Manipur University of Culture

The university was established under The Manipur University of Culture Act, 2015, which was passed by the Manipur Legislative Assembly earlier that year.^[2][3] The bill received the assent of the Governor of Manipur on 10 April 2015 and was published in the Manipur Gazette on 5 May 2015. The state government subsequently appointed 25 August 2015 as the date of commencement of the Act.^[1]

The first Vice-Chancellor, Prof. N. Khogen Singh, and the first Registrar, L. Joychandra Singh, took charge on 4 December 2015 under the transitional provisions of the Act, marking the start of the university's functional operations as a teaching and affiliating institution.^[1] Academic activities began the following year, and the university was formally inaugurated by the Governor of Manipur on 12 August 2016, in the presence of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister of the state.^[1] Regular classes for the first cohort of students commenced in September 2016.^[4][5][6] In November 2017, the University Grants Commission empowered the institution to award degrees through its own departments under Section 22 of the UGC Act, 1956.^[1]

The university held its first convocation ceremony on 10 March 2026 at the City Convention Centre in Imphal, where Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, in his capacity as Chancellor, conferred degrees and gold medals on more than 400 graduating students. Prasan Kumar Swain, Vice-Chancellor of the Utkal University of Culture, Bhubaneswar, attended the ceremony as a guest.^[7][8]

The university's administrative office is located within the building complex of the Department of Art and Culture, Government of Manipur, in the Palace Compound area of Imphal East, near the Bhagyachandra Open Air Theatre. In its early years, teaching activities were held in the buildings of the Imphal Art College, the Government Dance College and the Government Music College, pending the development of dedicated facilities.^[1]

The Governor of Manipur is the ex officio Chancellor of the university, while academic and administrative leadership rests with the Vice-Chancellor. As of 2026 the Vice-Chancellor is Paonam Gunindro Singh, with Laishram Radhakanta serving as Registrar.^[7] The university is recognised by the University Grants Commission and is included in its official list of state universities,^[9] and is a member of the Association of Indian Universities.^[1]

The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes organised around departments devoted to particular cultural traditions of Manipur. Bachelor's and master's degrees are offered in disciplines including Dance, Music, Thang-Ta, Sankirtana, Theatre and Performance Studies, Tribal Studies, Visual Arts, Umanglai Haraoba, Manipuri and English, alongside Cultural Studies.^[1] Most undergraduate programmes follow a six-semester structure spread over three years, with the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts running for four years; postgraduate programmes are typically of two years' duration. Doctoral degrees are offered under regulations adopted by the Academic Council in 2021 covering the streams of performing arts, visual arts, humanities, social science and arts.^[1]

The Department of Dance offers a B.A. covering Manipuri forms such as the Lai Haraoba dance, the Raasleela, the Kabui Naga dance and the Mao dance, alongside other Indian classical traditions. The Department of Sankirtana teaches Pung, Eshei, Cholom and Manoharsai across six semesters, with a dissertation in the final term, while the Department of Thang-Ta teaches the indigenous martial art of sword and spear with a stated emphasis on self-defence, physical discipline and the socio-cultural history of Manipur and its neighbours.^[1] Admission to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes is generally based on a written entrance test conducted by the university, followed by a practical demonstration or interview, with separate merit-based criteria for some performing-arts disciplines.^[1]