious and life-cycle occasions, teaching, community institutions and public presentation. Musicians' skills are developed through long learning relationships, while contemporary livelihoods and changing preferences affect the conditions of professional practice. A short festival segment can display technical accomplishment without revealing the complete ritual organization. Heritage reports and institutions help document transmission, but their language should not be turned into invented current statistics. The useful contemporary picture includes recurring community demand, learners and teachers, not only a national-stage performance detached from the people for whom the occasion matters. <ref name="further-1">[https://ich.unesco.org/fr/RL/le-sankirtana-chants-rituels-tambours-et-danses-du-manipur-00843?RL=00843 Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur — UNESCO].</ref>

== History ==
Manipur's Vaishnava histories and local performance knowledge shaped a distinct musical and ceremonial world. Its development involved community practice and learned lineages rather than simply importing a completed Bengali form. Ritual cycles and life events provided repeated settings for transmission, while later institutions and public stages changed visibility. The history should distinguish the particular tradition from a claim that one religious identity describes every person in Manipur. It should also keep musicians' and communities' creative work visible rather than treating inherited ceremony as a fixed script with no interpretive skill. <ref name="further-1" />

== Musical characteristics ==
Voice, pung drumming, cymbals and movement participate in carefully coordinated structures, with roles and sequences dependent on the form and occasion. Rhythmic intricacy and bodily action can be striking, but they serve a larger expressive and ritual design. Listen to how a sung passage and percussion relate, how performers coordinate a transition and how an ensemble sustains attention over time. A dramatic movement or fast pattern is only one part of that structure. Contextual explanation and a complete segment reveal more than an isolated climax selected for spectacle.

== Geography and communities ==
The rooted landscape is the Manipur Valley and connected Vaishnava communities around and beyond Imphal. Villages and smaller settlements are central to practice, so a tiny capital-city mushroom would leave false gaps where ceremonies and teaching continue. A broad valley field is more appropriate than one point for every school or temple. Related Manipuri communities elsewhere can later be represented with their own evidence and judgment. The first field illustrates this specific cultural network, not all Manipuri music, all northeastern India or every group described generally as Vaishnava.

== Artists ==
Community gurus, singers, pung and cymbal players are primary representative practitioners, including those documented by the Sangeet Natak Akademi and local teaching institutions. Their collaborative roles are more informative than inventing a celebrity-soloist model for a differently organized art. Named teachers and ensembles become useful when a source identifies lineage, occasion and repertoire. Compare a ritual-context account with a staged demonstration, noticing what has been shortened and which relationships remain visible. The community's understanding of a performance is an essential interpretive resource alongside musical analysis.

== Representative performances ==
These recordings offer listening examples of the genre. Notes identify the performance setting and any adaptation or mixed repertoire.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ MuGlobe listening profile
! Repertoire !! Field use !! Notes
|-
| classical || regional || Comprehensive catalogue; recent discovery is prioritized and worthwhile older music remains playable. Preserve specific recording contexts and dates.
|}

