Following the
Burmese occupation of Manipur and of
Assam, in 1824, the British declared war on Burma, which came to be known as the
First Anglo-Burmese War. The exiled Manipur prince
Gambhir Singh sought British help for raising a force and the request was granted.
Sepoys and artillery were sent and British officers trained a levy of Manipuri troops for the battles that ensued. With British help,
Gambhir Singh succeeded in expulsion of Burmese from Manipur, after receiving additional reinforcement, he expelled the Burmese from
Kabaw Valley by 1826 as well, and Gambhir Singh became the king of Manipur, after the war the Treaty of Yandabo was signed. However, the Burmese did not agree to the cession of Kabaw Valley. After prolonged negotiations, the British agreed to return Kabaw Valley to Burma, on the ground that Marjit Singh had already ceded it earlier. Some Manipuri scholars regard this as a lease to Burma. as the British paid a compensation of 500
Sicca Rupees per month. After these developments, Manipur is deemed to have become a
British protectorate, even though its ensuing status is debated till this day. At the death of Gambhir Singh, his son
Chandrakirti Singh was only one year old, and his uncle
Nara Singh was appointed as regent. That same year the British decided to restore the Kabaw Valley to the
Kingdom of Burma, which had never been happy about the loss. A compensation was paid to Raja of Manipur in the form of an annual allowance of
Rs 6,370 and a
British residency was established in Imphal, the only town of the state, in 1835 to facilitate communication between the British and the rulers of Manipur. while in Manipur they are known as the 'Anglo-Manipur War of 1891'. The British attempt to remove Tikendrajit from his position as military commander (Senapati) and arrest him on 24 March 1891 caused a great stir. The British Residency in Imphal was attacked and the Chief Commissioner for Assam
J.W. Quinton, Col. Sken, the British Resident and other British officials were murdered. In the middle of the unrest
Ethel St Clair Grimwood, the widow of Frank St Clair Grimmond, the killed British Resident, was credited with leading a retreat of surviving
sepoys out of Manipur to Cachar. She was later lauded as a hero. A 5,000 strong punitive expedition was sent against Manipur on 27 April 1891. Three British columns entered Manipur from
British Burma, Cachar and the Naga Hills, which after several skirmishes with the 3,000 men strong Manipuri army, managed to pacify the kingdom. Following the British attack, Tikendrajit and Kulachandra Singh fled, but were captured. Tikendrajit and those Manipuris involved in the killing of the British officers were tried and hanged, while the deposed King Kulachandra Singh and other leaders of the rebellion were sent to the
Cellular Jail in the
Andaman Islands. Manipur was briefly
annexed to
British India by virtue of the
doctrine of lapse. On 22 September 1891 when
Meidingngu Churachand (Churachandra), a 5-year-old boy, was put on the throne, power was restored nominally to the Manipuri crown over the state. During the dynastic disturbances and the British intervention the Naga and
Kuki hill tribes of the state lapsed into lawlessness, with numerous instances of murder and arson in the mountain villages, a situation that lasted well into 1894. == Princely state under British Raj ==