Maharaja-in-council of Manipur for customary and religious : Matters of its people
- Part 1 -

Waikhom Damodar Singh *

The Treaty of Chittagong 1762.
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The kingdom of Manipur began to exist centuries before Christ, unlike the Kingdom of Great Britain, which came into being only from 449 A.D. when Teutonic wild Tribes, the Angles, the Jutes and Saxons from the sea coast of North Germany landed in the Island, then mainly occupied by its autochthone people, called Celts, later on came to be known as Britons, from which derived the name, Britain. The name, English had been derived from the name, Angles and the Kings of kit this powerful group of people that have been formed by amalgamating the above 3 Teutonic Tribes, have been the ruling dynasty, beginning from Alfred, the Great, youngest son of king, Bthelwulf. Alfred became the English King from 871 A.D. onwards and the English Kingdom began to flourish under his very able ruling like the Kingdom of Manipur flourished under the able ruling of king Pakhangba and his descendents that have been there from 33 to 1949 A.D.

In 1600 A.D. a British Trading Company under the name East India Company was set up and the English Queen, Elisabeth signed a Charter allowing the Company to undergo trading business in India and in the far East. Accordingly, the Company landed in India in 1608 A.D., firstly at Surat, sea port and began their business by setting up factories and cloth mills etc. after getting permission for it from the Mughal Emperor, Jehangir, son of Emperor Akbar, the great through their Ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe, sent by King James I who succeeded Queen Elitabeth in 1603 and became the King of Great Britain.

The British merchants expanded their business gradually and with their better diplomacy and superiority in arm power they soon became the overlords of the vast country of India, including all the Native States, with their HQ established at Chittagong. For getting military assistance for expansion of their power eastward of India, the British became an Ally of the Kingdom of Manipur under Maharaja Bheigyachandra (Joy Singh) and then with Gambhir Singh with Treaties signed on 4th September 1762 by their Chief at Chittagong, Mr. Harry Verelst and 18th April 1833 by F.J.Grant, Commissioner and G. Gordon, Adjutant on behalf of the Governor-General and Supreme Council of Hindusthan.

Due to wide discontenment of the "mis-rule" of the East India Company a rebellion known as "Sepoy Mutiny" of India broke out against them in 1857 and as a result of it the British Government brought the administration of the vast country of India and of all the Native States under the direct control of their Crown in 188 1858 A.D. The British India Government had good relationship with Manipur till 22 March 1891, till Mr. Frank Grirawood was their Political Agent in the State, who along with his brave and quite enterprising Mrs. Ethel took lot of interest in keeping up the good relationship with the Ruling King, Raja Surchandra Singh and his younger brothers Kulachandra, the Jubaraj Tikendrajit Singh, the Senapati and other brothers, who were the sons of Maharaja Chandrakirti Singh, the king of Manipur fro 1850 to 1886 A.D.and a trusted Ally of the British, The Political Agent, Mr.Grimwood and his worthy Mrs. Ethel had a very good relationship particularly with the very able prince, Senapati, Tikendrajit Singh.

Then most unfortunately, due to quarrels among the royal family which could not be controlled by the weak king, Surchandra as their eldest, particularly over the quarrel between his high-handed uterine brother, Pucca Sana and Jilla Singh. Pucca Sana managed to get Zilla Singh punished by his elder brother Raja Surchandra Singh by depriving him of his offices and place in the Palace Darbar. Highly enraged with the one sided and very partial action of the Maharaja, Zilla Singh took revenge by allying himself with the Senapati, Tikendrajit, who had already had a very hatred and hostile relationship with high-handed Pucca Sana, by resorting to a Palace "coup" which broke out by opening of threatening firings at 2 a.m. on the night of 20 September 1890.

The weak and terrified Maharaja, instead of making an effort to put down the revolt, fled to the British Residency along with some 2000 of his armed men, and conveyed of his abdication of the throne to his younger brother, Jubaraj Kulachandra Singh, to the Political Agent, Mr. Grimwood who tried his best to pacify the terrified king but to no avail, and who on the fervent request of the fugitive king escorted him out of the State by a small column of British Force for reaching Brindaban for a pilgrimage and finally settling down there for leading an ascetic life. But most surprisingly, when he reached Calcutta via Silchar, Sylhet and Dacca, he applied to the Government of India for his reinstatraent as the king of Manipur as he had left the State on misunderstanding between him and the British Political Agent, Mr, Grimwood.

