Manipur

Manipuri Ras Lila moves with a stillness unlike any other Indian classical form — circular, restrained, devotional. A few kilometres away, the same discipline trains practitioners in Thang-Ta, a sword and spear martial art that predates the dance by centuries.

Loktak Lake's floating villages and Kauna grass craft round out a state where nature, performance and combat training have always shared the same calendar of festivals, especially around Yaoshang and Lai Haraoba.