This volume contains a copy of the original text of the Cheitharon Kumpapa, the Court Chronicle of the Kings of Manipur which is authorised by the Palace, and the English translation from the original composed in archaic Manipuri script (Meetei Mayek). Explanatory notes and a glossary complement this interesting source of information. Scholars working on East and South Asia will find this volume enlightening and the text will be useful for those readers engaged in social anthropology, religious history, archaeology, human geography and linguistics.
This book is about Manipur's emotive issue of Kabaw Valley with Burma and the role British played therein. It also displays Nehru's mishandling of Kabaw Valley by transferring the same to Burma in March 1953 without the people and the Parliament's consent. Interwoven are also various Burmese principalities / kingdoms, various reigns of Manipur kings and Manipur's controversial merger to the Indian Dominion in 1949 along with British Indian Imperialism and Indian Independence Struggle. It is done so for the reader to dissect finer inner ideas and sequences. This is all the more necessary at the time of critical analysis of Manipur-Burma relationship, Anglo-Manipur relationship and finally Manipur's merger to India, including the final handing over of Kabaw valley to Burma. The other reason for inclusion of these topics is to give a stimulus to our young students and researchers, present and future, to implant in-depth researches and new thoughts in respect of Manipur history. This is not a history book, but historical accounts presented in a sequential form and in its true perspective. Many misleading Manipuri historical accounts, presented by various historians, scholars and writers (foreign and Indians), have been highlighted and placed in a proper basket. The author has tried to incorporate in-depth new thoughts and new interpretations, which were never found in any publication / research so far, for future students and researchers. It also highlights the killing of 6 British officials, including political Agent Grim Wood and Assam Chief Commissioner Quinton, the defeat of tiny Manipur at the hands of the British Army and subsequent public hanging of Prince Tikendrajit and Thangal General along with 3 other Manipuris in May-October 1891. The introductory Chapter has tried to give a brief account of an update of Manipur, the archaeological finds, its people, its language and Cheitharol Kumpaba - the Royal Chronicle of Manipur.
The Manipuri writer Binodini's Sahitya Akademi Award-winning historical novel The Princess and the Political Agent tells the love story of her aunt Princess Sanatombi and Lt. Col. Henry P. Maxwell, the British representative in the subjugated Tibeto-Burman kingdom of Manipur. A poignant story of love and fealty, treachery and valour, it is set in the midst of the imperialist intrigues of the British Raj, the glory of kings, warring princes, clever queens and loyal retainers. Reviving front-page global headlines of the day, Binodini's perspective is from the vanquished by love and war, and the humbling of a proud kingdom. Its sorrows and empathy sparkle with wit and beauty, as it deftly dissects the build-up and aftermath of the perfidy of the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891. Binodini is the supreme stylist of contemporary Manipuri literature and an icon of Manipuri modernism, and her tale of a forbidden love and ostracism vividly brings to life the court and manners of a little-known Asian kingdom. In doing so, she recovers its little-known history, its untold relations with India and Great Britain, and a forgotten chapter of the British Raj.
The Court Chronicle of the Kings of Manipur is a three-volume series on the court history of the Manipur state. It records events from the foundation of the ruling dynasty in 33 CE. This dynasty continued until the abolition of the monarchy and subsequent merger of the state with India in 1949. The Cheitharon Kumpapa Vol. 1 chronicles the history of Manipur from 33 to 1763 CE, and Vol. 2 from 1764 to 1843 CE. This third and final volume continues the discussion until 1891 when the legitimate kingship came to an end as a result of conflict with the British. The three volumes contain an English translation of the work along with a copy of the original Manipuri script (Meetei Mayek). Explanatory notes and a glossary of frequently-used Manipuri terms complement the text. The book will be of interest to researchers on East and South Asia in the fields of history, social anthropology and linguistics.
In 1891 a major anti-British revolt erupted in the northeast Indian princely state of Manipur after a dangerously miscalculated attempt by the Government of India to assert its authority in the wake of a palace coup. Following the murder of a number of senior officers, a substantial British force descended upon the state to restore order and to bring the prime culprits to a questionable justice, generating widespread condemnation in England. The Manipur Uprising and its aftermath showed the fragility of indirect rule in India and British underestimation of native loyalty to princely rule. With fresh archival research and contemporary reports, Caroline Keen here provides a compelling account of erratic imperial policy-making at the highest level.
