The Valley of Manipur
- Part 2 -

Akham Bidhanchandra *

Breath-taking landscape of Manipur taken by Bullu Raj :: 2012

When I started writing the earlier article on the same title, I had a lot of materials with me which I collected for writing an article for the Platinum Jubilee Souvenir of the Forest Department. In going through these documents, I found a few relevant materials for this article. Not only writing this article, I enjoyed going through the historical accounts. In addition, the overwhelming feeling was that we had such a long past, a glorious past.

I had an impulse to compare the writings of the early Europeans with those of later ones. Those people on whose writings the culture and people of Manipur let me say of the Valley of Manipur became known to the outside world were of the period of post Seven years Devastation (1819-1826) to Anglo Manipur War (1891).

The writers such as Col Mac Cullock, Dr. R Brown, Alexander McKenzie, and T.C. Hudson were neutral persons who genuinely wanted to help the country of Manipur in those days. Of course, anything they wanted to write about the Country of Manipur, they wrote using the phrase the “Valley of Manipur”. During this period, the kingdom which became scattered during Burmese raids and Seven years devastation were reconstructed and consolidated.

Once between Chindwin and Surma, having a vast country, the kingdom was then having only about 8000 sq. miles comprising of central plains and surrounding mountainous territory ( Mac Cullock and Dr. R. Brown) and another about 7900 sq. miles of Kabaw Valley, the Kabaw Valley also being in the hands of Burmese in exchange of a paltry 6250 rupees per annum.

Of course this was an arrangement engineered by British, because the Pemberton Line is close to the existing border, not near the river, more for their interest than of the people of Manipur. On the western front, the Maharaj Gambhir Singh was misled or forced (not on record) to sign an accord of handing over the fertile plains of Eastern Cachar (up to Jiri River) in exchange of mountainous portion of Kalanaga Hills ( a large chunk of land in the Western part of the state near the Barak).

These are of course facts, to be taken with a pinch of salt. Regarding Northern Boundary, British had consolidated their position and being a friendly power on whom the maharaja owe an obligation for setting up Manipur Levy. Later, again while preparing the maps of British India, a number of villages of Manipur were included in their territory, which in spite of protests from Manipur were never returned.

Inspite of such moves, the Europeans in Manipur were quite friendly and their accounts were quite neutral during this period. They are not fully responsible for the designs of the rulers in Delhi (or London). During this period the country (Manipur) prospered, whatever the present extent of land was consolidated during this period.

This is glorious period for the people of Manipur, can be regarded as Golden Age. The population grew from twenty thousand males after Burmese occupation to a total population of about 1.6 lakhs in 1871.

A mystique land, the name Valley of Manipur (denoting the country of Manipur) became a favourite phrase for their people back in the empire. During this period Lieut. Percy Eld identified the Brow Antlered Deer, which was a famous discovery.

However, after Anglo Manipur war the equations have changed and they were never friendly to the people of Manipur and their notorious policy of divide and rule became quite obvious. They never forgave the people of Manipur for killing five Europeans and maintain an agenda in all their major maneuvers.

The Maharaja was more of a titular king, the Political Agent and the British Crown keeping over riding authority in the administration of the country. They manipulated the relations, changed the systems and changed the course to destiny. There had been total departure from the earlier practices of Governance.

During the period prior to British occupation, the king was the sovereign authority. There are accounts of allocating lands to the hill villages for their settlement by the king during the reign of Maharaj Nar Singh in the Royal Chronicles (The Cheitharol Kumbaba).

There are also accounts of the royal couple inspecting Natum Ching (1714 AD), Ngaprum Chingjin (1715 AD), Lamka Konchin (1743 AD). But later, during the British Rule, the king being subordinated to the Political Agent, did not enjoy the absolute sovereign powers and thus changed the destiny of the people.

The history cannot be undone. Their motives are now well understood, but we have to bear the brunt. It may take a long time to come out of the shackles of the colonial rule. Yes, if we realise the history, there will be an answer one day, perhaps.