Illustrated Manuscripts of Manipur
- Part 3 -

By: Mutua Bahadur *

Historical currents have spread Manipuri settlements far and wide. Apart from Manipur and parts of northeast India such as in Assam, Tripura and Meghalaya, Manipuris are settled in Bangladesh and Myanmar.

An examination of the illustrated manuscripts points to two schools of Meitei folk art. The style of illustrated manuscripts in Manipur is more or less the same as those found in northeast India and Bangladesh as the people had migrated from Manipur carrying the manuscripts.

But there are strong influences of Hindu and Buddhist art forms in those found among Meiteis who had settled in Myanmar in the 18th and I9th centuries.

Mostly manuscripts on astrology, they might have been new ones illustrated by the Meiteis of Mandalay and Amarpura in Myanmar or recollections of what they saw earlier in Manipur. Influence of Buddhist art forms is also noticeable on Hindu gods like Jaganath worshipped by the Meiteis in Myanmar.

Genealogical records of the sagei or clan as well as daily events were recorded in the manuscripts from earliest times by maichous or scholars at the royal palace. The pandit loisang is the place where such records are kept.

Controversies regarding the genealogical tree were settled by the maichous by summoning the heads of the sagei during the reign of Maharaja Chandrakriti (1834 - 1844, 1850- 1886) and more elaborately during the time of Maharaja Sir Churachand (1891 -1941).

The manuscripts were also written on various subjects by maichous in the countryside and by private individuals. Many of these manuscripts were collected by royal command during the reign of Maharaja Garibaniwaj (1709-1748) and were burnt to ashes under the malevolent influence of Santidas who came from Sylhet to preach the Ramandi sect of Hinduism and found them an obstacle to his proselytizing mission. The Meiteis are rankled with that incident even today.

SCRIPT USED IN MANUSCRIPTS

The Meitei script had been inscribed on coins as early as the 6th and 7th centuries. The script was written on agarbak and indigenous papers by 11th and 16th centuries respectively. Inscriptions on stone, iron plate, brass and copper belonging to 16th and 17th centuries are found. Traces of Bengali/Assamese scripts have found their way in the manuscripts of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Meitei script is written from the left to the right. Before the actual text begins, the figure of an anji is put on the left hand corner of the page. It is believed that this is the symbol of the goddess of learning and it is there as obeisance to the goddess.

MATERIALS USED IN WRITING, ILLUSTRATION AND PRESERVATION

Materials used in writing are only local produce or products. Before the advent of indigenous paper in the 16th and 17th centuries, manuscripts were written on agarhak. The indigenous paper was made from the bark of particular trees such as the Su (a sp. of Malvaceae). Sometimes manuscripts were written on leaves also.

Black ink was made in a complicated process. First, good quality rice was dry fried applying strong heat until it turned black. Then, it was mixed with black soot and lacquer.

Finally the mixture was boiled in an alkaline solution to produce black ink. To get different colours, the materials generally used were varieties of flowers, leaves, creepers, minerals etc. Implements

FIG 6

" This work originates from seeing the scattered illustrated manuscripts, which I found in the custody of our local Pundits. Since 1973 I have been working for these manuscripts by collecting from various sources. Some of them are already published in the Book entitled the Manuscript Paintings of Manipur in 1978. Even the second reprint issue is also produced in this year. But unfortunately it could not be printed in colour due to financial constraint. All the paintings consisted in the earlier publication are coloured by freehand.

I have the opportunity to exhibit some illustrated manuscripts in the 2 day seminar organised by Manipur Folklore Society held from 26 to 27 September 1982 at G. M. Hall, Imphal. This exhibition attracts many scholars from different parts of India. Then in 1991, published another book entitled Subika Laisaba (A Manipuri illustrated Manuscript on Astrology).

The present work on illustrated Manuscripts is a bunch of paintings collected from different parts of Meitei inhabited areas like Bangladesh, Myanmar etc. It will incorporate 364 faces of Paphal and other unpublished manuscripts.

I would like to convey my thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Government of India for the financial assistance to the task of publishing it. I hope that without this support it could not have been possible to materialise the things.

I alone am responsible for any remaining errors and infelicities for they are of my own construction. I always welcome suggestions and criticisms for further development in future."

Mutua Bahadur

* Mutua Bahadur contributes to e-pao.net regularly. This article was webcasted on January 21st 2010.