Critiquing the ‘Idea of Manipur’ as a ‘Political Entity’

The present state of ‘Manipur’, a name popularised in the 19^th century, was known by different names to different people. Whereas for the neighbouring kingdoms, it was Cassay to the Shans or Pongs; Kathe to the Burmese; Meklee to the Assamese, and Meckley to the British East India Company, for the Meiteis/Meeteis, it was ‘Kangleipak’ (kang-dry; leipak-land), signifying it is a lacustrine plain, or Meitei-Leipakor Meitrabak(Land of the Meiteis). This shows that the idea of Manipur was always confined to, and referred to, the Valley and the Meiteis. Whereas various secessionist armed groups, commonly known as the Valley-Based Insurgent Groups (VBIGs), continue to use the term ‘Kangleipak’, ‘Manipur’remains the official name for the state, and hence in this article too.

In the Valley, the process of modern state formation took place way back in the 15^th century due to its advanced civilisation, but the hill tribes administered themselves with their traditional socio-political institutions which were based on their own customary laws.

Again, when Santidas Gosai, the much revered Vaishnavite Hindu priest from Silhet, came to Manipur during the reign of the then King Garibaniwaza, his mission was confined only in the Valley. In the same way, the Christian missionaries who arrived in the late 19^th century were not allowed by the colonial officials to proselytise the Hindu Meiteis in the Valley and were sent to the hills. As such, the Meiteis became devout Hindus, and the hill people get converted to Christianity thereby deepening the already existing hill-valley divide.

In fact, in the long recorded history of Manipur, the kings of Manipur never ruled the Hill Areas. There were instances of raids, or skirmishes, between the valley state and the highlanders led by their chiefs, in which the hill people were sometimes subjugated. Yet, the hill areas as a whole had never formed part of Manipur. Instead, the idea of Manipur extends only to the limit where the King in the valley state could impose his tax collection rules. In the pre-colonial period, the hill people always lived as independent and sovereign nations in their respective villages or chiefdoms free from external control. Among the Nagas, most of the villages constituted tiny republics, and war between one village and the other, even within the same tribe, was not uncommon. On the other hand, the Kuki-Zo tribes were governed more by kinship or loyalty towards their chiefs.So, the claims often made by some intellectuals that the idea of Manipur always comprises the whole geographical boundary of the present-day Manipur is absolutely erroneous.

Prof. Gangmumei Kamei, an authority on the history of Manipur,wrote: “The state of Manipur did not interfere in the hill administration and the hill villages were autonomous political entity. The hill tribes were outside the jurisdiction of the administration of the kingdom of Manipur” (Kamei, 2015: 161).Even during the British rule, the hill tribes were not administered directly from Imphal. Understanding this long historical position, William McCulloch stated: “Before the connection of the British government with that of Manipur took place, the latter, not to speak of exerting influence over the tribes, was unable to protect the inhabitants of the valley from their exaction and blackmail, and even after the conclusion of peace with Burma, and fixation of the boundary of Manipur, the majority of the tribes were independent, and known to us little more than by name” (McCulloch, 1859:73).However, the hills became under direct administration from Imphal after the Kukis were defeated in the Anglo-Kuki War, 1917-1919, as four sub-divisions, each under a sub-divisional officer, were created. Even at this point, the Political Agent, a British Official, was responsible for governing the hills since the Manipuri King were not trustworthy for this.

It may also be noted that when the King of Takhel (Tripura) launched a military campaign to Manipur during the reign of Pamheiba, he pitched his tents at Moirang, the southern boundary of Manipur at that time.Even as late as in 1896, the southern boundary remains an imaginary line drawn roughly along Moirang. This is why villages or tribes inhabiting present-day Churachandpur hardly find their place in the royal chronicles or puyas of Manipur. The only notable expedition towards the south came in the form of the Lushai Expedition, 1871-72, which is again an expedition carried out by the British where a troop of Manipur also joins. To commemorate this expedition, the Government of Manipur had attempted to construct a Memorial Parkin honour of then King Chandrakirti Singh. This attempt was strongly opposed by the tribal organisations as the stone inscriptions there misrepresent the victory of the British over the Lushais as the victory of the Manipur Maharaja.

It should also be noted that this idea of Manipur, as being associate with the Valley alone, has been part of the cosmic world of both the Meiteis and the hill tribes. There are many epic poems and songs among the Meiteis which talk about the relationship between the Hills and Valley. But, not even a single such traditions described the two as one organic whole. For instance, there is a famous saying in Manipuri which goes thus:

Chingna Koina Pansaba

Haona Koina Panngakpa

The simple meaning is:surrounded by the hills, guarded by the tribal people. This oral tradition of the Meiteis indicates that their country is surrounded by hills and protected by the hill peoples, but it doesn’t necessarily imply that the hills were under the rule of the valley state.

This dichotomy is also informed by the sub-conscious minds of the hill tribes as they never accepted the term ‘Manipuri’. For them, Manipuri refers to only the Meiteis or the Meitei Lon (language) they speak. In 2015, when the State Assembly introduced the three controversial bills, it chose to used ‘Manipur People’ and not ‘Manipuri’ to mean the people of Manipur. Even in the school syllabus of Manipur, Manipuri (subject) means the Meitei Lon subject.

Yet again, the idea of Manipur has nothing to do with the elevation/altitude compared to the Valley as some scholars often argued, but is rather rooted in the history and cosmology of the people. Understanding this stark reality, the last king of Manipur, Maharaja Bodhchandra, merged only the Valley areas to the Union of India in 1949. All this proves that though the state of Manipur in the post-colonial period refers to both the hills and the Valley, the idea of Manipur in the past has always been associated with the Imphal Valley alone.

Therefore, any attempt to put forward arguments and counter-arguments based on imagined or invented histories to claim ownership of the hills will hold no water, and the sooner the dominant community accepts the truth, it is the better for both the hill tribes and the valley dwellers for lasting peace.

(Views expressed are personal)