Maharaja Garib Niwaz : Builder of Manipuri civilisation
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Maheshsana Rajkumar
The events surrounding 16th and 17th century India, Burma and Assam gives the right analysis to understand the religious and cultural development in 18th century Manipur and the reasons behind Garib Niwaz’s conversion to Ramanandi Vaishnavism from a wider lens. Garib Niwaz was well aware of the changing international relations in the region.
The great sovereign monarch Maharaja Garib Niwaz (Pamheiba), reigned Manipur from 1709-48, and changed the course of history in kingdoms of Manipur and Burma (now Myanmar) and brought revolution in aspects of socio-cultural-religio-politico and economic. The Manipuri nationalism faded away with the advent of British rule.
In Garib Niwaz’s reign Manipur had attained zenith of her power, and Manipur was an Asiatic power in Southeast Asia. His glorious reign of 40 years coincided with the declining days of Toungoo dynasty of Burma. He was the contemporary of the last three kings of the Toungoo dynasty, Sanay Min (r. 1698-1714), Tanin-ganway (r. 1714-1733) and Mahadhamma Yaza Dipati (r. 1733-1752).
The British could access the records of Manipur kingdom after the Anglo-Manipuri treaty of 1762. Sir Jervoise Athelstane Baines arrived in India in 1870 to collect statistical population data, which was the first such exercise by the Raj administration. In 1881, he was deputy superintendent of the census in the Presidency and he was appointed Census Commissioner for the national census of 1891.
The well documented account of Garib Niwaz is mentioned in his census report. The much is also known of Garib Niwaz from the accounts of several books, journals and articles written by Manipuri, Western and Burmese scholars and the Burmese sources in particular has been very invaluable to describe the religious and cultural changes in Manipur having effect on Burma, and his military expeditions that threatened the then Restored Toungoo dynasty or Nyaungyan period (1597-1752), with King Mahadha- mma Yaza Dipati at the helm.
The Burmese chronicle “Hmannan” records Maha-dhamma Yaza Dipati had sent letters to Chinese Qing emperor and sought help of Qing army to crush Manipur. The greatest threat perceived to Manipur kingdom then was the religious warfare of the Theravada Buddhism in the 16th century unleashed by the Toungoo emperor Bayi-nnaung. The years of domination of Theravada Buddhism would have resulted in Manipur becoming an outlying obscured district of Burma.
According to renowned archaeologist Okram Kumar Singh, the ancient manuscript of Meitei, originally written in Meitei Mayek, entitled ‘Khamlang Pawari Ahuiron’ and later transcribed in the Bengali script by Mayanglambam Gour-chandra (1977) described an account of the religious practice prevalent in the Meitei society during the Protohistory, and which were later found to be Buddhism doctrines.
The mandalas found in Manipur in recent years gave a strong evidence of the prevalence of Buddhism in ancient Manipur. There is no doubt presence of Tantric or Esoteric Buddhism or a further evolution of Mahayana religion, sometimes called Vajrayana (the Vehicle of the Thunderbolt), developed about 500–600 C.E. in India. An offshoot of Mahayana Buddhism, the origins of Tantric Buddhism can be traced to ancient Hindu and Vedic practices as well, including esoteric ritual texts designed to achieve physical, mental, and spiritual breakthroughs.
The growth of Sanamahi and Pakhangba faiths can be interpreted with the cultured group of people that settled in ancient Manipur who probably conceived the elements of a localized Brah- manical faith mixed with Bon religion and Buddhism which in turn mixed with Tantric cults. Sanamahi faith was at its peak in the reign of King Khagemba. In Manipur to-day there is religious syncretism or dual worship of traditional Meitei gods with Hindu gods.
The chronic problem facing Manipur had been the Burmese expansionism which was initiated for the first time by the greatest Burmese emperor Bayin-naung (r. 1550-81) against Manipur. The conquest of Chengmai by Bayinnaung served as general signal for all the Shan chiefs on the Burma-China border to submit, and even some chieftains within Yunnan itself had swored allegiance to Toungoo emperor Bayinnaung. By then, Bayinnaung’s prestige was so high that not only did China not protest, but the then King Chalamba of Manipur around February 1560 surrendered and sent tributes to the Burmese king.
Manipur came under Bayinnaung’s rule from 1560-81. After the death of Bayinnaung in 1581, King Mungyamba had consolidated the three districts of Manipur along the Upper Chindwin river basin. However, during the reign of Bayinnaung almost all the Shans of Upper Burma were Burmanized and converted into Theravada Buddhism including parts of Manipur namely the three districts of Kale, Khampat and Samjok.