{| class="wikitable muglobe-performances"
|+ MuGlobe representative performances
! Artist !! Performance / song / title !! Embedded player URL !! Notes !! Repertoire kind !! Repertoire date !! Recording date !! Format !! Opening !! Places !! Fit !! Evidence !! Review note !! MuGlobe favorite !! Current hit !! Authentic
|-
| Yumnam Bhumeshwor Singh and Yumjao Mayum Living Art Academy performers || Nata Sankirtana — choreographed stage performance || https://www.youtube.com/embed/_wAwcSbXLG4 || The academy identifies Yumnam Bhumeshwor Singh as the choreographer of this staged Nata Sankirtana presentation. Drums and hand cymbals are visible in the opening ensemble. It offers a direct performance example; it is not presented as a complete wedding ceremony.<ref name="performance-manipuri-sankirtana-1">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wAwcSbXLG4 Yumnam Bhumeshwor Singh and Yumjao Mayum Living Art Academy performers — Nata Sankirtana — choreographed stage performance]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18.</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || unknown || unknown || unknown || pending || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wAwcSbXLG4 Existing recording] || Legacy unscoped accepted recording retained; migration does not assert new dates or per-country variants. Existing musical notes and native citations are preserved. || <muglobe-flag video="_wAwcSbXLG4" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="_wAwcSbXLG4" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="_wAwcSbXLG4" field="authentic" />
|-
| Manipuri sankirtana singers, drummers and dancers documented by Sangeet Natak Akademi || Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur || https://www.youtube.com/embed/TaIr4jvY9vE || The Sangeet Natak Akademi film, published by UNESCO, presents performance excerpts within the tradition’s religious and communal setting. It is an explanatory documentary, not a complete ritual or a solo drum recital.<ref name="performance-manipuri-sankirtana-2">[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaIr4jvY9vE Manipuri sankirtana singers, drummers and dancers documented by Sangeet Natak Akademi — Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming and dancing of Manipur]. YouTube recording; metadata checked 2026-10-18. Context: [https://ich.unesco.org/en/video/20499 supporting source].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || unknown || unknown || unknown || pending || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaIr4jvY9vE Existing recording] || Legacy unscoped accepted recording retained; migration does not assert new dates or per-country variants. Existing musical notes and native citations are preserved. || <muglobe-flag video="TaIr4jvY9vE" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="TaIr4jvY9vE" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="TaIr4jvY9vE" field="authentic" />
|-
| Shree Shree Govindaji Nat Sankirtan Nupa Macha Pala ensemble || NAT SANKIRTAN NUPA MACHA PALA - CMAT 2025 2026 || https://www.youtube.com/embed/boeocSVrOn0 || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Shree Shree Govindaji Nat Sankirtan. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2026-09-13. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2026-10-06; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boeocSVrOn0 NAT SANKIRTAN NUPA MACHA PALA - CMAT 2025 2026].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2026-09-13 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boeocSVrOn0 Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Shree Shree Govindaji Nat Sankirtan. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2026-09-13. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="boeocSVrOn0" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="boeocSVrOn0" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="boeocSVrOn0" field="authentic" />
|-
| JNMDA Nata Sankirtana ensemble || Nata Sankirtan at JNMDA, Imphal in the year 2016  (Memory) || https://www.youtube.com/embed/dUYMiJT2H94 || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: CSMWS (Ulen). Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2016. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2026-09-10; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUYMiJT2H94 Nata Sankirtan at JNMDA, Imphal in the year 2016  (Memory)].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2016 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUYMiJT2H94 Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: CSMWS (Ulen). Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2016. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="dUYMiJT2H94" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="dUYMiJT2H94" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="dUYMiJT2H94" field="authentic" />
|-
| SSGMKK student Nata Sankirtana ensemble, Tripura || &#124;&#124;MANIPURI NATA SANKITAN IN TRIPURA&#124;&#124;language day da SSGMKK ge satra singge performance || https://www.youtube.com/embed/4BkxrAahU4E || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Abhishek Singha. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2026-08-24; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BkxrAahU4E &#124;&#124;MANIPURI NATA SANKITAN IN TRIPURA&#124;&#124;language day da SSGMKK ge satra singge performance].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BkxrAahU4E Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Abhishek Singha. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="4BkxrAahU4E" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="4BkxrAahU4E" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="4BkxrAahU4E" field="authentic" />
|-
| Kshetrimayum Kriti Singh and JNMDA musicians || Jaya Deva Chongba performed at  Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy (JNMDA), Manipur 2017 || https://www.youtube.com/embed/epYGK9T40hE || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Kshetrimayum Kriti  Pung. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2017-06-27. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2026-07-07; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epYGK9T40hE Jaya Deva Chongba performed at  Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy (JNMDA), Manipur 2017].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2017-06-27 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epYGK9T40hE Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Kshetrimayum Kriti  Pung. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2017-06-27. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="epYGK9T40hE" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="epYGK9T40hE" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="epYGK9T40hE" field="authentic" />
