It's the 'Ima Keithel or call it as Mother's market, located in IMPHAL the capital of Manipur, It is perhaps the unique and only one of its kind in the world. The market is in in operation since the 16th Century.
The market is solely run by women and for women.
The market sells everything from fruits to vegetables, from colourful garments to handmade jewellery, from meat to sarees, you can find everything you name in this market.
The market forms a part of Manipur tradition, which dates back to 16th century.
The market was started because during those early days, Manipuri men were bussy fighting wars with the Chinese and Burmese, the woman were left behind, their was no option left for the woman to support their family, thus Manipuri women took the responsibility to support their family by earning themselves. It is therefore the woman started the trading business and thus, Mother’s Market evolved.
An Elite Daily reporter asked that why men are not allowed in the market. The answer came as, the immorality on the part of men, their inappropriate touching habits and above all men have different other opportunities to make use of, thus men are banned from the market.
There are certain rules and regulations that govern the market. For instance, a woman can sell only what her predecessors sold and they should have proper licences to sell inside the market.
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