Manipur
Manipur is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically the Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the southeast. Covering an area of 22,330 square kilometers, the state consists mostly of hilly terrain with the 1813-square-kilometre Imphal Valley inhabited by the Meitei community, historically a kingdom. Surrounding hills are home to Naga and Kuki-Zo communities, who speak Tibeto-Burman languages. The official language and lingua franca, Meitei, also belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family.
During the days of the British Raj, Manipur was one of the princely states. Prior to the British departure in 1947, Manipur acceded to the Dominion of India, along with roughly 550 other princely states. In September 1949, the ruler of Manipur signed a merger agreement with India, giving up his kingdom and obtaining a privy purse in return. Many Meitei people feel that their self-determination was violated by the agreement since the legislature elected under the constitution was not consulted. Ethnic and separatist concerns have resulted in a long-running insurgency against Indian rule. From 2009 through 2018, the conflict was responsible for the violent deaths of over 1000 people.
The Meitei people represent around 53% of the population of Manipur state, followed by various Naga tribes at 20% and Kuki-Zo tribes at 16%. Manipur's ethnic groups practice a variety of religions. According to 2011 census, Hinduism and Christianity are the major religions of the state.
Manipur has primarily an agrarian economy, with significant hydroelectric power generation potential. It is connected to other areas by daily flights through Imphal Airport, the second largest in northeastern India. Manipur is home to many sports and the origin of Manipuri dance, and is credited with introducing polo to Europeans.
Name
The name Manipur was chosen by Gharib Nawaz in the eighteenth century. It is named after a kingdom of the same name mentioned in the Hindu epic. Previously, it had been known as Kangleipak or Meiteileipak. Later, the work Dharani Samhita popularised the Sanskrit legends of the origin of Manipur's name.Other names include Sanaleibak, not given because Manipur has a lot of the gold mines, but because of its happiness and prosperity. This name was mentioned in the 11th-12th century constitution, the Loiyumba Shinyen. and is still heard in the official song of Manipur, "Sana Leibak Manipur".
History
Antiquity
The history of Manipur Meiteis is chronicled in Puyas or Puwaris, namely, the Ninghthou Kangbalon, Cheitharol Kumbaba, Ningthourol Lambuba, Poireiton Khunthokpa, Panthoibi Khongkul, and so forth in the Meitei script, which is comparable to the Thai script. The historical accounts presented here were recordings from the eyes and the judgment of Meitei kings and .The Kingdoms of Möng Kawng and Möng Mao
According to the Tai chronicles, Manipur is one of the territories conquered by Sam Lông Hpa, the first Chao Pha of Möng Kawng. A 14th-century inscription from Pagan, Myanmar, mentions Kasan as one of the 21 states under the Mong Mao ruler Thonganbwa ; he later was captured by the Governor of Taungdwingyi.Medieval
Vassal State of the Toungoo empire
, the ruler of Toungoo dynasty ordered the invasion of Manipur in 1559. He had recalled Binnya Dala from Chiang Mai to lead the invasion. The three armies mostly made up of army from Kale, Mohnyin, Mogaung, Momeik and Sanda led the invasion, the King of Manipur surrendered without any resistance and Manipur became a vassal state of theToungoo empire.
Vassal state of Konbaung dynasty
In the 18th century, Bodawpaya, the king of Burma acquired the Manipur along with the western kingdoms of Arakan, Assam.By the medieval period, marriage alliances between the royal families of Manipur, Ahom kingdom and Burma had become common. Medieval era manuscripts discovered in the 20th century, particularly the Puya, provide evidence that Hindus from the Indian subcontinent had married Manipur royalty by at least the 14th century. In centuries thereafter, royal spouses came also from what is now Assam, Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh and from other South Indian kingdoms as well. Another manuscript suggests that Muslims arrived in Manipur in the 17th century, from what is now Bangladesh, during the reign of Meidingu Khagemba. The socio-political turmoil and wars, particularly the persistent and devastating Anglo-Burmese wars, affected the cultural and religious demography of Manipur.
