Maharaja Garib Niwaz : Builder of Manipuri civilisation

Maheshsana Rajkumar
Contd from previous issue
Bayinnaung had inculcated Burmanization over the people of those smaller kingdoms through prosely- tisation into Theravada Buddhism and military cam- paigns. Toungoo Empire was the largest empire in Southeast Asian history and it’s highly probable in twenty one year rule of Bayinnaung in Manipur he must have strictly imposed Theravada Buddhism on the Manipuris. On the other hand, the then India witnessed the rise of Islam in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Mughal emperors unified practically the whole of North India and much of the Deccan, and built up an empire such as had not been seen since the days of the Guptas.
The Mughal Empire had waged several wars with the Ahom Kingdom with the intention to expand their empire covering present NE along with the entire South-East Asia. Unfortunately, the mighty Mughals were defeated seventeen times by the Ahoms and safeguarded the North East from coming under Mughal rule. The most famous battle fought between Mughal and Ahom was the naval battle of Saraighat in 1672 under the command of Ahom General Lachit Borphukan. Manipur king Pamheiba was given the epithet of Garib Niwaz, and in this context Sushil Chandra Dutta in his book, ‘The North-East and the Mughals (1661-1714 AD)’, writes, “Manipur had, however, connections mostly in the war path, with Cachar and Tripura in the 15th and 16th century. Manipur had, however, more intimate connections with China and Burma with which it had common borders. She had practically no political contact with the Mughals as it had no direct boundary with Bengal. The historical records also clearly suggest that Manipur had extensive trade relations with Bengal through Cachar.”
Sushil Chandra further wrote the epithet of Garib Niwaz was given to Pam-heiba by the Mughal emperor. It may also happen that the Mughal administrators in Bengal had some understanding with the ruler of Manipur and managed to see that King Gharib Niwaz did not join the confederacy of Ahom king Rudra Singh (r. 1696-1714), who was successful to bring Hindu confederacy of the important neighbouring monar- chies namely Cooch Behar, Jayantia, Cachar and Tri-pura. It is also not at all im- possibility that the Mughal emperor of Delhi or his subahdar in Bengal honoured the Raja of Manipur with such a title as a political deal.
Muslim traders and artisans from Mughal Bengal began to immigrate into Manipur long before the time of Gharib Niwaz. Even during the reign of Kha-gemba, the Muslim pri- soners of war and low caste Hindus were given settlement in Manipur. Probably, the Muslim settlers encouraged the Mullas and Gazis in order to make spiritual and social relief through itinerary camp and on the other hand, the Hindus were aspiring to get spiritual relief through the preachers of Chaitanya Vai-shnavism from Mughal Bengal.
Garib Niwaz after ascension to Manipur throne knew without doubt the weakness of the Burmese kings who remained always unable to abandon the Vedic traditions in Burma. Manipur was an ancient land route and gateway to Southeast Asia from mainland India before Common Era (BCE). It’s an undeniable fact for millennia till date the Southeast Asian countries including borderland Manipur is under Indosphere heavily influenced by Indian civilization. The region is characterized by the influence of Hinduism, Theravada Buddhism, Sanskrit roots (Vedic traditions) which flourished side by side. Garib Niwaz came to understand that the instrumental force to cha- llenge Theravada Buddhism of Burmese was nothing but Brahmanic Vaishnavism or Vaishnav Shaktaism. Therefore, he followed the reli- gious policy of his father Charairongba. Ultimately, he decided to take up conversion into Vaishnavism.
The religious and cultural changes were brought into Manipur after Garib Niwaz’s conversion to Ramanandi Vaishnavism initiated by the religious preceptor Shanti Das. Renowned historian Gangmu- mei Kamei taking the reference of Sanamahi Laikan mentioned that after the departure of Guru Gopal Das, the new preceptor appeared to be Shanta Das Mahanta Bairagi from Nara Singh Tilla of Sylhet in Bengal. Myths were later on created by the new missionary that he was summoned by God Sanamahi of the Meitei religion to spread the teachings of Lord Ramachandra in the land of the Meiteis. The fact was that he was one of the Brahmin missionaries of the Ramanandi (Ramandi) cult in eastern India who had to seek new pasture of missionary activities in the barren land of the Meiteis as they were harassed by Aurangazeb in their own homeland. (To be contd)