2023 in Meitei culture

, the world's tallest statue of a polo player, dedicated to Marjing, the Meitei deity of Polo, built inside the Marjing Polo Complex, in the hilltop of the Heingang Ching, was opened to public in 2023.]]

2023 in Meitei culture, including but not limited to Meitei architecture, Meitei cinema, Meitei cuisine, Meitei dances, Meitei festivals, Meitei language, Meitei literature, Meitei music, Meitei religion, Meitei script, etc.

## Events 
* **6 January**: The Marjing Polo Statue (), dedicated to Marjing (), the Meitei deity of Polo, built inside the Marjing Polo Complex, in the hilltop of the Heingang Ching, was opened to public by Amit Shah, the then Home Minister of India. Notably, it was the world's tallest statue of a polo player.
* **13 March**: Manipur State Kala Akademi (MSKA) honoured 28 recipients of its awards in six categories  in Imphal, for the uplifting, preserving and popularizing Meitei cultural traditions of music, dance, theatre, literature and fine arts within and outside Manipur.
* **24 March**: World Poetry Day 2023 celebration in Manipur promoted the usage of Meitei language in poetic literary works.
* **25 March**: The Association of Manipuri Diaspora (AMAND) organised the Yaoshang () festival at the Don Bosco Youth Centre in Koregaon Park, Pune, Maharashtra.
* **1 April**: In Kunagaon of Bangladesh, the Lainingthou Sanamahi Temple Board (LSTB) laid the foundation stone for the construction of a shrine of Sanamahi Sanglen and Sannapung of Sanamahism.
* **5 April**: A group of 17 mountaineers of the Lainingthou Sanamahi Thougal Lup, Napat, were flagged off by the Lainingthou Sanamahi Temple Board to climb the Mount Koubru for a pilgrimage to worship God Koubru and goddess Emoinu.
* **15 April**: Meitei language was approved among 13 regional languages for Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) examination by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
* **19 May** :  () was recognised as a "World Classic" by the Cannes Film Festival 2023 and it was selected as the only film from India for the event for that year.
* **13 June**: Haobam Pabankumar's Meitei film "" () had a world premiere at the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival 2023 in China. It was the only film from India that participated in the event.
* **5 July**: In Kuwait, a footballer from Manipur draped himself with a Meitei cultural flag during the medal presentation ceremony of the South Asian Football Federation Championship (SAFF) 2023.
* **May-August**: 393 Meitei temples and shrines, including 16 Hindu temples, were destroyed during the then Manipur ethnic conflict.
* **5-9 August**: Haobam Pabankumar's documentary film *"Iron Women of Manipur"* and Meena Longjam's documentary film *"Andro Dreams"*, which were about the lives of Meitei women like Nameirakpam Kunjarani Devi, Angom Anita Chanu, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, Laibi, were officially selected and had their world premier in the 15th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) 2023 organised by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy on behalf of Government of Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram.
* **13 August**: 132nd Patriots' Day was observed giving tributes to the heroes of the historic Anglo Manipuri War of 1891.
* **20 August**: Manipuri language day (also called Meitei language day) was observed, as well as movement to achieve official classical language status was further continued.
* **20 August**: "An Anthology of Manipuri Culture", a book was released by professor M Akshayakumar Singh at the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy (JNMDA), Imphal.
* **22 August**: Ishanou, Oneness, and Eikhoigi Yum became IMDb’s top 3 Meitei language movies.
* **24 August**: Two Meitei language films, *"Eikhoigi Yum"* (Our Home) and *"Beyond Blast"*, were honoured with the best film awards in the 69th National Film Awards of India. *"Eikhoigi Yum"* won the award for the Best Feature Film in Meiteilon (Manipuri). *"Beyond Blast"* won the award for the Best Biographical Film.
* **25 August**: The MEELAL and Directorate of Language Planning & Implementation of the Government of Manipur jointly organised a coaching camp to teach Meitei Mayek script to the victims of the ethnic violence, who were then staying at the relief camps in Moirang.
* **10 September**: In the 19th Kazan International Muslim film festival in Russia’s Kazan city, Manipuri filmmaker Mayanglambam Romi Meitei achieved the best director award for his debut non-commercial Meitei language film ‘Eikhoigi Yum’ ("Our Home").
* **18 September**: Kokyet, a traditional Meitei headdress, was officially announced to be used as a uniform for the officials in the Indian Parliament.
* **24 September**: The annual Meitei Mayek script competition was held, commemorating the day the MEELAL signed an agreement with Manipur state government to implement Meitei Mayek script in the school curriculum on May 18, 2005.
* **7 October**: In the 29th National Junior Thang-Ta Championship 2023 organized by the Jammu and Kashmir Thang-Ta Association under the aegis of Thang-Ta Federation of India in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (state), the representative from Haryana was crowned winner and Manipur as the runners up. Thang Ta is a traditional Meitei martial art form.
* **15 October**: The traditional Meitei religious festival of Mera Chaorel Houba was celebrated by the Lainingthou Sanamahi Temple Board in Haying Khongban Uphong Yumpham, starting from the holy Kangla.
* **15 October**: In Mumbai, a Meitei-English bilingual film ''"Who Said Boys Can't Wear Makeup"'' which was the first film from Northeast India to address the subject of men's makeup and gender-neutral clothing, was showed.
* **October**: The Bal Sahitya Puraskar Award in Manipuri language was achieved by Dilip Nongmaithem for his book *"Ibemma Amasung Ngabemma"*.
* **November**: A new office called 'Kabui Loishang' was opened at the traditional Meitei temple of the Lainingthou Sanamahi Temple Board in Haying Khongban Uphong Yumpham, Imphal.
* **November**: On the Constitution Day, Manipur Chief Minister releases a digital form of the Constitution of Indian Republic in Meitei language and English in Meetei Mayek.
* **November**: Governor of Manipur Anusuiya Uikey opened the demonstration and performance classes of a 15-day workshop on 'rites-de-passage' of Sanamahism religion at a temple of Lainingthou Sanamahi in Imphal.
* **December**: Sorokhaibam Gambhini, a Meitei writer from Tripura achieved the Sahitya Akademi Award 2023 for her poetic writings in Meitei literature for her book titled *"Yachangba Nang Hallo"*. She is the first person from Tripura to get this award in Meitei language.

## References