Manipur

The northeastern region of India is a true frontier region. It touches its border with China, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh and is connected to the rest of India by a 20 km wide ‘chicken neck’ corridor of land. This beautiful area of rolling forested hills and lush green lowlands has its head amongst the snow capped peaks of eastern Himalayas, with its feet touching the waters of the Bay of Bengal. The North East is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse regions in India. Each of the seven states that form this part of India has its own culture and tradition. Assam occupies the lush lowlands of the Brahmaputra Valley and is the most densely populated. Arunachal Pradesh occupies the densely forested and sparsely populated foothills of the Himalayas, and is one of the major tourist attractions because of its Buddhist influence. Meghalaya, with its pine clad hills and lakes, is famous as the wettest region of the world. Nagaland has a rich war history that attracts tourists. The other three states -Manipur, known as the ‘land of jewels’, Mizoram and Tripura make up a fascinating area consisting of green valleys, lush hills with variety of flora and fauna.
The word Manipur literally means a ‘jeweled town’, a name that rightly justifies the small and picturesque land. The people here are very polite and hospitable. Rich in its culture, tradition, and ethnicity, Manipur is one of the seven northeastern states of India. The Raasleelas and the classical dance of Manipur hold a very significant position in the cultural map of India. With sites like the Loktak Lake and the Khonghampat Orchidarium, Manipur is also famous for its natural beauty.
Manipur, a small frontier state of India situated in the North-Eastern corner is home to about 10,000 Tonsings who claim descent from an ancestor in the Western hill ranges of Burma (Myanmar) called Chin Hills. General South East Asian history traces the origin of the people occupying these and other areas in South East Asia to Southern China and Tibet where these people were supposed to have migrated from. With the geographical expansion of the HAN dynasty in China, these people were pushed away from their traditional areas of occupation and migrated to the areas in the south commonly referred to in the present day as South East Asia. Since Manipur is the home of many Tonsings for a long time, it evokes an interest and this page tries to give a brief history and the people of this small state.
An Independent kingdom until British subjugation in 1891, Manipur has been a part of India since 1949. Manipur is bordered on its north by Nagaland; on its east lies Myanmar (Burma). The southern part is bordered by the state of Mizoram, while the green valleys of Assam bound the western part. It is located at 23.800N to 25.680N latitude and 93.030E to 94.780E at a height of about 790 meters. above Main Sea Level. Divided up for administrative purposes into nine Districts, the total areas covers some 22,327 square kilometers and is characteristically a circle of hills (20,088 sq.kms ) surrounding a relatively small valley (2,239 sq.kms) in the middle. The people are mainly segregated by descent into two, the plains people (called Meiteis) and the hill Tribes who compose of many different clans, tribes and peoples of various ethnic origins. It is among these tribal people that the TONSINGs of Manipur belong. They are mainly concentrated in the Churachandpur District in the Southern side. This area is occupied by many different tribes among whom the Paites are just one. The Tonsings in turn are a part and parcel of the Paites.
According to present population census, Manipur has about 1,837,149 (1991 Census) people of whom most are Hindus, with some Muslims and Christians and the remaining having allegiance to Traditional religions or Ancestor worship and/or animism. It is a pleasant place to live and visit. It is cold during winter (October - February) and warm for the rest of the day. We have rains in the summer months (March - September). The people are friendly and warm. It offers great scope for trekking, eco-tourism and the dances of the Valley people and Hill Tribes is both enchanting and exotic. The climate of Manipur varies from the tropical to sub-alpine types. The summer months here are moderately hot and the winters comfortable. Forests account for 67% of the state’s land area. The higher altitude areas are the natural habitat of some of some rare animal and plant species. This is the area where the wet and pine forests occur in the state.
In the ancient days, Manipur was known to the neighboring countries by different names. In Runnel's "Memoir and Maps in India" the state was called "Meckley" (A.F.M. Abdul Ali: Manipur Through Ages, 1985) and in Symes "Narrative and Maps" of that time it was called "Cassay". Literary evidences show that the first settlement of Mekhli or Kathe (people of Meckley) took place on the hills and then the human settlement in the valley areas dates back to about 2000 years. In short, the present population structure of Manipur is the result of intermingling of four major categories of people: (1). People living in the Manipur Valley before AD 33; (2). People colonizing the central part of modern Imphal West in A.D. 33; (3). Immigrants from Upper Burma (Upper Myanmar); and (4). immigrants from other parts of India and Bangladesh. Manipur in a broad sense has been the meeting ground of two races and civilizations, viz, those of India and Burma (Myanmar), because of its geographical location on the principal migration routes between the two countries.
The first census of Manipur in 1881 reported a total population of 2,21,070, of which 1,17,108 were Meiteis, 85,288 hill tribes, 105 foreigners, and Muslims, Loi, Kei and Mayang counted for 18, 569 (E.W. Dun: Gazetteer of Manipur, 1886). The figures for 1891 census are not available as the records were destroyed in the Anglo-Manipur War, 1891. The people of Manipur consist of Meiteis, Bamons (Manipur Brahmans) and Pangans (Manipur Muslims) who reside in the valley, and 29 recognized Schedule Tribes: 1. Aimol, 2. Anal, 3. Angami, 4. Chiru, 5. Chothe, 6. Gangte, 7. Hmar, 8. Kabui (or Zeliangrong composed three tribes viz. Zeme, Liangmei and Rongmei), 9. Kacha Naga, 10. Koirao, 11. Koireng, 12. Kom, 13. Lamkang, 14. Mao, 15. Maram, 16. Maring, 17. Any Mizo (Lushai) tribe, 18. Monsang, 19. Moyon, 20. Paite, 21. Purum, 22. Raite, 23. Sema, 24. Simte, 25. Sahte, 26. Tangkhul, 27. Thadou, 28. Vaiphei and 29. Zou. In addition, there are also other communities from India at Imphal and other valley areas. In Spite of the Economic Disadvantage and Isolation from the Outside World, Manipur’s Contributions to World Culture and Heritage are Quite Impressive – Horse Polo, Vaisnavite Ras-Lila, Pung-Cholom Drums, Thang-Ta Martial Arts, Handloom and Handicrafts, etc. Manipur needs a Transparent Political Will to Develop its Economy and Education, and an Urgent Political Solution to the Insurgency Movement by Various Groups. Hopelessness among the Youth has driven them to Drug Addiction. Today, Manipur has the Highest Number of Youths Infected with HIV per 100 Thousand (1 lakh) population in India.
TOURIST CENTERS Manipur has a lot to offer to the tourists visiting this state. Some of the places worth visiting are the Shree Govindajee Temple (a pilgrimage as well as historic center of the Vaishnavite), Kaina (a sacred place of Hindus), Khwairamand Bazaar (a market place run by women), Manipur Zoological Garden (renowned for the rare sangai deer), apart from the beautiful Loktak Lake and Sendra Island. Besides, Langthabal (historic sites), Moirang, Moreh, Phubala, Singda, Khongjom, Sahid Mandir, Khonghampat Orchidarium, Keibul Lamjao National Park, Sekta Archeological Living Museum, and the Manipur State Museum are surely worth a visit.