Background
Imphal district has the highest concentration of weavers. One of the notable features of Manipur Handloom Industry is that the entire workforce comprises women. This implies that every second woman in Imphal East is involved in handloom in one way or the other.
The women are involved in weaving, dyeing, bleaching and also trading of finished products and yan. This handloom cluster owes its origin to the inherent need of the people of Manipur to cloth themselves. In a bid to distinguish themselves from the tribal societies they came up with different ethnic designs and motifs in their attire. This makes the cluster more vibrant and colorful in its creation. The advantage of the cluster is the presence of skilled and expert weavers and craftsmen and its proximity to the market.
Details –
Number of handlooms – 2,276
Number of weavers – 3,870
Handloom products – khudei, mayek naibi, moirang phi, leirum, wanghkheiphee, home furnishing.
Cluster Accessibility –
Imphal is well connected with Roadways and Airways.
Roadways – 8 km away from Imphal Bus Stop.
Airways – 12 km away from imphal airport.
Reference – http://handlooms.nic.in/User_Panel/UserView.aspx?TypeID=1242