The British India Government under Viceroy, Lord Landsdowne, after thoroughly looking into the matter, rejected his claim so made against his earlier versions conveyed to the Political Agent, and recognised Jubaraj Kulachandra Singh as the Raja of Manipur but to send out Senapati Tikendrajit Singh, the trouble maker, from the State, for which Mr. James Wallace Quint on, ICS, the Chief Commissioner of Assam was sent along with a strong Force of 200 men of the Gurkha 44th Rifles under Captain Boileau and Lieutenant Lionel Wilhem Brackenbury, and another 200 men of the 42nd Gurkhas, commanded by Colonel Charles McDowel Skene, DSO, and one civil officer, William Henry Cossins, ICS, who arrived in Imphal from their HQ, Golaghat on 22nd March 1891 in the morning after a long and tedious by-road journey.

The Chief Commissioner was received at Sekmai by Political Agent, Mr. Frank St.Clair Grimwood, ICS and Senapati Tikendrajit Singh along with Thangal General and a large number of armed men of the Manipuri Army with a Guard of Honour given and with great civility He was then met by Raja Kulachandra Singh at the gate of the British Residency with ceremonial receptions given from the king, who was at once informed that there would be a Darbar at the residency at 12 noon of the day in which the Raja and all of his younger brothers were to attend. The aim of Mr. Quinton for holding a Darbar immediately after his arrival was to make arrest of Senapati Tikendrajit Singh during the holding of it without any delay, but the clever prince, who got a smell of his arrest intended to be done, did not appear for the Darbar in the pretext of ill health. Since the secret plan of Mr.Quinton had failed on that day, he adopted to a surprise raid on the residence of the Senapati lying on the north of the Kangla Palace in the night of 23 March 1891.

In the attempt of the surprise attack of the British Force the Manipuri soldiers guarding the Senapati opened fire which mortally wounded Lt. Brackenbury, who succumbed to his injuries and killed some British soldiers. However, Captain Butcher and his column of 70 men had taken over the residence of the Senapati but he could not be found there. Then as retaliatory attack the Manipuri Army started heavy shelling on the British residency from their positions taken-nearby the Palace outer mud-walls opposite the residency and also firing from the back side from the western direction.

The situation of the British Force at the residency was becoming quite alarming due to running out of ammunition and shortage of fighting men power. So Mr. Quint on helplessly called for a cease-fire at last, who later on on 24 March 1891 in the morning, went inside the Kangla Palace with Mr. Grimwood, Colonel Skene, Lt.Simpson and Mr.Cossins without any armed escort but only with a sepoy bugler, as was directed to do so by the Manipuri authorities, to hold a Darbar in the Kangla Palace Darbar Hall for a peaceful negotiation, which failed and so the five unarmed British officers came out of the Darbar Hall, at the outside of which there were already a large crowd of angry Manipuris assembled and awaiting to hear the outcome of the Darbar.

The crowd when they saw the British officers freely coming out they turned into a uncotrollable "mob" shouting "kill them" and atacked them and killed firstly Mr. Grimwood by spearing him from the back by one Pukhrambam Kajao Singh. The 4 officers were however rescued but on the pressure of the crowd they were kept as iron chained prisoners inside the Darbar Hall and later on, the approval given by cruel General Thangai they were executed (beheaded one after another) by the Palace executioners and their blood were smeared on the mouths of the giant Kangla-shas standing just at the entrance of the Darbar Hall.

The Manipuri mob were mainly of the highly aggrieved dear and near ones (parents etc.) of the women and children killed mercilessly during the betrayed and surprise attack launched on1 the Palace by the British columns.

The result of the murder of the five high ranking British officers was that the Government of India declared war on Manipur on 31 March 1891 and 3 very strong columns of their Army marched in to punish the rebellious people and their leaders - one from the north through Kohima under Major General H.Collet, the over-all Commander of all the columns, another from the west from Silchar, Cachar under Colonel R.H.F.Rennick, and the third, the strongest column from Tammu, Burma under Brigadier General T.Gramham, who left Tammu on 23 April 1891 morning and reached Pallel on 24 April 1891 in the morning faced the stiffest battle with the Manipuris led by gallant generals, Paona Brajabashi and others, on 25 April 1891 at Khongjom, some 17/18 miles from Imphal on the south.

To be continued...