The Ima Keithel — Mothers' Market in Meitei — is one of the most remarkable markets in Asia and arguably the most important sight in Imphal. More than three thousand women run stalls in a complex of adjoining buildings in the heart of the city, selling everything from fresh fish, vegetables, and spices to handwoven phanek textiles, dried goods, and household items. The rule that only married women may sell here has been maintained for over five centuries.
The market is best visited in the morning when it is busiest. The vegetable and fish sections are downstairs; the textile section, where you can watch weavers at work and buy directly, is upstairs. Even if you are not buying, it is one of the great spectacles of India's northeast — loud, colourful, and unlike anything in the rest of the subcontinent.