Traditional Burial Practices of The Maring Community of Manipur
| Authors |
| MD Darlim & H. Suraj Singh |
| Date of Publication: June, 2026 |
| Volume: XXVI, No.- XXIX |
| DOI:10.65734/tgi.ssei.avp.ijcsss.ti.26.29.4 |
| Abstract |
| This study examines the traditional burial practices of the Maring community of Manipur and explores their ritual, symbolic, and social significance. Mortuary rituals among indigenous societies often express cultural beliefs about death, the afterlife, and the relationship between the living and the deceased. Among the Maring, burial practices represent an important cultural institution that reflects cosmological beliefs, kinship relations, and social organization. The research documents key stages of the funeral process, including the washing of the body, ritual dressing (Khangka), preparation of grave goods, burial performance, and post-burial offerings.
Using a qualitative and ethnographic approach based on oral testimonies and descriptive field observations, the study analyses these practices through anthropological perspectives such as Van Gennep’s concept of rites of passage and Durkheim’s theory of ritual and social solidarity. The findings suggest that Maring mortuary rituals guide the deceased symbolically toward the afterlife (Khiya Ram) while reinforcing collective identity and moral order within the community. Cont… |
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