Maharaja Garib Niwaz : Builder of Manipuri civilisation
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Maheshsana Rajkumar
Contd from previous issue
Gharib Niwaz’s raids against Burma were concentrated in the latter part of his reign after he had inaugurated his reforms, and these raids at once took on a religious justification.
Leiberman referred to the Meitei Rajas as tribal leaders and its mentioned in his book in the reign of Garib Niwaz the gradual introduction of Hinduism in Mani- pur was done through Brahmans employed by the tribal leaders i.e. rajas of Manipur.
Gharib Newaz bears comparison with rulers of the Koch kingdom and the Ahom kingdom in Assam, and rajas in the western state of Cachar, whose political and military success were intimately linked with the progressive Hindu-ization of their respective realms. In fact, Manipur’s conversion may be seen as the latest episode in a centuries-old process of Hinduization in northeast India, which happened to reach Burma’s frontiers at a particularly inopportune time from Ava’s standpoint, with its debilitated government, Upper Burma proved an irresistible attraction for Gharib Newaz’ combination of religion zeal and military ambition.
The religious zeal of both Garib Nawaz and Shanti Das brought 1, 80,000 peoples of different ethnicities except Brahmins into the Kshatriya fold, and was a grand step towards unification and conception of one strong and united Manipur kingdom. The nation building task of Garib Niwaz was inspired by the religious zeal and the military ambition had indeed streng- thened the then Manipur royal army and made it more powerful to defend her territories from any foreign invasions.
The conversion of Manipur Kingdom to Rama-nandi cult is well elaborated in Sir Athelstane Baines’ book, “Ethnography (Castes and Tribes)”, 1912. Sir Athelstane Baines writes, “On the adoption of Brahmanism by a large portion of the Mongoloid population of Manipur, the chief and his military retainers passed into the rank of Ksatriya, and to the number of about 1, 80,000, appear under that title in the last census returns.”
Sir Athelstane Baines further wrote in 1720, the then Chief, called by the Muslim title of Gharib Navaz, was persuaded by some Brahmans at his court that he and his subjects were Kshatriya of the Lunar race. The monarch thereupon embraced their creed and was invested with the sacred thread, and with him a large number of his people. Since then, not only have most of the Meithei become Ksatriya, but the rank has been conferred by the Chief upon a plentiful supply of recruits from the surrounding Kuki and Naga tribes. The result is that at the Census only 33 of the inhabitants of the State returned the tribal name, whilst the 33,000 Manipuri found on the record are Bengali enumerated in Kacar and its vicinity.
Sir Athelstane Baines records the population of Manipur is divided into four tribes, the Khumal, the Luyang, the Ningthauja or Meithei, and the Mayarang, of which the Meithei (69,400) seems to have absorbed the others, and is used as a general title by the inhabitants. The exogamous sub divisions of the tribes, however, are still in existence, and seem to consist of the descendants of an individual, by whose trade or nickname the section is called. Caste Meithei in his census report was included in the category of group of Hill tribe in locality of Manipur.
J Roy recorded after Pamheiba ascension to the Manipur throne and assumed the title of Gharib Niwaz. All Naga chiefs were invited at the coronation ceremony (held in Mera month). The Ministers and officials of Manipur received the Naga chiefs, made friendship and intimacy with them. The Raja entertained the Naga chiefs with good feasts and wine. This event most likely marked the beginning of celebration of Mera Hou-chongba in the month of Mera (Oct) in the reign of Garib Niwaz.
Michael W Charney in his write up titled, “Demographic Growth, Agricul- tural Expansion, and Livestock in the Lower Chind- win in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries” on the religious reforms brought by Garib Niwaz in Manipur with emphasis on diet in particular had greatly influenced the Burmese kingdom.
In this regard Michael Charney writes, “Although specific details remain unclear, the Hindu prohibition of beef consumption being emphasized in mid-eighteenth century Manipur appears to have influenced Buddhist monks further down the river. Manipuri influence was especially influential among such Lower Chindwin monks as Shin Nyana, who worked extensively with a range of Sanskrit and Bengali secular and religious texts that they frequently translated into Burmese. (To be contd)
Contd from previous issue
Gharib Niwaz’s raids against Burma were concentrated in the latter part of his reign after he had inaugurated his reforms, and these raids at once took on a religious justification.
