Love of the ages
Legend has a moving story about the relationship between the Thangal and the Meeteis of Manipur. The Thangal tribes were created by God from the beginning of the earth and continued to live here. They are one of the most important tribes in Manipur with indigenous culture and traditions. In the Constitution of India, they have been recognized as Koirao in the Schedule tribe lists, which the Thangal people are not happy about. This often led to confusion of racial identity and status among historians, social anthropologists, and sociologists. Later, they were diluted into the Naga group, losing their own identity as Thangals for generations to come!
During the British period, these tribes were known as Kolya, Koirao, and Mayangkhang. Brown (1873), in his monumental book “Statistical report of the native state of Manipur and the territory of the hills under its rule”, cited that these communities inhabited a large part of the present areas of the Sadar hills of the Senapati district in Manipur. They covered Tangal, Mow, Murram, Purul, Turengba, Meitheipham, Meeyang-khang, and Tokpo-khool. Oral history of the Thangal tribes indicated that they used to live throughout the Sardar Hills Subdivision region, which was known as Thangal Hills.
Today, the Thangal live in Mayangkhang, Tumuyon Khullen, Tumuyon Khunou, Tumnoupokpi, Thangal Surung, Makeng Thangal, Mapao Thangal, Mayangkhang Nigthoupham, and Angkailongdi. They are covered from Angkailongdi in the north, Mapao Thangal in the south, Imphal-Dimapur Road in the west, and the Iril River in the east. According to the 1981 census report, Thangals population was 918 (468 males and 450 females). It was increased to 1,691 (850 men and 841 women). The community had a well-established administration between them. Its social, economic, cultural and religious system is also unique and organized.
The folk tales of the community tell that the Thangals were descendants of the eldest of the three brothers, while the second was the progenitor of the Tangkhuls and the third, the Meeteis. Previously it was believed that they lived together in a large house called Gonkai (chief’s house), somewhere in present-day Senapati district.
When they grew up, the second brother expressed his desire to establish a separate settlement area on his own. The older brother had advised him to carry a basket (anthrop) on his back while he searched for a new land. They also told him to wander until his basket broke into pieces as pebbles and sand fell. After crossing mountains, rivers, and forests, the basket was smashed in a place now known as Hungdung (in the Ukhrul district). There, he established his new settlement and became the ancestors of the Tangkhul tribe. This story suggests that the Tangkhuls made their first home in the Hundung Caves.
As time passed, the third brother also expressed his innate desire to establish a new settlement somewhere. This time, the older brother did not allow it. The younger brother was everything to him. He had great love and affection for the very young. Despite all his objections, the younger brother decided to start his own settlement area. Finding no other ways to avoid his younger brother’s will, he gifted him a magic stick made of reed, ‘tou’ and told him to leave until the stick turned into a reed plant. In this way the three brothers separated and only the older brother continued to live in his original home.
The younger brother also left Gonkai with the magic wand to discover the new land. After traveling a great distance, he came to a place where the magic wand had turned into a reed plant. Today, the place is known as Toupokpi (tou – reed, pokpi – birth). After staying in Toupokpi for a few years, he moved to Kangla, the capital of the Meetei kingdom. At that time, he was surrounded by water on all sides. Despite all the odds of natural catastrophes, he managed to keep his settlement area in and around Kangla. In due course, he became the ancestor of the Meeteis.
It was believed that at first the three brothers maintain a cordial relationship and help each other. Kangla was surrounded by water, so they managed to send vegetables and other edible items grown on its hills. In due time, the younger brother became strong and powerful that he demanded gifts from his two older brothers in the form of Loipot (tribute). Hostilities began between the brothers and their relationships became increasingly weak. However, the older brother always loved his younger brother in times of trouble.
Of all the Thangal villages, Thangal Surung (cave) is the most hostically popular village located near the headquarters of the subdivision and the Saikhul block. Thangal Surung village was established by the Anthangmi clan of the Thangal tribe. The Surung has divine and marital relations with the Kangla. The people were highly respected and the King of Meetei Leibak or Kangla granted them royal privileges and status.
