Maram Khullen, The Tale of a Traditional Village.



Maram Khullen was the first among those villages I got to visit during my stay in Manipur. The journey was an uphill one and it added more scenic flavours as we went up covering each curve. The season was so dry that I couldn't enjoy much greenery and the day we visited the village was misty and cloudy too. Highly unfavourable for someone who wishes to capture good frames! Even then, the thought of having a live experience of being there in the village boosted the thrill.

 Maram Khullen is the biggest and the oldest village which is home to the Maram Nagas. They speak the Maram language. The village continues to be the epitome in preserving the tribe's socio-cultural norms and its ethnicity. The village follows the Lunar Calendar, and its traditions and customs are dated based on it. The Maram Khullen still maintains the age-old tribal tradition of Kingship. The Maram Nagas were the only tribe among the Nagas who didn't consume pork till the advent of Christianity among them. As the majority of the population are Christians now, pork became the main dish in their cuisine. But it is still forbidden to consume it in the premises of the King's yard and places which are sacred according to the tribal religion. There is a minority population among them who still follow their traditional tribal religion. The Maram Nagas own a rich cultural heritage.


The view of the village.
From the viewpoint, the Maram Khullen.
For some reasons this bench caught my immediate attention. The standalone bench from the viewpoint.
A normal day in the village.
A regular scene from these villages.
Stones have a great significance in their tradition. They are considered as sacred and in most of the cases,
women are not supposed to touch them.
Houses like this are a very common sight in the village.


The traditional house of the King is built in the Akajalika Style, which is a unique and ancient architecture.  In front of the house, there are artworks depicting warriors symbolic of head-hunting which are carved out of the wooden wall. The artworks feature bull's head and other weapons used by warriors. The Maram tribes were head-hunters in the past and the number of headcounts signifies the might of a warrior. According to the readings, for the commoners to build a house in Akajalika style they have to seek permission from the King for carving out structures of the warrior and other traditional forms.  The structures in the front part of the house signifies the might of the warrior living in the house. 

The King's Yard. The house of the King.


A traditional house built in the Akajalika style.

Through the village.
More views of the village.
A close look at the walls of  a random house.
The steps are mostly of stones .
The roads are as beautiful as you see.
More of those roads.
Those happy faces you encounter once in a while. 
Village at a glance. 
Just a few moments before the ball landed on my head. :D
The King's Yard and the Maram Khullen. 
A closer look at the King's house. The King still resides here. 
The way back.
Men in their traditional Maram Attire for their community jubilee celebration. 
Rallying.
The whole bunch, from young to aged. 
The traditional attire of Maram Naga women.

The Strength of a Community.
This won't summarise my story about the Maram village and their culture. A two weeks stay in the village has given me a chance to closely experience the culture at various levels. More of it will be shared in another write-up. Till then, Cheers! :) 

To read more about Maram Nagas, refer the links: 
< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maram_Naga> <http://manipurtimes.com/maram-khullen/>











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