Sources , built in Bishnupur The primary source concerning ancient and medieval Manipur has been restricted to the
Cheitharol Kumbaba (
Ch. K.) – the court history of the kings of Manipur – which dates the first king to 33 CE. However, the historical record herein up to the reign of
King Kyampa (1467–1508 CE) are noted to have been redrafted during the reign of
Ching-Thang Khomba (Bhagyachandra) in the mid- to late-18th century because those leaves were "lost". This part of the chronicle remains particularly unreliable. The kings of that period are assigned extraordinary spans of length, and there is a scarcity of objective information. Saroj Nalili Parratt hypothesizes that many of these monarchs were probably borrowed from the cultural pantheon and interspersed with religious myths to fit into their collective memory of intra-clan conquests and legitimize the current rule by the Meitei. Parratt as well as
Gangmumei Kamei suspect that the initiation date of 33 CE was arrived upon by the scribes via astrological calculations.
Ch. K. is also a Meitei chronicle –
Meitei being one of the migrant clans, originally named Ningthouja, who (at some unknown point of time) assimilated others into a confederacy, and gained rulership of the monarchy – with the early sections being essentially themed on the expansion of the Meitei across the valley of Manipur and other exploits. Some local authors have used
Puyas, archaic Manipuri manuscripts in their reconstruction of Manipuri History. This tendency has been criticized by Parratt and others; none of these texts are yet dated by professional historians or subject to serious textual-critical scrutiny, and hence are not suitable for purposes other than commenting on Meitei traditions. Scholars have also found Puyas to have been (potentially) forged by
Meitei Nationalists in support of their
reinvention of history and tradition.
Mythology and early kings Pakhangpa, a primordial dragon god in Meitei mythology, is credited in
Ch. K. for having established the Meitei rule by subjugating the "Poireitons". The first seven kings mentioned over
Ch. K. – Pakhangpa, Tompok, Taothingmang, Khui Ningngongpa, Pengsipa, Kaokhongpa and Naokhampa – allegedly ruled until 411 CE. Barring Pakhangpa and Taothingmang, the chronicle only records the regnal span of each king. Parratt notes that there's not even any evidence of these seven rulers belonging to the same dynasty, and in all probabilities they were reconstructed from oral legends of varying origins. The chronicle itself mentions that nothing much is known about these "divine"-like kings. in front of the inner entrance gate to the
Kangla Palace of
Imphal, which was once the ruling seat of the
Meitei kings in old days.|leftNaokhampa was succeeded by Naophangpa, about whom nothing significant is mentioned in the chronicle. He was succeeded by his son Sameirang, who fought a successful battle over Aangom, a fellow clan. The next ruler was Konthoupa and his reign saw some devastating warfare with "Senloi Langmai". After a monarch-less span of five years, Naothingkhong became the next king. During his reign the chieftain of Pong Kingdom is noted to have engaged in an annexation spree before returning via Manipur. Khongtekcha was the next king; a successful battle over the Moirang clan is noted, and he ruled for ten years. After a gap of eleven years, the next king was Keirencha, who ruled for fifteen years. He was succeeded by Yarepa, who reigned for twenty two years. Nothing else is noted about these two kings. The next four kings were Aayangpa, Ningthoucheng, Chenglei Yipan Lanthapa and Yirengpa, who ruled for a combined total of 253 years. All of them are noted to have emerged victorious in varied kinds of warfare over fellow clans – Aayangpa subdued the Nongyai Khumans, Ningthoucheng raided Houkei, Lanthapa captured a group of Luwangs, and Yirengpa defeated the Moirangs as well as Khumans. Loiyumpa was the next king, and Ch. K. records his reign in considerable detail. He is credited with the initiation of the first 'constitution'. He was succeeded by Loitongpa, who emerged successful in some undescribed battles on the eastern fronts, probably waged over autochthonous ethnic groups. After a rule of twenty eight years, he was succeeded by Aatom Yoirenpa, who ruled for thirteen years. Yoirenpa was soon chased out by his brother and had to take refuge with the Khumans. Under Yiwanthapa, who reigned for thirty two years, a successful war was waged on the Khumans and their chief queen was