Cultural Fusion in a Religious Dance Drama

The Sociopolitical Origins of the Manipuri Rāsalīlās

Abstract

The article "Cultural Fusion in a Religious Dance Drama: The Sociopolitical Origins of the Manipuri Rasalilas" by Rodney Sebastian examines the Manipuri Rasalilas, highlighting their origins in the 18th century as a unique cultural and religious hybrid. The article details how Hindu Vaishnava traditions from Bengal fused with indigenous Meitei religious practices in Northeast India, particularly under the patronage of King Bhagyacandra. Drawing on ethnographic work and court chronicles like the Cheitharol Kumpapa, Sebastian argues that this fusion was driven by sociopolitical motivations, aiming to forge alliances and a shared identity amidst external threats. The article shows how pre-existing Meitei practices, such as the body metaphor, romantic narratives, the prominence of female dancers (Maibis), hierarchical religious structures, and worship through dance (Lai Haraoba), were selectively integrated and transformed within the Vaishnava framework. This resulted in a distinct aesthetic and performative doxa, where the Rasalilas became a central form of ritual worship and entertainment, eventually recognized as a classical dance of India. The analysis underscores the bidirectional nature of transculturation and the embodied transmission of religious and cultural knowledge.