Ima Keithel (English:Mothers' Market) | |
|---|---|
 .jpeg) .jpeg)   Different scenes of the Ima Keithel (Mothers' Market) ofImphal | |
| Nickname(s): Nupi Keithel (English:Women's Market) Khwairamband Keithel (English:Khwairamband Market) | |
  Ima Keithel (English:Mothers' Market) Location in Manipur, India Show map of Manipur Ima Keithel (English:Mothers' Market) Ima Keithel Show map of India(English:Mothers' Market) (India) | |
| Coordinates:24°48′29″N93°56′06″E / 24.808°N 93.935°E /24.808; 93.935 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Manipur |
| District | Imphal West |
| Named after | Meitei women |
| Languages | |
| • Colloquial | Meitei |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | |
| Management | Ima Keithel Union |
TheIma Market (Meitei:Ima Keithel; literally, Mothers' Market), also known as theNupi Keithel (English:Women's Market) or theKhwairamband Keithel (English:Khwairamband Market[1]), is a women-only market in the middle ofImphal in the Indian state ofManipur.[2][3] It is the only market in the world run entirely by women.[4] Inside the market, male shopkeepers and vendors are not allowed to sell anything.[5] TheGovernment of Manipur has announced that the male shopkeepers and vendors will be punished if their shops and vendors are found inside the market.[5][6][7] It is a commercial center and a popular tourist attraction in the state ofManipur.[8][9] It was established in the 16th century and hosts around 5,000–6,000 womenvendors who sell a variety of products.[8][10] Products such as vegetables, fruits, textiles, toys, fish, spices and utensils are available in the market.[11] It is the largest all–women market in Asia.[12]
The market was established in the 16th century following the imposition of the labour system,lallup-kaba in 1533 CE. Thelallup-kaba was aforced labour system inManipur Kingdom which required male members of theMeitei ethnicity to work in distant lands or to serve in the army. As a consequence of the system, women had to support their households by cultivating their fields or weaving textiles and then selling the products on improvised markets. The improvised markets led to the formation of the organized Ima Keithel.[11] The Ima Keithel was the primary permanent market inManipur until the 20th century.
In 1891, theBritish colonial administration attempted to impose economic and political reform inManipur Kingdom, which disrupted the functioning of the market.[11] The reforms involved large scale seizure and export of food corps from Manipur without consideration for local requirements which caused starvation at times ofMautam.[13] It led to agitations by the women of the Ima Keithel and in response, the British attempted to sell off the assets and properties of Ima Keithel to foreigners and external buyers. This, among other causes, resulted in theNupi Lan or the women's war, which eventually seized with theJapanese invasion of India.[14]
Followingindependence, the market regained prominence as a commercial center and a hub of socio-political discussions.[11][14] In 2010, the market was moved into the Khawairamband Bazaar complex constructed by theMunicipal Corporation ofImphal.[15] The complex had sustained damaged in the2016 Imphal earthquake, which effected the livelihood of around 800 vendors.[16]
The Ima Keithel is located in the Khawairamband Bazaar Complex reconstructed on the site of Purana Bazaar in central Imphal. It is located west ofKangla Fort and on the Bir Tikendrajit Road in the Thangal Bazar locality.[17] The complex consists of three large buildings withpagoda styled roofs.[18] The market is split into two sections on either side of the road.[19] Two buildings are located to the north of the main road and one to the south.Leimarel Shidabi Ima,[20] or Purana Bazar, is the oldest and largest structure in the complex andEmoinu Ima Keithel, or Laxmi Bazar is the smallest structure in the complex, both are located to the north of main road.Phouoibi Ima Keithel, or the New Market, mainly sells handloom items, especially Meitei traditional clothes, that includes various phaneks, sarees, and inaphi, is located to the south of the road. The buildings are segregated into textile housing sections and household groceries sections. There is also a section of stalls under a large tin andtarp arrangement market to the east of the main buildings.[18] In order to set up stalls in the main buildings of the market, an annual municipal fees is levied. The fee of a 16 square feet (1.5 m2) stall was₹140,000 perannum at the time of construction in 2010.[21][22] There is a licensing system in place for vendors with stalls.[23] The market houses around 5000–6000 women vendors at any given day.[10] As of 2017, the vendors at the market make an annual profit between ₹73,000 and ₹200,000. The annual turnover of the market was estimated to be between ₹40–50 Crore.[24][25]
The market is managed by aunion of all the vendors of the market. It maintains a custom of only allowing women who have been married at least once to set up stalls. The women vendors include those who are divorced or have been widowed in theinsurgency in Manipur.[14][7] To be able to sell in the market, a new woman vendor needs to be referred by a retiring vendor.[26] The vendors are primarily in the age of 45–70 years.[22] The union also runs acredit system for lending to women traders.[27]
Currently, Ima Ibeyaima. K and Ima Th.Angela are the convenors of Khwairamband Ima Keithel Joint Coordinating Committee for Peace. Asem Nirmala is the General Secretary of Khwairamband Ima Keithel Lukmai Sellup.[28]
Minister of External Affairs of India,S Jaishankar called Ima market a"great example of nari shakti (women's power) powering economic growth."[29]
In February 2023, delegates of B20 from theG20 forum visited the Ima Market. One of the delegates said,"I will tell the world that there is a beautiful market run by women that sells authentic handicrafts, clothes and others."[30][31]
'Ima Keithel' at Khwairamband Bazar is the only market in the world where, as the name suggests, all the stalls are run by women.
Ima Keithel Market, Imphal, Manipur Ima market or Nupi Keithel, in Imphal, Manipur, is the only all-women marketplace in the world.
The world famous Ima Keithel, the only unique women ́s market in the world, situated at the heart of the capital : It was established in 1636 AD by king Khagemba as a part of his ...
The Ima market or Ima keithel is a unique marketplace exclusively run by women.
