Manipuri dance form finds its mythological origin to the celestial dance of Shiva and Parvati in the valleys of Manipur along with the local ‘Gandharvas’. The dance form traces its origin to the festival of Lai Haraoba where many dances were performed. However, the dance gained prominence with the advent of Vaishnavism in the 15th century. Then, Krishna became the central theme of this dance form.
It is performed generally by females.
In modern times, Raja Bhag Chandra of Manipur in the 18th century tried to revive Manipuri dance. Rabindranath Tagore brought back the dance form into limelight when he introduced it in Santiniketan.