British colonial period
In 1824, the ruler of Manipur entered into a subsidiary alliance with the British Empire in the Indian subcontinent, which became responsible for Manipur's external defence. The British recognised that the state remained internally self-governing, as a princely state. During World War II, Manipur was the scene of many fierce battles between Japanese invaders and British Indian forces. The Japanese were beaten back before they could enter Imphal, which was one of the turning points of the overall war in South Asia. The Battle of Imphal, known to the Manipuris as Japan Laan, are among the lesser-known battles of the Second World War. Yet the Allied Victory in this battle was a turning point against the Japanese in East Asia.Post-colonial history
After the war, the Maharaja took the advice of the British Cabinet Mission and the Chamber of Princes to introduce democratic reforms in the state.The Manipur State Constitution Act of 1947 was promulgated in July 1947 to give the state an elected legislative assembly and an appointed prime minister.
Elections to the assembly were held only in the following year.
Following the decision to partition British India, all the princely states were advised to "accede" to one of the new dominions. The Maharaja acceded to India on 11 August 1947 and signed a standstill agreement to continue all the pre-existing arrangements it had with British India.
Some Meitei people argue that the king was in no legal position to sign the instrument of accession at the time.
Over the next two years, the multitude of princely states of India were extensively reorganised as India moved towards becoming a constitutional republic. Proposals for reorganisation were also made for Manipur but discarded as being unsuitable. Eventually Manipur was turned into a centrally administered province by asking the Maharaja to sign a merger agreement. He is believed to have signed it under duress.
Later, on 21 September 1949, he signed a Merger Agreement, disputed as having been done without consultation of the popular ministry under Manipur State Constitution Act 1947 and denial of the king's request to return to Manipur to discuss the same with his people.
Under 'duress' and 'coercion' Bodhachandra Singh signed the merger agreement merging the kingdom into India, which led to its becoming a Part C State.
The legislative assembly was dissolved and a centrally appointed Chief Commissioner handled the state's administration, as per the Constitution of India. An advisory council with nominated members was provided to advise the Chief Commissioner. In 1956, the advisory council was replaced by a territorial council with mostly elected members. In 1963, Manipur was provided a legislative assembly, with a council of ministers headed by a chief minister.
It was made a fully-fledged state in 1972 by the North-Eastern Areas Act, 1971.
Manipur has a long record of insurgency and inter-ethnic violence. Its first armed opposition group, the United National Liberation Front, was founded in 1964 aiming to achieve independence from India and establish Manipur as a new country. Over time, many more groups formed, each with different goals, and deriving support from diverse ethnic groups in Manipur. The People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak was formed in 1977, and the People's Liberation Army in 1978, suspected by Human Rights Watch of receiving arms and training from China. In 1980, the Kangleipak Communist Party was formed. These groups began a spree of bank robberies and attacks on police officers and government buildings. The state government appealed to the central government in New Delhi for support in combating this violence.
"Disturbed area" designation
From 1980 to 2004, the Indian government referred to Manipur as a disturbed area. This term refers to a territory where extraordinary laws under the Armed Forces Act can be used. The laws allow the military to treat private and public spaces in the same manner, detain individuals for up to 24 hours with unlimited renewals, perform warrantless searches, and to shoot and kill individuals who break laws, carry weapons, or gather in groups larger than four. Legal immunity applies to the military. Since 1980, the application of the AFSPA has been at the heart of concerns about human rights violations in the region, such as arbitrary killings, torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and forced disappearances. Its continued application has led to numerous protests, notably the longstanding hunger strike by Irom Sharmila Chanu.In 2004, the government lifted the disturbed status after a violent attack on a local woman. The rape of a Manipuri woman, Thangjam Manorama Devi, by members of the Assam Rifles paramilitary had led to wide protests including a nude protest by the Meira Paibi women's association.