|-
| Gulapi Nata Sankirtana Academy teachers and students || 𝟏𝟏𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 Guiding students in the practice of Manipur Nata Sankirtana songs. || https://www.youtube.com/embed/wmXycgoLPgI || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Gulapi Nata Sankirtana Academy. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2025-08-11. Primary academy identifies actual sung practice; musical group rehearsal retained, not treated as a sermon or spoken-only lesson. Video publication: 2026-06-28; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmXycgoLPgI 𝟏𝟏𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 Guiding students in the practice of Manipur Nata Sankirtana songs.].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2025-08-11 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmXycgoLPgI Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Gulapi Nata Sankirtana Academy. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2025-08-11. Primary academy identifies actual sung practice; musical group rehearsal retained, not treated as a sermon or spoken-only lesson. || <muglobe-flag video="wmXycgoLPgI" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="wmXycgoLPgI" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="wmXycgoLPgI" field="authentic" />
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| Kha Manipur Hindusthani Sangeet Mahavidyalaya students and faculty || Nupa Pala &amp; Pung Cholom performance - 'Festival of Sankirtana &amp; Folk Dance' by KMHSM, Kakching. || https://www.youtube.com/embed/yYHge02qFwU || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Kha Manipur Hindusthani Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2025-03-27. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2026-04-19; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYHge02qFwU Nupa Pala &amp; Pung Cholom performance - 'Festival of Sankirtana &amp; Folk Dance' by KMHSM, Kakching.].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2025-03-27 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYHge02qFwU Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Kha Manipur Hindusthani Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2025-03-27. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="yYHge02qFwU" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="yYHge02qFwU" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="yYHge02qFwU" field="authentic" />
|-
| Baidyardighi Nata Sankirtana ensemble, Tripura || &#124;MANIPURI NATA SANGKITAN IN TRIPURA&#124;2026 ge BASANTA UTSAV Ta Baidyardighi ge pala mayam yengminarase || https://www.youtube.com/embed/ijpgWatS38M || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Abhishek Singha. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2026. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2026-03-21; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijpgWatS38M &#124;MANIPURI NATA SANGKITAN IN TRIPURA&#124;2026 ge BASANTA UTSAV Ta Baidyardighi ge pala mayam yengminarase].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2026 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijpgWatS38M Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Abhishek Singha. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2026. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="ijpgWatS38M" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="ijpgWatS38M" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="ijpgWatS38M" field="authentic" />
|-
| Bharat Parv2026 Manipuri Pung Cholom ensemble || Traditional Manipuri Dance &#124; PUNG DHOL CHOLOM &#124; Part 2 &#124; Live Performance at Bharat Parv 2026 || https://www.youtube.com/embed/v7jxbUaElTE || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Exploring Delhi with Deb. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2026. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2026-02-03; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7jxbUaElTE Traditional Manipuri Dance &#124; PUNG DHOL CHOLOM &#124; Part 2 &#124; Live Performance at Bharat Parv 2026].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2026 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7jxbUaElTE Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Exploring Delhi with Deb. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2026. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="v7jxbUaElTE" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="v7jxbUaElTE" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="v7jxbUaElTE" field="authentic" />
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| Okram Raseshori and team || Okram Raseshori gi team na nat sangkritan sakpa taminnasi, #Manipur 2 January 2026 || https://www.youtube.com/embed/m52P4c84kWM || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: CACHARLIVE. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2026-01-02. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2026-01-03; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m52P4c84kWM Okram Raseshori gi team na nat sangkritan sakpa taminnasi, #Manipur 2 January 2026].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2026-01-02 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m52P4c84kWM Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: CACHARLIVE. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2026-01-02. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="m52P4c84kWM" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="m52P4c84kWM" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="m52P4c84kWM" field="authentic" />
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| Manipuri Nata Sankirtan Bashok Esei ensemble || Manipur Nat Sankirtan Bashok Esei || https://www.youtube.com/embed/DEWf_0_oc3Q || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Sunita Lairenmayum. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2025-05-23; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEWf_0_oc3Q Manipur Nat Sankirtan Bashok Esei].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEWf_0_oc3Q Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Sunita Lairenmayum. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="DEWf_0_oc3Q" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="DEWf_0_oc3Q" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="DEWf_0_oc3Q" field="authentic" />
