Manipur pronunciation (Manipur in Meitei Mayek) is a state in northeastern India, making its capital in the city of Imphal. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west, it also borders the country of Myanmar to the east. As area of 8,628 sq mi (22.347 sq km ).

Manipur is considered a sensitive border state. Foreigners entering Manipur (including foreign citizens born in Manipur) must possess a Restricted Area Permit, which valid for only 10 days, and visitors must travel only in tours arranged by authorized travel agents, in groups of four. Furthermore, they may come to Imphal only by air and are not permitted to travel outside the capital.

Manipur came under British rule as a princely state in 1891. This ended the independent status of the Kingdom of Manipur, the last kingdom to be incorporated into British India.

During the Second World War, Manipur was the scene of many fierce battles between the

Japanese and Allied forces. The Japanese were beaten back before they could enter Imphal, and this proved to be one of the turning point of the War.

After the War, the Manipur Constitution Act, 1947, established a democratic form of government with the Maharaja as the Executive Head and an elected legislature. In 1949, King

Prabodhchandra was summoned to Shillong, capital of the Indian province of Assam. He signed a Treaty of Accession, merging the kingdom into India. The legislative assembly was dissolved on the integration of the state with the republic of India in October 1949. Manipur was a union territory from 1956 and later became a full-fledged state in 1972.

Maharaj Bhagrachandra, king of Maniur from 1759-98, is a legendary figure in Manipur. The inventor of the Ras Lila dance, he is also credited with spreading Vaishnavism in Manipur after his grandfather Pamheiba Rajah made Hinduism the official religion and for creating a unified Manipur.

Manipur’s history as a political entity can be traced around AD 33 with the ascending of Pakhangba as the first king at the throne at Kangla. The royal chronicle, Cheitharol Kumbaba, narrates the different principalities ruled by different tribes in the Manipur valley and the adjoining hills. Though initially there were nine principalities in the valley, it was later merged into seven. Each principality was governed by different tribes. During the period from the first century AD to the tenth century AD, integration of these tribes took place under the military might of the Mangang tribe. With the transformation of a tribal political form to a feudal structure slowly and gradually over time, these tribes, who went through various layers of social interactions and changes, got renamed as clans through totem and taboo.

In addition to these, several hill tribes were also absorbedwithin these seven clans of the Meitei state. These largely took place through migration. This phenomenon took place as late as the eighteenth century AD. Potsangbam as a locality and also as a pana (administrative division) were formed by the hill tribes (Tangkhuls) who settled in the valley. Similarly, there had been migration from the valley to the hills as well. Oinam in the Senapati district is inhabitated by communities whose origins are traced to the valley.

The beginning of the eleventh century marked watershed in the history of Manipur with the introduction of the written constitution in the state. Loiyamba Shinyen, the state decree, supposed to have been issued by King Loyamba in AD 1110 sjowed the level of political development of an Asiatic state. This also marked the consolidation of a feudal form of social system in the state. Social transformation began with the process of Hinduization, which came in full swing at the time of his son, Garibniwaz. It is during this period that the migration of the Brahmins from India took place in large scale. Consolidation of military power took place at the time of Garibniwaz with his invasion of Burma and defeating the Toongoo dynasty. The next shift took place with Manipur’s defeat at the hands of the British in 1891. That put an end to the ever weakening state of Manipur of it’s soverign ower as a kingdom.

At the time of Independence, the state of Manipur, being a princely state, came under the purview of the policy of the government of India. It was recognised as princely state in 1947. This historical event marks the beginning of a democratic state. The state boundary was formerly recognized with a few voice of descent from north Manipur and south Manipur based on the premise set by the British administration. Some leaders from the north wanted to integrate with the larger Nagas contiguous regions and the some people of the south Manipur intended to integrate with Mizoram region. This dissenting voice came as an additional territorial tension to Manipur state territorial boundary dispute over Kaboo Valley in the eastern part of the boundary.

The King with his Darbar, state Assembly, was recognised as the Head of the state. In 1948, the first democratic election on adult franchise was held under the constitutional monarchy as an outcome of the people’s movement for a responsible government. However, soon after, Manipur was fully merged with India in 1949 through the formal signing of the Merger Agreement between the Indian Government and the Maharaja ofManipur at Shillong. Thus, the state was put under ‘C-category’. In 1962 it became a Union Territory. However, with the concerted effort made by the people on recognition of responsible government and statehood, the Government of India constitutionally established the Manipur state in 1972 based on North-Eastern Areas Reorganisation Act, 1971.