Territorial Integrity of Kangleipak and the Meetei Strategic Culture
- Connecting the people, land and their cultures -
- Part 2 -

Puyam Nongdrei Khuman *

Aerial View of Imphal City :: Pix - Atom Samarendra

Strategic Location of the Impham:

To understand better the above explanation, one can start with the term 'Imphal'. This term comes from the actual word 'Impham' which is generally corrupted as 'Yumpham'. Why Impham here?

When water accumulated in the valley was drained away at 'Chingnunghoot', dry mound of earth appeared. This first mound of earth is the primeval mound/hill called 'Kangla Thenpung'. We have many names such as 'Kangla Lammahan', 'Kangla Pungmayol', 'Kangla Leimayol' etc.. Thus Kangla has a unique place in the hearts and minds of the people as spiritual and once political seat of the kingdom.

This primeval mound of earth was made the centre of first habitation thus getting the name 'Impham', the place of settlement. One can clearly see that Imphal did not mean the whole valley in the early use of the term Impham. The first centre of habitation got the name 'Kangla' meaning the dried up land where 'Impham' was established.

According to the Meetei puyas, the land where this Kangla exists was named as Kangleipak. The larger part of the valley might have been lakes or wetlands even after the drilling at Chingnunghoot. So Impham was confined to a small portion of the valley in early part of human habitation in the valley.

As population increased manifold, there could have been migration of people from the valley to the hills. If one has to believe the puyas, a large number of the valley population climbed up the hills as population increased manifold in the valley with sounds of 'Hou Hou' and they later on established their settlement on the hilltops.

Now we can see the connection between the two terms 'Kangleipak' and 'Impham'. Why did our ancestors choose the central valley for settlement? Why did they drain the water?

Did they know the strategic importance of the valley surrounded by hill ranges? Answers to all these questions cannot be simply given without understanding Meetei 'yumsha-keisharol' (architecture) and 'yumbal-keiballon'.

Before I go deeper into the underlying significance of the Meetei Yumsha-Keisharol, let me tell you that every homestead of the Meeteis is a microcosmic representation of the land called Kangleipak. As I have stated above, Meetei ancestors took the wooded ranges of the hills as 'Leipal' (earthen bunds) and 'Sampal' (fence).

That is why they sang "chingna koina pansaba". Every Meetei homestead has 'Shumang Kangleipung' signifying the primeval mound Kangla as the centre of spiritual life. With the advent of hinduism it is now called tulsibong.

Before the construction of house, we all look for the best site of construction. This is followed by the formation of a raised platform of earth called 'Yumpham/Impham'. It is on this foundation (Impham) that we construct our houses facing east.

While looking for the best habitable land, the Meetei ancestors found the valley comparatively better than the hills. However, the valley's security is dependent on the hill ranges surrounding it. So the valley where the Impham is located and the surrounding hill ranges as protective fence are inseparable from their strategic calculation. The interdependence is strongly established.

Have you seen Meetei homestead without Leipal and Sampal? We can see some nowadays. But earlier our ancestors used to make 'Leipal' and planted thorny plants as 'Sampal' before thinking of constructing a house. A homestead is protected from animals by the sampal and the leipal.

The 'Leipal' is useful against heavy downpour with proper drainage system around and also during flooding of the surrounding areas. Our domesticated animals, flowers, vegetables in the kitchen garden and many others are protected by raising fence around the homestead.

This is why I said that every homestead is a microcosmic representation of the land called 'Kangleipak' defended by ranges of hills and guarded by the highlanders. A flourishing civilization, however small it may be, was possible in this part of the world because of this strategic location of the central valley. Some of the Chingmees and Tammees try to underestimate the interdependence of the two entities so blended.

If someone wants to know why our ancestors chose this small valley called Imphal valley, we have this ready answer. When the surrounding ethnic groups are having close brotherly ties with the valley inhabitants, the neighbouring powers cannot easily invade the land.

Another calculation of the Meetei ancestors could have been the land being guarded from extreme calamities caused by nature such as storm and heavy flood. 'Tutenglon' and many other ancient writings refer to dredging of the streams and river system of the valley to avoid flooding in the rainy season. The State government must learn from such ancient knowledge to harvest rainwater and proper drainage system to avoid flood in the valley.

Therefore, we can claim that our ancestors had chosen this part of the world for safeguarding from natural calamities and invading enemies. Every strategist will readily accept the fact that this central valley is strategic from many security viewpoints.

Destroying this small ancient civilization is possible if one can destroy the central valley which is something like the 'yolk' or the 'outer hard shell' meaning the hill ranges. The latest moves in the last few years clearly show that the destructive forces are attacking both the central valley and the outer hill ranges simultaneously.

Therefore, the survival of this ancient civilization depends upon unity of the hill and the valley thus reclaiming the age-old ties of hill-valley organic relationship. If we can't reclaim, the future of the people living in this part of the world is gloomy.

When the Chinese constructed the Great Wall of China to defend against the barbarians (?) coming from the northwest, our forefathers chose the valley surrounded in four directions by ranges of hills as their 'lebensraum'. We need to safeguard this and respect the same.

To be continued ....