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| JNMDA Foundation Day Sankirtana ensemble || 65th Foundation Day JNMDA April 01-03-2019 || https://www.youtube.com/embed/47a7TTE3AiA || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Pari Maisnam nata sankirtana . Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2019-04. Source gives Foundation Day programme April1–3,2019; an exact individual performance day is not invented. Video publication: 2024-08-12; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47a7TTE3AiA 65th Foundation Day JNMDA April 01-03-2019].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2019-04 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47a7TTE3AiA Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Pari Maisnam nata sankirtana . Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2019-04. Source gives Foundation Day programme April1–3,2019; an exact individual performance day is not invented. || <muglobe-flag video="47a7TTE3AiA" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="47a7TTE3AiA" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="47a7TTE3AiA" field="authentic" />
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| Manipuri Sankirtana performing ensemble || Manipuri Sankirtana || https://www.youtube.com/embed/h9tct87iBqU || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Wish Traveller. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual ensemble performance; source identifies Manipuri Vaishnava community context, individual musicians uncredited, traveler is not invented as singer. Video publication: 2022-10-11; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9tct87iBqU Manipuri Sankirtana].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9tct87iBqU Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Wish Traveller. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual ensemble performance; source identifies Manipuri Vaishnava community context, individual musicians uncredited, traveler is not invented as singer. || <muglobe-flag video="h9tct87iBqU" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="h9tct87iBqU" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="h9tct87iBqU" field="authentic" />
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| JNMDA Dhon Dholok Cholom ensemble || Dhon Dholok Cholom JNMDA || https://www.youtube.com/embed/NnJr1KnRipw || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: M khomeiton nata pung. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual Manipuri rhythmic drum-dance performance; named dholok component labelled, not silently substituted for a vocal qasida or Bengali kirtan. Video publication: 2022-09-13; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnJr1KnRipw Dhon Dholok Cholom JNMDA].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnJr1KnRipw Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: M khomeiton nata pung. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual Manipuri rhythmic drum-dance performance; named dholok component labelled, not silently substituted for a vocal qasida or Bengali kirtan. || <muglobe-flag video="NnJr1KnRipw" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="NnJr1KnRipw" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="NnJr1KnRipw" field="authentic" />
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| Harimati Dance and Music Centre Nupa Pala ensemble || INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE ( MANIPURI  -Sankirtana that inscribed  by UNESCO in RLICHH /HDMC's Archive || https://www.youtube.com/embed/d8McZpDyw0M || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Hdmc Imphal. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2018-12-24. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2022-08-09; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8McZpDyw0M INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE ( MANIPURI  -Sankirtana that inscribed  by UNESCO in RLICHH /HDMC's Archive].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2018-12-24 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8McZpDyw0M Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Hdmc Imphal. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2018-12-24. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="d8McZpDyw0M" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="d8McZpDyw0M" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="d8McZpDyw0M" field="authentic" />
|-
| JNMDA certificate-award Pung Cholom soloist || Manipuri sankirtan pung cholom solo performance for Certificate Award Ceremony at JNMDA.(episod-1) || https://www.youtube.com/embed/DoHUR2oA8Ow || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: 1. khuman khamba.......#₹#@@. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2022-06-05; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoHUR2oA8Ow Manipuri sankirtan pung cholom solo performance for Certificate Award Ceremony at JNMDA.(episod-1)].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoHUR2oA8Ow Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: 1. khuman khamba.......#₹#@@. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="DoHUR2oA8Ow" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="DoHUR2oA8Ow" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="DoHUR2oA8Ow" field="authentic" />
|-
| JNMDA Rajyapal gold-medallist performer || JNMDA rajyapal gold medallist performance || https://www.youtube.com/embed/w0dcrb1po8w || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Binoy Nameirakpam. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual musical performance by the identified award recipient; source does not establish that uploader Binoy Nameirakpam is the sole performer, full identity remains uncredited. Video publication: 2022-06-01; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0dcrb1po8w JNMDA rajyapal gold medallist performance].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0dcrb1po8w Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Binoy Nameirakpam. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual musical performance by the identified award recipient; source does not establish that uploader Binoy Nameirakpam is the sole performer, full identity remains uncredited. || <muglobe-flag video="w0dcrb1po8w" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="w0dcrb1po8w" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="w0dcrb1po8w" field="authentic" />
|-
| Guru Lakpati; Yumnam Bhumeshwor Singh || Nata Sankirtana By - Guru Lakpati &amp; Yumnam Bhumeshwor Singh || https://www.youtube.com/embed/vCZm2GpgUfg || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Yumjao Mayum living Art Academy. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2021-05-16; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCZm2GpgUfg Nata Sankirtana By - Guru Lakpati &amp; Yumnam Bhumeshwor Singh].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCZm2GpgUfg Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Yumjao Mayum living Art Academy. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="vCZm2GpgUfg" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="vCZm2GpgUfg" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="vCZm2GpgUfg" field="authentic" />
