Context: Manipur boasts a rich cultural heritage but some of its invaluable art forms like Subika Paintings are on the brink of extinction due to neglect.

About Subika painting

• Type: It is an early visual art form of Manipur.

• Community: It is a style of painting which is linked to the Meitei community’s cultural history.

• Manuscript: It is surviving through its six manuscripts — Subika, Subika Achouba, Subika Laishaba, Subika Choudit, Subika Cheithil and Thengrakhel Subika.

• Origin: The royal chronicle, Cheitharol Kumbaba, doesn’t mention a specific founder. However, experts estimate the use of Subika paintings since the 18th or 19th century.

Key points

• It is a composition of cultural motifs made by pre-existing features and other influences encouraged by cultural world-views of the community.

• The illustrations of Subika Laishaba have visual language from the elements such as lines, shapes, forms, colours, and patterns.

• These visual images become Meitei’s cultural motif, and structure to create visual effects as well as express cultural significance.

• The visual images are painted on handmade paper.

• The materials of manuscripts are prepared indigenously, either handmade paper or barks of trees.