Leiberman referred to the Meitei Rajas as tribal leaders and its mentioned in his book in the reign of Garib Niwaz the gradual introduction of Hinduism in Mani- pur was done through Brahmans employed by the tribal leaders i.e. rajas of Manipur.
Gharib Newaz bears comparison with rulers of the Koch kingdom and the Ahom kingdom in Assam, and rajas in the western state of Cachar, whose political and military success were intimately linked with the progressive Hindu-ization of their respective realms. In fact, Manipur’s conversion may be seen as the latest episode in a centuries-old process of Hinduization in northeast India, which happened to reach Burma’s frontiers at a particularly inopportune time from Ava’s standpoint, with its debilitated government, Upper Burma proved an irresistible attraction for Gharib Newaz’ combination of religion zeal and military ambition.
The religious zeal of both Garib Nawaz and Shanti Das brought 1, 80,000 peoples of different ethnicities except Brahmins into the Kshatriya fold, and was a grand step towards unification and conception of one strong and united Manipur kingdom. The nation building task of Garib Niwaz was inspired by the religious zeal and the military ambition had indeed streng- thened the then Manipur royal army and made it more powerful to defend her territories from any foreign invasions.
The conversion of Manipur Kingdom to Rama-nandi cult is well elaborated in Sir Athelstane Baines’ book, “Ethnography (Castes and Tribes)”, 1912. Sir Athelstane Baines writes, “On the adoption of Brahmanism by a large portion of the Mongoloid population of Manipur, the chief and his military retainers passed into the rank of Ksatriya, and to the number of about 1, 80,000, appear under that title in the last census returns.”
Sir Athelstane Baines further wrote in 1720, the then Chief, called by the Muslim title of Gharib Navaz, was persuaded by some Brahmans at his court that he and his subjects were Kshatriya of the Lunar race. The monarch thereupon embraced their creed and was invested with the sacred thread, and with him a large number of his people. Since then, not only have most of the Meithei become Ksatriya, but the rank has been conferred by the Chief upon a plentiful supply of recruits from the surrounding Kuki and Naga tribes. The result is that at the Census only 33 of the inhabitants of the State returned the tribal name, whilst the 33,000 Manipuri found on the record are Bengali enumerated in Kacar and its vicinity.
Sir Athelstane Baines records the population of Manipur is divided into four tribes, the Khumal, the Luyang, the Ningthauja or Meithei, and the Mayarang, of which the Meithei (69,400) seems to have absorbed the others, and is used as a general title by the inhabitants. The exogamous sub divisions of the tribes, however, are still in existence, and seem to consist of the descendants of an individual, by whose trade or nickname the section is called. Caste Meithei in his census report was included in the category of group of Hill tribe in locality of Manipur.
J Roy recorded after Pamheiba ascension to the Manipur throne and assumed the title of Gharib Niwaz. All Naga chiefs were invited at the coronation ceremony (held in Mera month). The Ministers and officials of Manipur received the Naga chiefs, made friendship and intimacy with them. The Raja entertained the Naga chiefs with good feasts and wine. This event most likely marked the beginning of celebration of Mera Hou-chongba in the month of Mera (Oct) in the reign of Garib Niwaz.
Michael W Charney in his write up titled, “Demographic Growth, Agricul- tural Expansion, and Livestock in the Lower Chind- win in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries” on the religious reforms brought by Garib Niwaz in Manipur with emphasis on diet in particular had greatly influenced the Burmese kingdom.
In this regard Michael Charney writes, “Although specific details remain unclear, the Hindu prohibition of beef consumption being emphasized in mid-eighteenth century Manipur appears to have influenced Buddhist monks further down the river. Manipuri influence was especially influential among such Lower Chindwin monks as Shin Nyana, who worked extensively with a range of Sanskrit and Bengali secular and religious texts that they frequently translated into Burmese. (To be contd)