|-
| Guru Lakpati; Ustad Kamal Sabri; Yumnam Bhumeshwor Singh; Randolph Moirangthem || Guru Lakpati/Ustad Kamal Sabri Duet : Manipuri Nata sankrita and Hindustani classical music Part 2 || https://www.youtube.com/embed/nv-1KQHLEsE || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Guru Lakpati. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Explicit Nata Sankirtana/Hindustani duet with pung and tabla; contemporary classical dialogue labelled rather than treated as an unmodified temple rite. Video publication: 2020-05-03; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv-1KQHLEsE Guru Lakpati/Ustad Kamal Sabri Duet : Manipuri Nata sankrita and Hindustani classical music Part 2].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv-1KQHLEsE Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Guru Lakpati. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Explicit Nata Sankirtana/Hindustani duet with pung and tabla; contemporary classical dialogue labelled rather than treated as an unmodified temple rite. || <muglobe-flag video="nv-1KQHLEsE" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="nv-1KQHLEsE" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="nv-1KQHLEsE" field="authentic" />
|-
| Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy ensemble || laya laasya lahari -2019-Kalaadytama-   Art and spirituality - performance by  Nata Sankirtana || https://www.youtube.com/embed/cIGJsT1-VFY || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: lasya Tandava ShivakalaShiromani Veena c seshadri . Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2019. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2020-04-20; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIGJsT1-VFY laya laasya lahari -2019-Kalaadytama-   Art and spirituality - performance by  Nata Sankirtana].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2019 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIGJsT1-VFY Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: lasya Tandava ShivakalaShiromani Veena c seshadri . Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2019. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="cIGJsT1-VFY" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="cIGJsT1-VFY" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="cIGJsT1-VFY" field="authentic" />
|-
| N. Chaotombi and party || Nat Eshei  By N. Chaotombi &amp; Party || https://www.youtube.com/embed/gJSsgujg3cI || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Doordarshan Manipur. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2019-09-27; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJSsgujg3cI Nat Eshei  By N. Chaotombi &amp; Party].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJSsgujg3cI Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Doordarshan Manipur. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="gJSsgujg3cI" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="gJSsgujg3cI" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="gJSsgujg3cI" field="authentic" />
|-
| Y. Binarani Devi and party || NAT ESHEI (GOURANG BHABI) || https://www.youtube.com/embed/SxpxkFhaFg0 || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Doordarshan Manipur. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2018-08-03; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxpxkFhaFg0 NAT ESHEI (GOURANG BHABI)].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxpxkFhaFg0 Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Doordarshan Manipur. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="SxpxkFhaFg0" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="SxpxkFhaFg0" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="SxpxkFhaFg0" field="authentic" />
|-
| Tapasya Centre for Performing Arts ensemble || Pung Cholom dance - Soul of Manipuri Sankirtana music and dance || https://www.youtube.com/embed/iLGlHifQZe4 || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: WildFilmsIndia. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual choreographed Pung Cholom musical drumming/dance at Sangai festival; rhythmic instrumental component of Manipuri Sankirtana, not a spoken instruction film. Video publication: 2016-01-30; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLGlHifQZe4 Pung Cholom dance - Soul of Manipuri Sankirtana music and dance].</ref> || classical || unknown || unknown || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLGlHifQZe4 Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: WildFilmsIndia. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Actual choreographed Pung Cholom musical drumming/dance at Sangai festival; rhythmic instrumental component of Manipuri Sankirtana, not a spoken instruction film. || <muglobe-flag video="iLGlHifQZe4" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="iLGlHifQZe4" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="iLGlHifQZe4" field="authentic" />
|-
| Progressive Artiste Laboratory ensemble; Tiken Singh || Manipuri Dance &#124; Nupa Pala Sankirtan &#124; Khajuraho Festival &#124; Awara Musafir Diaries 30 || https://www.youtube.com/embed/DuXeHHkpLZE || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Awara Musafir. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2015. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. Video publication: 2015-03-21; original-release and performance dates are separate. Advancing embedded playback checked 20 October 2026.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuXeHHkpLZE Manipuri Dance &#124; Nupa Pala Sankirtan &#124; Khajuraho Festival &#124; Awara Musafir Diaries 30].</ref> || classical || unknown || 2015 || live || unknown || country:India || supported || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuXeHHkpLZE Recording/context source] || Reviewed Manipuri sankirtana musical recording. Source: Awara Musafir. Video publication is separate from unknown original/session dates. Documented performance/session: 2015. Actual named community/ensemble musical performance and repertoire reviewed; museum/broadcaster/recorder/video-editor credits do not establish additional singing voices. Session date is unspecified separately from publication. || <muglobe-flag video="DuXeHHkpLZE" field="muglobeFavorite" /> || <muglobe-flag video="DuXeHHkpLZE" field="currentHit" /> || <muglobe-flag video="DuXeHHkpLZE" field="authentic" />
|}