(To be contd)
The events surrounding 16th and 17th century India, Burma and Assam gives the right analysis to understand the religious and cultural development in 18th century Manipur and the reasons behind Garib Niwaz’s conversion to Ramanandi Vaishnavism from a wider lens. Garib Niwaz was well aware of the changing international relations in the region.
The great sovereign monarch Maharaja Garib Niwaz (Pamheiba), reigned Manipur from 1709-48, and changed the course of history in kingdoms of Manipur and Burma (now Myanmar) and brought revolution in aspects of socio-cultural-religio-politico and economic. The Manipuri nationalism faded away with the advent of British rule.
In Garib Niwaz’s reign Manipur had attained zenith of her power, and Manipur was an Asiatic power in Southeast Asia. His glorious reign of 40 years coincided with the declining days of Toungoo dynasty of Burma. He was the contemporary of the last three kings of the Toungoo dynasty, Sanay Min (r. 1698-1714), Tanin-ganway (r. 1714-1733) and Mahadhamma Yaza Dipati (r. 1733-1752).
The British could access the records of Manipur kingdom after the Anglo-Manipuri treaty of 1762. Sir Jervoise Athelstane Baines arrived in India in 1870 to collect statistical population data, which was the first such exercise by the Raj administration. In 1881, he was deputy superintendent of the census in the Presidency and he was appointed Census Commissioner for the national census of 1891.
The well documented account of Garib Niwaz is mentioned in his census report. The much is also known of Garib Niwaz from the accounts of several books, journals and articles written by Manipuri, Western and Burmese scholars and the Burmese sources in particular has been very invaluable to describe the religious and cultural changes in Manipur having effect on Burma, and his military expeditions that threatened the then Restored Toungoo dynasty or Nyaungyan period (1597-1752), with King Mahadha- mma Yaza Dipati at the helm.
The Burmese chronicle “Hmannan” records Maha-dhamma Yaza Dipati had sent letters to Chinese Qing emperor and sought help of Qing army to crush Manipur. The greatest threat perceived to Manipur kingdom then was the religious warfare of the Theravada Buddhism in the 16th century unleashed by the Toungoo emperor Bayi-nnaung. The years of domination of Theravada Buddhism would have resulted in Manipur becoming an outlying obscured district of Burma.
According to renowned archaeologist Okram Kumar Singh, the ancient manuscript of Meitei, originally written in Meitei Mayek, entitled ‘Khamlang Pawari Ahuiron’ and later transcribed in the Bengali script by Mayanglambam Gour-chandra (1977) described an account of the religious practice prevalent in the Meitei society during the Protohistory, and which were later found to be Buddhism doctrines.
The mandalas found in Manipur in recent years gave a strong evidence of the prevalence of Buddhism in ancient Manipur. There is no doubt presence of Tantric or Esoteric Buddhism or a further evolution of Mahayana religion, sometimes called Vajrayana (the Vehicle of the Thunderbolt), developed about 500–600 C.E. in India. An offshoot of Mahayana Buddhism, the origins of Tantric Buddhism can be traced to ancient Hindu and Vedic practices as well, including esoteric ritual texts designed to achieve physical, mental, and spiritual breakthroughs.
The growth of Sanamahi and Pakhangba faiths can be interpreted with the cultured group of people that settled in ancient Manipur who probably conceived the elements of a localized Brah- manical faith mixed with Bon religion and Buddhism which in turn mixed with Tantric cults. Sanamahi faith was at its peak in the reign of King Khagemba. In Manipur to-day there is religious syncretism or dual worship of traditional Meitei gods with Hindu gods.
The chronic problem facing Manipur had been the Burmese expansionism which was initiated for the first time by the greatest Burmese emperor Bayin-naung (r. 1550-81) against Manipur. The conquest of Chengmai by Bayinnaung served as general signal for all the Shan chiefs on the Burma-China border to submit, and even some chieftains within Yunnan itself had swored allegiance to Toungoo emperor Bayinnaung. By then, Bayinnaung’s prestige was so high that not only did China not protest, but the then King Chalamba of Manipur around February 1560 surrendered and sent tributes to the Burmese king.
Manipur came under Bayinnaung’s rule from 1560-81. After the death of Bayinnaung in 1581, King Mungyamba had consolidated the three districts of Manipur along the Upper Chindwin river basin. However, during the reign of Bayinnaung almost all the Shans of Upper Burma were Burmanized and converted into Theravada Buddhism including parts of Manipur namely the three districts of Kale, Khampat and Samjok.
(To be contd)