It was believed that if sesame seeds were seen in the Thangal Surung cave, the same seeds would come out of the mouth of the surung located in the Kangla. Similarly, if a rooster were thrown into the kangla surung, the same would come out of the mouth of the Thangal surung. It was treated as a secret passage for the Meetei kings. The Meetei kings and the Thangal people also performed religious rituals with pomp and grandeur.
The Thangal Caves were as closely associated with the legendary tale of Meetei kings as Charairongba and his successor, Pamheiba. There was a strong friendship between King Charairongba and a khullakpa (chief) from Surung village. The khullakpa and his wife, khullakpi, had regularly visited the royal palace. When they were in the royal palace, one of the queens of Charairongba, Nungthil Chaibi gave birth to a boy. It was a custom and rule of the royal palace to kill all children who were not children of the head queen. Fearing losing his son, Nungthil Chaibi hid the news of his newborn son from the royal palaces. He then persuaded the Thangal couple to take the boy with them. The khullakpa, who had regarded the queen as his own sister, was determined to adopt the child in his village. Concealing the secret, he covered the boy with leaves from the nearby trees and put him inside his wife’s basket.
On his way, the baby cried with hunger. As a divine destiny, before the cry of the child, the khullakpi’s chest was filled with milk. She fed the child milk there. Today, the place where the adoptive mother gave milk to the child was known as Khomidok or khom-inthok (khom – milk, inthok – breastfeeding).
After traveling a long distance from Kangla, the khullakpi asked her husband to rest for lunch. They kept the sham (basket) under a tree to protect the child from the scorching sun. When they began to remove food from the chakyom (carrier of tiffin), the sham and the boy were about to fall to the ground. Fortunately, the khullakpi ran to the scene and saved the boy from falling. The place where the boy and the sham were saved from falling was known as Shampei (sham – basket, pei – bow to fall).
When they reached the village, the khullakpi was feeding the boy who was sitting near a large fireplace in his room. Suddenly, he saw a small hole in the corner of his room. The khullakpa tried to close the hole to no avail. He ordered his people to cover the hole with all the dirt they had in the village. However, they failed to close the hole. Seeing no other means, they began to worship the hole, which looked like a cave.
Several years later, the khullakpa had visited King Meetei. Nunthil Chaibi was eager to know about her son who was in Thangal village. “Oh brother, how old is the rooster that I gave to my friend, the khullakpi?” Understanding what the queen meant, the khullakpa replied, “O sister, the rooster of the earth Meetei begins to crow.” Hearing their conversation, the king suspected a plot against him. Fearing a conspiracy, he decided to punish the Thangal.
Consequently, Charairongba invaded Thangal village. The king was leading the mounting of an attack on a dolai (palanquin). As they crossed the river Iril, all the horses were lost. Since then, the place was known as Sagolmang (sagol – horse, mang- lost).
When they were in the vicinity of Thangal village, a mysterious clod had engulfed the entire mountain range, hiding the village. The king realized that it was God’s will, blocking his way to the village with evil plans of war. He promised himself not to invade the village of Thangal any more and got off the palanquin to go no further. The place was known as Dolaithabi (dolaipalanquin, thabitop). To his surprise, the cloud disappeared and the sky became clear.
The king kept his promise and he alone made his way to the village without any soldiers to follow him. Along the way, he felt exhausted and began looking for a shady tree. When his search was in vain, the king cursed the Thangal hills to be barren for having no shady trees. Today, the Thangal Hills are not fertile as people believe, referring to that curse.
At last, the King entered Thangal village who greeted him warmly with love and respect from the people. The king was moved by the divine austerity and resourcefulness of the boy who stays in the khullakpa’s house. When asked about the boy, the khullakpa narrated everything to King Meetei. It was a happy reunion between father and son. Therefore, the Thangal people adopted a prince and a new relationship was established between the two communities.
However, with the arrival of Christianity and Hinduism on earth, the union between Thangal and Meetei turned into a love-hate relationship. Now, we need to remember our rich cultural histories for a united future. Religion is just an adulteration of our body from the outside. He cannot alter the blood relationship between the three brothers: Thangal, Tangkhul, and Meetei.