Overpower to King:

It is a nature of man that he is driven by the main force of “personal gain” in any pursuit. This is just an organic force that is both intrinsic and natural. At one time, Pharaohs were regarded as Gods on earth.

In Hindu context, the attribution of God Vishnu is found in most of the Kings named Maharaja. Perhaps this connotation was given by the sycophant priests who had he intension of dragging a king into the pantheons of religions.

On the contrary, records in any Anglo Saxon, or Semitic rulers holding the post of a divinity is rare. The reason may be perhaps, most of the Indian masses tend to stay around a holy figure. Religion when metamorphosed with politic probably will lead into a clash between “Laws and religion”.

Corrosion to the kingship:

History narrates the French, Russian and American revolutions as an open uprising. Consequently the beautiful virgin of democracy danced on the stage.

The culmination of “religion and politics” can be traced most conveniently, for the reference of Meitei, to the “Lilong Eruppa” during the reign of Meidingu Pamheiba (1705 – 1745).

Every one (perhaps on the instigation of an alien character in history) was forced to abandon his belief and get converted in to the Ramandi faith. Prior to this the affairs of religion were on the hand of the Maichous.

One proof supporting this fact is that most of the documents were written by the maichous. With the terrific attribution of Vishnu hood to a Meidingu textual literature changed and got more corrupted.

The remaining portion is filled with the scenes of Invasion from Ava, alignment with British, British’s interference and finally the outcome of 1891.

The history of Manipur, diverted more after the flying of Union jack at Kangla in 1891. The then British picked up one from the blood line of Meidingu Nar Singh (1844-1850) and kept of the throne as a ‘Raja”. Later he was given the title of “Maharaja” with a customary number of gun shot.

Some devices corroded the kingship in the realm of time. In Meitei customary new year a ritual of Cheithaba is there in which one owes in front of the King saying “O Iningthou !!, may all the misfortune that may befall on the country be upon me for this whole year”.

As per “Cheitharol Kumbaba”, a person called “Hiyangloi” in 1485 AD was assigned the Cheithaba in front of King Kiyamba. It continued throughout all these centuries.

However reasons may be there, but in modern times a similar Cheithaba ceremony is performed in front of the Image of Govinda (installed in 1780 AD) on the Charak puja.

This is the heights of proselytism in which the hereditary monarch is diluted by replacing or discarding him. No wonder a new generation Cheithaba has come up to ameliorate a long tradition. The writer opines that if such ritual be performed in front of a dignitary assigned by a distant guard, what will happen to tradition and customs.?

Elected rulers may come and go, but the intermingling cascade of faith and ritual shall still continue unaffected whether noticed or unnoticed by the masses.

to be continued ..