INow is the time to try to understand—however briefly—the rich, complex history of Manipur. In 2012 Burmese diplomat Thant Myint-U wrote, “Stories about Manipur in the Indian media were almost always about violence.” Eleven years later, it seems nothing has changed. In this article, I want to look instead at Manipur’s past, specifically its brief, dazzling imperial moment, when it defeated the most powerful kingdom in Southeast Asia.
mountain getaway
Although it is more common to see Manipur as the distant border of the Ganges–Brahmaputra river valley, for most of its history the region’s primary geographical concern was not the vast North Indian plain to its west, but the much closer Irrawaddy river valley. . East.
Although we often think of history as being centered on river valleys, this is not the most intuitive way of understanding the region in the Far East of India today. Instead it is possible to see it as a sub-system of the Southeast Asian Massif, one of the world’s most extensive and interconnected mountain systems. Despite its inhospitable terrain, the massif serves as an elevated highway, connecting most of East Asia’s river basins and population centers. It spans ten modern nation-states, from Vietnam to India. Historically, the massif was inhabited by diverse cultures, linguistic groups and ethnicities. Their migration and trade routes affected the river basins from the Ganges to the Mekong and Yangtze. However, due to the massif’s generally poor soil and low population density, the river valley states found it difficult to penetrate and control the region. This situation only changed in the 19th century with the widespread deployment of gunpowder and telegram technology.
While the river valley states struggled to establish their authority over the massif, its own people were adept at creating their own kingdoms. Manipur was an important state in this region. Situated in an oval basin irrigated by several small rivers, it attracted a large number of communities, including speakers of Sino-Tibetan and Austro-Asiatic languages. It was an important node in the trade network linking Tibet and Yunnan (south-west China) with the Irrawaddy and Brahmaputra river basins, particularly in the trade of strong mountain ponies. many of these ponies found their way Wars of Medieval Peninsular India,
One of the most prominent Sino-Tibetan languages in the region is Meitei, which is currently one of the 22 official languages of India—along with Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. The Manipuri historian Saroj Nalini Arambam Parat writes that the Meitei were once a confederation of seven clans, each with its own divinity (The Court Chronicle of the Kings of Manipur: The Chithron Kumpapa). The union gradually came under the dominance of the Meitei Ningthouja clan and thus gained the name. It was Kanglipak, the Meitei kingdom, that would lay the foundation of present-day Manipur.
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Manipur’s royal moment
in 15th century, spurred by the formation of a kingdom by the Shan people of Upper Burma, the Kangleipak Kingdom began to centralize. Inspired by a meeting with a Pong king of Burma, the Meitei king Kyampa ordered the creation of a “national chronicle”, called Chithron Kumpapa, Which records events from the perspective of the Meitei court. This chronicle reveals a rich, colourful, cultural world: one where rivers were used for irrigation, where people loved war and enjoyed sports including boat racing and polo. It’s also surprisingly detailed. For example, an entry from 1709 CE briefly reads: “The 21st of the month of Lamta [February/March] A memorial mound was built for Nyingthem Charairongpa on Friday [the previous king], The wind was very strong that day. Many trees and bamboos were uprooted. Two people carrying cooked rice were injured when a tree fell on them.
Something even more memorable happened that year: the coronation of King Mayemba or Pamhiba. Under threat from the expanding Burmese kingdom of Taungoo – the most powerful gunpowder kingdom in Southeast Asia – Pamhiba sought to centralize Kangleipak. To do this, he relied on an ancient South Asian legitimation mechanism: the patronage of Hinduism. Gopal Das, a Gaudiya Vaishnava guru from Bengal, formally initiated the king and some courtiers in 1717. Interestingly, the king later came to be known as Gharib Nawaz, one of the titles of the famous Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti. Whether this was because he was charitable, because Khwaja worship intermingled with Vaishnavism, or simply because Pamhiba sought to portray himself as a Persian ruler, is unclear.
Last year the Burmese demanded a bride from Kangleipak. In 1717, under the guise of a wedding party, Gharib Nawaz’s soldiers surprised and abducted the Burmese bridegroom and his attendants. They also burned several villages under Burmese control and took many prisoners. This began a pattern of annual attacks and raids between Kangleipak and Burma, allowing Gharib Nawaz to acquire guns, horses and treasure, which were used to subdue tribes in the neighboring hills. All the while, he attempted to centralize his kingdom, ordering the construction of vast irrigation works through corvee labor. In 1738, after fending off attacks from both Burma and Tripura, savage Manipuri horsemen plundered and burned Buddhist holy sites on the outskirts of the ancient Burmese capital Ava (present-day Inwa). The Maharaja returned with huge booty. This was the height of Manipuri power.
In 1726, Gharib Nawaz performed a controversial ritual representing seven brought-The clan deities were brought to a sacred grove and broken, after which they were buried under a newly-built Hindu temple. A palace and several houses were burnt down, and new currency was introduced. The king’s intention behind these actions is not clear. Manipuri historian Saroj Parat describes it as an “attempt to forcibly destroy anything pre-Hindu”.Garib Niwaz: War and Religious Policy in 18th Century Manipur, She also provides evidence of the persecution of beef-eaters, the invitation of Bengali brahmins and monks, and the conflict between Gaudiya Vaishnavism at court and other sects. Burmese legends claim that Gharib Nawaz’s attack on the pagoda was motivated by religious fanaticism following the sermons given to his soldiers by his guru, Gopal Das. Gangmumei Kamei, another Manipuri historian, also supports the view that Garib Nawaz was an enthusiast (History of Manipur: Pre-Colonial Period). Although personal belief may have played a role, it cannot be separated from both royal and religious desire for power, a dynamic seen in similar incidents elsewhere in South Asia.
It is also unlikely that Gharib Nawaz’s state had the capacity to implement such measures on a large scale. They probably built temples in various places including hilly areas to act as centers of integration. And in 1738 and 1739, hundreds of Kanglipak subjects took the sacred thread. Chithron Kumpapa claims that “most people in the country were forced to take the sacred thread”, but also mentions that “many people were asked not to take the sacred thread” the following year. As a court chronicle, it is not an unbiased source. It is possible that the Maharaja attempted to use conversions as a means of enticing and controlling his elite while elevating his status. Their Hindu clergy also adopted local customs such as elephant-hunting. However, both Gharib Nawaz and his master were murdered when the Raja was forced to abdicate and leave Imphal in 1751. The deceased Maharaja was later honored as a lyeAlthough lye The worship was gradually assimilated into Manipuri Hinduism.
By the 1800s, the Burmese had ravaged Kangleipak, making it an easy target for the British. Manipur’s royal moment was over. But its rich historyth The century reminds us that the states of India’s Far East are not to be taken lightly. The incorporation of Sino-Tibetans into Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the burning of Burmese Buddhist stupas – these elements fit nowhere into the binary narratives we are accustomed to. Through their geography and history, India’s northeastern states challenge many of our assumptions about South Asia’s past, and they deserve the same importance as the Deccan or the Gangetic plains.
Anirudh Kanisetty is a public historian. He is the author of Lords of the Deccan, a new history of medieval South India, and hosts the Echoes of India and War podcasts. He tweeted @AKanisetti. Thoughts are personal.
This article is a part ofmedieval thinking‘ series that takes a deep dive into the medieval culture, politics and history of India.
(Edited by Prashant)