Not just history but relation in ruins
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: February 11, 2013 -

File photo of security forces destroying a poppy field :: Pix - TSE

A historical cave, but now a site for thriving illegal Ganja (Marijuana) and Poppy plantation! That is the fate which has befallen historic Thangal Surung today.

The reason: Negligence of the Government. This is indeed very sad.

During a recent tour conducted by Information Centre for Hill Areas, Manipur (ICHAM) along with a media team and local MLA Yamthong Haokip at Thangal village in Saikul sub-division of Senapati, the visitors were shocked to see that the importance of a pre-historic cave like Thangal Surung has been reduced to a convenient site for illegal cultivation for Ganja and Poppy, far away from the prying eyes of anti-drug sleuths and other agencies fighting against the menace of drugs in Manipuri society.

With no one to look after the historic cave, it has been reduced to a poor shadow of its former self with waste materials throwing around and the mouth of the cave was found almost sealed with heaps of earth sliding down from Jhum cultivation.

Apart from the fact that Thangal village is revered as the birth place of Thangal General, one of the National Heroes of Manipur, the historical importance of Thangal Surung does not end with its direct link with the sacred Kangla, the seat of power of the erstwhile Manipuri kings.

More than the fanciful legend of sesame seeds or live chickens released through the mouth of Thangal Surung emerging at the other end of the cave at Kangla and vice-versa, we should remember that this is a cave that could reconnect the disjointed past and the present and rekindle relationship between the hills and the valley people.

As a matter of fact, like the evolutionary histories of most human civilizations around the world, the legends of almost all the ethnic groups who have made Manipur their home claim that they originated from a cave.

Even if Thangal Surung may or may not be the said cave, the findings of the archeologists have pointed to a near-certainty of all the pre-historic ancestors of the present day valley dwellers as well as the hill dwellers settling in one of the many caves located in different parts of the State before they got dispersed to different directions in the struggle for existence.

So, the preservation and protection of these caves are essential not just for the sake of preservation or protection of some historical sites but taking into due consideration of the fact these are the past relics which could renew the relationship among the brethren who seem to have forgotten their past and are at war with each other today, much to the gratification of some divisive forces, who want this to happen and brought down the whole social edifice.

Unfortunately, from prolong negligence of the State Government and more particularly its related department, an important cave like Thangal Surung has lost its historical importance.

If this is how, an important cave closely related not only to the history of Thangal village but also to the evolution of Manipuri civilization as a whole, is being maintained by the State Government under its Manipur Ancient and Historical Monument & Archaeological Sites & Remains, Act 1976, then, we are really sorry to say that people of Manipur have not yet been given the chance to learn lesson from the past for a better today as well as tomorrow.