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Manipur
Manipur
state
 • Rank23rd
Population
 • Total2,388,634
 • Rank22nd
Websitemanipur.nic.in

Manipur pronunciationⓘ (Bengali: মনিপুর, Meitei Mayek: mnipur) is a state in northeastern India making its capital in the city of Imphal. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland in the north, Mizoram in the south and Assam in the west; it also borders the country of Myanmar to the east.

The Meiteis, who live primarily in the state's valley region, are one of the primary ethnic groups. Their language, Meiteilon (also known as Manipuri), is also the lingua franca in the state. There is also sizeable population of South Indians, particularly Tamils. It was recognized as one of India's national languages in 1992. The Kukis and Nagas live in the hills of the state. The Kukis too have their own kingdoms like the Chahsat, Aisan,Jampi, etc. and were close to the Meitei kings in the plain. The independent existence of the Meitei and Kuki kings can be proved by common practice of calling Kuki village headmen by Meiteis as Ningthou, which means "King".

'Manipur' is considered a sensitive border state. Foreigners entering 'Manipur' (including foreign citizens born in Manipur) must possess a Restricted Area Permit which can be obtained from the Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office in the "metros" (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata) or certain other state government offices. Permits are valid for only 10 days, and visitors must travel only on tours arranged by authorised travel agents, in groups of four. Furthermore, they may come to Imphal only by air and will not be permitted to travel outside the capital.

History

Main article: History of Manipur

The earliest references to 'Manipur' date back to the ancient era of Mahabharata, in which several characters, such as Chitrāngadā, Ulupi, Babruvahana, and Iravan, are Manipuri’s. Chitrāngadā (चित्रांगदा) is one of Arjuna's wives. Arjuna traveled the length and breadth of India during his term of exile. His wanderings took him to ancient Manipur in the eastern Himalayas, an almost mystic kingdom renowned for its natural beauty. There, he met Chitrāngadā, the daughter of the king of Manipur, and was moved to seek her hand in marriage. Her father demurred on the plea that, according to the matrilineal customs of his people, the children born of Chitrāngadā were heir to Manipur; he could not allow his heirs to be taken away from Manipur by their father. Arjuna agreed to the stipulation that he would take away neither his wife Chitrāngadā nor any children borne by her from Manipur and wed the princess on this premise. A son, whom they named Babruvahana, was soon born to the couple. Babruvahana would succeed his grandfather as king of Manipur. Babruvahana (or Babhruvahana) is one of the sons of Arjuna, begotten through Chitrangada, the princess of Manipur, during the period of his exile at Manipur.Babruvahana was adopted as the son of his maternal grandfather, and reigned at Manipur as his successor. He dwelt there in a palace of great splendor, surrounded with wealth and signs of power. When Arjuna went to Manipur with the horse intended for the Aswamedha, there was a quarrel between Arjuna and King Babhruvahana, and the latter killed his father with an arrow. Repenting of his deed, he determined to kill himself, but he obtained from his stepmother, the Naga princess Uloopi, a gem which restored Arjuna to life. He returned with his father to Hastinapura. [1]This was on account of a curse by the Vasus, on account of Arjuna's killing Bhishma (who is an incarnation of one of the Vasus) during the Mahabharata war.

Documented history begins with the reign of King Pakhangba when the seven clans of the Manipuri society were unified. The introduction of Vaishnavism brought about a significant change in the history of Manipur.

Manipur came under British rule as a princely state in 1891. British rule ended the independent status of the Kingdom which was the last kingdom to be incorporated into British India.

During the Second World War, Manipur was the scene of many fierce battles between the Japanese and Allied forces. The Japanese were beaten back before they could enter Imphal and this proved to be one of the turning points of the War.

After the Second World War, the Manipur Constitution Act, 1947, established a democratic form of government with the Maharaja as the Executive Head and an elected legislature. In 1949, King Prabodhchandra was summoned to Shillong, capital of the Indian province of Assam to sign a Treaty of Accession merging the kingdom into India. The legislative assembly was dissolved on the integration of the state with the republic of India in October, 1949. Manipur was a union territory from 1956 and later became a full-fledged state in 1972.

Problems

The implementation of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in 1958 resulted in the designation of Manipur as a "disturbed area" . There have been some minor border disputes with Myanmar (formerly Burma), which were resolved through treaty of Yandaboo. Manipur is also involved in a border dispute with Nagaland.[citation needed]

There have been many social upheavals in the recent past, resulting in mounting tensions between the Meiteis (the valley people) and the so called Nagas residing in Manipur.[citation needed]

Some steps have been taken by the central government to appease the Manipuris. The long-standing demand to include the Meitei language in the 8th schedule was finally granted by the 71st amendment of the Constitution in 1992.

November 20, 2004 was a landmark date in the history of Manipur when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh fulfilled a long-standing demand of the Manipuri people. He officially handed over the historic Kangla Fort to Manipur state government, which issued an ordinance taking over the administration and control. It had been the headquarters of the paramilitary force, the Assam Rifles, since 1915. It was finally opened to the general public after nearly 114 years.

The fight by the people of Manipur to let the government hand over the fort to them was legendary. The Indian army is alleged to kill some innocent peoeple without issuing arrest warrant, which turned into a major issue, with some women protesting naked in front of the Assam Rifle's gate in June 16, 2004.

The Prime Minister also upgraded Manipur University into a Central University and laid the foundation stone for a 97.9 km long, Jiribam - Imphal, broad gauge rail line project. The line ends at Tupul, 25 km away from Imphal.

United National Liberation Front (UNLF), one of the largest and most powerful armed organisations, has resorted to fighting against occupying Indian army to achieve its goal of an independent Manipur.

"We are fighting for Manipur,"Sovereign, independent Manipur. You see, Manipur was never part of India." says a UNLF member.[1] The disturbed area status has been extended for one more year on 23rd Nov, 2007.

Ordinary Manipuris are growing tired of the rebels' influence. Several insurgent groups increasingly issue diktats and rulings on moral and social behaviour, enforced with the threat of violence. Extortion is also rampant in Manipur. Most professions are forced to pay the rebels regular sums of money that are locally called 'tax'. [2]

Economy

Macro-economic trend

This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Manipur at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.[3]

Year Gross State Domestic Product
1980 2,180
1985 4,180
1990 8,210
1995 16,270
2000 29,200

Manipur's gross state domestic product for 2004 is estimated at $1.2 billion in current prices.

See also

  • Manipuri dance
  • Court Chronicle of The Kings of Manipur: The Cheitharon Kumpapa; Original Text, Translation And Notes 33-1763 Ce, trans. Saroj Nalini Parratt (London: Routledge, 2005).

Notes

  1. ^ BBC NEWS | Programmes | Crossing Continents | India's 'forgotten' war
  2. ^ BBC NEWS | Programmes | Crossing Continents | India's 'forgotten' war
  3. ^ National Accounts Division : Press release & Statements - Government of India, Ministry of Statistics
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