== Related genres ==
Manipuri dance and Ras Lila have close cultural relationships with sankirtana while requiring their own descriptions. Other Hindu kirtan traditions share devotional vocabulary without reproducing the same musical and bodily organization. Regional folk and popular practices coexist within Manipur and should not be absorbed into this category. For discovery, choose a contextualized segment, follow the roles of voice and percussion and learn the occasion being marked. The tradition becomes clearer as purposeful community performance than as a generic display of exotic drumming and devotion.

=== References and further reading ===
<references />

* [https://ich.unesco.org/doc/src/Signed%20periodic%20report%20-%20Periodic%20report-65227.pdf India periodic heritage report — sankirtana transmission]

== Hotspot mushrooms ==
Manipuri sankirtana belongs to a connected valley-based Vaishnava ceremonial and teaching landscape rather than one Imphal institution. A broad local field should retain villages and smaller settlements between public centers while explicitly avoiding the claim that this practice represents every Manipuri community or all northeastern Indian music.

These fields are editorial illustrations of musical affinity and cultural reach, not listener statistics. Radius marks the zero edge of the fade; overlapping fields of this genre combine by maximum.

{| class="wikitable muglobe-hotspots"
|+ MuGlobe hotspot mushrooms
! ID !! Location !! Latitude !! Longitude !! Radius (km) !! Strength !! Notes

|-
| manipuri-sankirtana-manipur-valley-heartland || Manipur Valley sankirtana communities || 24.65 || 93.95 || 230 || 1 || Broad valley and connected settlement coverage beyond the capital’s institutions.

|}