Manipur Violence: A Look at the History of the Kuki-Zo People – Lost Heroes of the Mahabharata

New Delhi: The current Manipur conflict has shaken the entire nation and amidst fake and distorted narratives, real information has been covered in dust. One of the major myths and widely circulated narrative is that the Kuki-zo people were not the original inhabitants of Manipur. These Adivasis are often stigmatized and called immigrants, refugees, foreigners and infiltrators from Myanmar. Unfortunately, there is no evidence or historical evidence for any of these narratives. All this was aired only for political gains. Not only this, but Manipur also had a rich history and much of it was well documented until April 13, 2000, when an angry mob of women (mirapaibi in Manipuri) burnt down the Manipur State Central Library with over 1,45,000 books, ancient manuscripts and documents. A part of history was already burnt but a large part also survived.

While researching this topic, we came across some authentic and amazing data which proves the connection of Kuki-zo community with India since Mahabharata period. Although in the present day, most of them have converted to Christianity after the arrival of the British people, the history of Kuki people is much older than that and it is worth discussing the real story of Kuki-Zo history in detail to bust the popular myths.

Origin of the word cookie and ancient Buddhist texts

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One of the most authentic sources of ancient history is “Taranath’s History of Buddhism in India” written by one of the most famous Buddhist scholars Taranatha in the sixteenth century and later published by Motilal Banarsidas Publishers. The book has a separate chapter on the Kuki people which gives a clear account of their origins. Taranath wrote in detail about the existence of a people called Ko-Ki in the hills between Bengal and Burma, and he named the region Ko-Ki County. Probably the British would have taken the name Kuki from this Ko-Ki only. He described these Ko-Ki people as ardent followers of Buddhism. Chapter 39 of the book extensively covers the description of these Ko-Ki people and confirms their eastern extent up to the Rakhan region (present-day Rakhine state of Myanmar) indicating their location in present-day Manipur. Taranath has also written that these Ko-Ki people have been living in this area since the time of King Ashoka (3rd century BC) and he has mentioned several Buddhist Viharas in the area which clearly proves that these people have been living in these hills for more than two and a half millennium or since prehistoric times as also written by famous historian Professor Gangmumei Kabui.

Tripura copper plates

The Panchkhand copper plate of Tripura (641 CE) mentions an incident where formerly five saintly brahmins were ‘given some land by the settlements of the Hankula Kuki, within which paddy is cultivated by the Tengkori Kuki’. In addition, the Ita Copper-plate of Tripura (1194 CE) also mentions a land-grant to the saint Mithila Brahmin in ‘Kuki populated land in Manukula region surrounded by Langla hill in the east’. Langla Hills is the old name of Langol hills of present Manipur. The inscriptions on these two copper plates also attest to the existence of the Kuki people in the region during the seventh and twelfth centuries respectively.

Narration from Tripura Rajmala

The Tripura Rajmala is probably the only authentic document which throws light on the history of the entire North East India in the most imprecise manner. It gives a detailed account of the 145 kings of Tripura and thoroughly documents the events of more than two millennia. Rajmala mentions the Kuki people as staunch followers of Lord Shiva. The earliest mention is during the reign of King Subrai or Trilochan (47th king) and describes that when the king conquered Hidamba (present-day Cachar) and performed a “ceremony for the fourteen gods”, it was Kuki and Kirat who contributed all the animals for the sacrifice and helped the king in the ceremony. The reign of King Trilochan is believed to be of 7th or 8th century BC.

An incident during the reign of King Dhanya Manikya, who ruled in the 15th century, has also been documented regarding the existence of Shaivism in Kuki forbidden areas in Rajmala. There is mention of a Shiva Linga in the Kuki region which was providing all prosperity to the Kuki people and the king sent his son-in-law named Hopa Kalau to retrieve the Shiva Linga and bring it to him in Tripura. Hopa Kalau stole the linga and wrapped it in betel leaves to send it to the king, but miraculously the Shiva linga came out of the box and reached its original place in Kuki land.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Tripura Rajmala uses two names for these tribals. One is Kuki and the other is Kirata which is an important part of Mahabharata. In the 6th century epic “Kirataruniya” written by Mahakavi Bharavi, the Kiratas are depicted as mountain hunters, a term that best fits the Kuki tribes and is confirmed by the Tripura Rajmala.

Manipur Royal History (Chitharol Kumbaba)

The royal history of the Manipur royal family known as the Chaitharol gives another irrefutable proof that the Kuki people have been the aborigines of Manipur. Chitharol mentions some Kuki tribes during different years such as Khongsai in 1508 and Kyang or Chin in 1467 and names the southern Manipur hills as “Khongsai Hills” which proves beyond doubt that Kuki people were living in these hills during the fifteenth century.

This Chithraol, written by the forefathers of the present Manipur royal family, also mentions several campaigns against the Kuki people in different parts of the time. Some of them are Mangtaitang Campaign of 1734, Khongsai Hills Campaign of 1786, Saton Hills Campaign of 1789 and some smaller campaigns during the same time period. All of them clearly mentioned the targeted campaign against the Kuki tribes. It is pertinent to mention here that the British reached these hills in the middle of the nineteenth century, between 1835 and 1840. So, if the British bought out the Kuki people, who did these Meitei kings fight against?

History has been distorted in the past and when we move beyond the world of fake legends and rely on strong and irrefutable evidence, we find that the Kuki people have been living in the region for almost three millennia and were followers of Lord Shiva. To call them refugees, immigrants or infiltrators is not only an outright lie but also a crime. They may be our lost “Kiratas” of the Mahabharata.