Manipur is the ancestral territory of the Manipuri people. Manipur is presently under Indian colonial rule. It is situated in the north-east corner of India and bounded in the east by Myanmar (Burma). The present territorial area is 22,327 sq.km. It lies within 23.83 degree N to 25.68 degree E latitude and 93.03 degree E to 94.48 degree E longitude. A fertile alluvial
valley extends north-south in the middle and it is surrounded on all sides by hi ranges forming a part of the eastern Himalayas. Though constituting only about 12 p.c. of the total geographical area, the valley is settled by more than 75 p.c. of the total population of 1.8 million (1991 Census).
The royal chronicle Cheitharol Kumbaaba maintains an uninterrupted historical record of the land and its people since 33 A.D. Throughout the history, the valley was, and continues to be, the core region where the distinctive Manipuri culture and way of life took shape and where political developments having repercussions throughout the Indo-Burma region often originated.
Among the Manipuris, the Meiteis form the predominant ethnic group and they traditionally inhabit the valley. The surrounding hill ranges are settled by many tribes. They are broadly grouped together and known as the NAGA and the KUKI tribes. While the Meiteis thrive on wet cultivation, the tribal population subsist largely on the slash-and-burn technique of cultivation and depend heavily on the valley for their needs. In recent decades, however, the steady influx of immigrants from the Indian subcontinent into the hill areas and into parts of the valley and also the internal migration of tribes from the valley, have disturbed the traditional settlement patterns and demographic balance both in the hills and the valley of Manipur. History of Manipur
Manipur’s history can be traced back to the foundation of Imphal in the first century AD. Despite periodic invasions from Burma, it has also had long periods, of independent and stable government. Manipur came under British rule in 1891 as a result of the defeat in the Battle of Khongjom. During World War II, most of Manipur was occupied by the Japanese, who used it as a base from where to strike towards the Assam Valley. Manipur became a full-fledged Indian state within the union in 1972. Since then it has been subjected to waves of violent unrest, initially as a result of self-rule campaigns and more recently through a brutal war between Kukis and Nagas; inter-communal hostilities came to a head in 1993, when several villages were destroyed and many innocent people brutally slaughtered. Since then, disturbances have been on the increase, with curfews in force in lmphal and elsewhere; at the time of writing, tourists were being advised to stay away, and were not allowed to spend the night anywhere outside the capital.
Insurgent Groups
Peoples Liberation Army: The Peoples Liberation Army is a leftist organization formed in
1978 with the aim of liberating Manipur from India.
UNLF: The United National Liberation Front was created in 1964 and demands an independent socialist state of Manipur.
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