murdered. The next ruler was Thawanthapa. In a thirty six year long rule, he subdued multiple internal and external threats. Despite allying with the Khumans once, in a raid against the villagers of Hairem, he would go on to defeat the Khumans. The next king was Chingthang Lanthapa, who defeated the Khumans as well as Kamus, in his eleven year long rule. Thingpai Senhongpa succeeded him; nothing significant is noted except that he ruled for 5 years. Puranthapa, the next king, re-defeated the Khumans at Pairou, consolidated the territories of Koupa Koutai, and conquered the Chakpas. Khumompa became king in 1263 and went on to ally with the Khumans to successfully ward off an invasion by the rulers of
Kabaw Valley. A battle over the mountain-folks of Hao was also waged and their king Maimumpa was captured. Moirampa succeeded him, and again defeated the Khumans as well as Moirangs. Other battles against the Kekes and people of Makihao are noted; Korirong was captured. Thangpi Lanthapa ruled for twenty two years and trounced the Moirangs as well as the Loipi Haos; Tengkongbi and Marem Namngapa were captured. Kongyapa ascended in 1324 went on to succeed him. He was succeeded by Tenheipa, who reigned for twenty years and engaged in a multitude of warfare. Nothing is mentioned about the next ruler Tonapa, except that he reigned for five years. Then, Tapungpa ascended to the throne and waged successful warfare against the Loipi Marems, before being assassinated by Khamlangpa, the king of Chingsong, after thirty five years of rule. Again, there is a scarcity of information about the next king Lairenpa; he reigned for five years and there were no king for five, after. Punsipa's reign went until 1432, and was witness to numerous clashes including one with Moirangs. One of the early states of the region was the
Kangleipak State, its first constitution, the
Loiyumba Sinyen, was made during the reign of King
Loiyumba in the late 11th century.
Early Modern in the "Palace Compound" in
Imphal, was the center of
Meitei Vaishnavism of the
Meitei Hindus in Manipur. The
early modern period is often called "medieval" by Meitei historians. Ningthoukhompa ruled from 1432 to 1467. He routed out the Moirangs, and repulsed a rebellion by the Tankhnus of the mountains. During the reign of Meidingu
Senbi Kiyamba (1467–1507) the ancient Meitei faith,
Sanamahism, began to collapse. It was during his reign that the Brahmin people migrated to the kingdom and the volume of
Vaishnavists proceeded with the worship of the Pheiya (sacred stone from Pong kingdom) as the Hindu God
Vishnu. This was the origin of
Meitei Vaishnavism.
Kuranganayani was a Manipuri princess who became queen of
Ahom in 1768. During the reign of king
Gharib Niwaz (born Pamheiba, 1709–1748), the name of the kingdom was changed from Kangleipak to Manipur. It was during his regime the religion of the entire Meitei ethnicity was forcibly converted from
Sanamahism into
Hinduism. In 1729, the legendary burning of the sacred scriptures of Sanamahism took place during the reign of Gharib Niwaz. This event is annually commemorated during the
Puya Meithaba.
Modern of
Manipur in the
Flag of Manipur The history of modern Manipur covers the history of Manipur from the
Seven Years Devastation to the Burmese Empire and to the present day.
Seven Years Devastation The Burmese invaded Manipur several times but the most notable one was in 1819, during the reign of King Marjit. The Burmese occupied Manipur from 1819 to 1826. During this time, Manipur was devastated and there was chaos and anarchy everywhere. This dark period is called
Chahi Taret Khuntakpa (
Seven Years Devastation).
Manipuri Levy There were exploitations of the Manipuri Levy, which was the first standing army of
Manipur, born out of the Manipur National Struggle against the Burmese rule during the
Seven Years Devastation.
Anglo-Manipuri War In the year 1891, the historic Anglo-Manipuri war (Manipur's National Liberation Struggle) took place. The Manipuri soldiers showed their might in the losing battle, sacrificing their lives for the motherland. The combat ended with a British victory.
Japanese bombing of
No. 42 Squadron RAF based at Kangla, Manipur, piloted by "Chowringhee" Campbell, attacking a bridge near a small Burmese settlement. Japanese bombing in
Imphal took place several times in the history of Manipur, thereby creating high casualties to the people of
Manipur. The first bombing was in the year 1942, heralding the beginning of the
Second World War in
Manipur. == See also ==