A History of Kakching with Special Reference to Khamlangba
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Suraj Punj Journal For Multidisciplinary Research ISSN NO: 2394-2886 A History of Kakching with special reference to Khamlangba By Kshetrimayum Kishan Singh Student of M.A History Department of Arts and Languages Lovely Professional University Under the guidance of Dr. Kulnaz Kaur Judge Department of Arts and Languages Lovely Professional University Abstract The story of Khamlangba is based on both the oral and written sources which are primary sources. He is the one of the major God of Manipur and has been told either by oral or written books but no one can fix the life span of Khamlangba. He was the leader of Kakching community who was committed his life to his occupation as the iron producer. He made many settlements when he searched for the raw materials. Khamlangba became the ancestral God which is still devoting in Kakching community as a major God and few places in Manipur. Different manifestations of Khamlangba in different places have told in this research. Keywords: Khamlangba, Kakching community, Kangleipak Methodology The historical fields of this particular area of study has been analysed and questionnaires had been conducted to different elderly people of the Kakching community. They gave the good oral sources as per them and many books had been analysed to write this article. These methods were conducted after the objective of the article was framed. But after the use of these methods, the process has reframed to continue because there were many new ideas that emerged while conducting the said methods. Volume 9, Issue 5, 2019 Page No: 145 Suraj Punj Journal For Multidisciplinary Research ISSN NO: 2394-2886 Introduction Kakching is a small town located in south eastern part of Manipur and 45 km away from the capital Imphal. The name is derived from its community name Kakching. Kakching community is the most populated town in Kakching District. Kakching was under the Thoubal district but recently, Manipur’s nine districts were reevaluated and framed into new eight more districts on December 2016. By this Kakching also became the independent district in the state of Manipur. Kakching is divided into Kakching Wairi and Kakching Khullen by the Burma-Sugnu road. Both Kakching Wairi and Kakching Khullen are devoted to Ebudhou Khamlangba. They are very hardworking community. Most of the people are engaged with agricultural activities whether rich or poor. Khamlangba is the God associated with few places in Manipur. His temples are made in Uripok, Thoubal and Kakching. All the people of Kakching and few people from different parts of Manipur who were the settlers of Khamlangba are devoting him today as their ancestral God. He is known as Ebudhou Khamlangba in Kakching. There are two Ebudhou Khamlangba temples in Kakching. They are located in Kakching Wairi and Kakching Khullen. He was the ancestral leader of the Kakching community. This is why he is considered as an ancestral deity of Kakching people. He was designated in iron industry for the production of iron. He committed his whole life for this occupation. He went to different places in search of raw materials. He expanded his profession to many other people. He made many settlements in different places due to his occupation. Mainly he settled at the places where he could get raw materials for his work. He began to search for a new place when he could not find the adequate raw materials from his existing current workplace. This is how he made many settlements. There is no exact date of birth and dead of Khamlangba. Some elders from the Kakching tell that he did not die. He was just disappeared from Kereching. Other than this oral source, there is no source of his disappearance. Three religions are followed by Kakchings, Hindu, Meitei Chatpa (Sanamahism) and Christian. Hindu religion in Kakching is the mixture of Sanamahism and Hindu. This mixture is known as Goura. Since, the Goura is not recognized by the Indian constitution and very much similar with the Hindu, people considered it as Hindu. Majority people follow this religion. Sanamahism is the ancestral religion. But Khmalangba is both devoted by Goura and Sanamahism. Christian religion is the recently emerged in the society of Kakching after the Colonial rule. Its followers are the lowest in numbers. Volume 9, Issue 5, 2019 Page No: 146 Suraj Punj Journal For Multidisciplinary Research ISSN NO: 2394-2886 Lois Kakching community belongs to one of the Lois community of Manipur. These Lois were established by Pakhangba in first century AD. Creation of Lois villages were mainly to collect taxes. They had been considered as the outcast people. This is why Kakching community is under the schedule cast status. They were not allowed to enter to non-Lois villagers home but today, such customs are no longer existed. The work Kei Loi Lingkhatpa describes the rule of Nongda Lairen Pakhangba (33-154 AD). Nigthouja clan ruled the Kanglei at this time. Pakhangba was from this clan. He established fifteen Lois villages in Manipur. They were (I) Chakpa, (ii) Thoubandong, (iii) Sekmaikha, (iv) Andro, (v) Awang Sekmai, (vi) Phayeng, (vii) Koutruk, (viii) Leimaram, (ix) Thongchao, (x) Kakching, (xi) Shikhong, (xii) Ningel, (xiii) Tengsang, (xiv) Loikok Leishangkhong, (xv) Chairel. Khamlangba: Origin Khamlangba is one the ancestral God of Manipur, today. He was the leader of his community and continued as the leader of Kakching community after the merger. He was designated as the iron producer. He was one of the nine Umanglais (God) of Kangleipak during the reign of Pakhangba. Pakhangba’s reign began from 33 AD. His occupation was brought till the Kakching but he did not settle at Kakching. Khamlangba married his first wife with Huimu Leima and had a son called Amudon Tondelaba. Since his profession was the production of iron, he needed to find the places where he could get the raw materials for his work. So, he moved from one place to another place. This reason led his wife and young son left at Kangleipak. Khamlangba and his co-workers who were considered as his followers left Kangleipak. They were heading towards the Takhel. At this time, Takhel king was aware of attack from Bengal. He knew that he could not protect the Takhel. He would not heir by anyone since he had no son. So, he had been searching for a man who could protect from Bengal. He was told about Khamlangba who was very brave and could handle the situation. He was very popular about his bravery. So, Takhel king with his followers were heading towards Manipur to search Khamlangba while Khamlangba and his followers were searching for their iron ore. Takhel king found them at Noneh, south- western part of Kangleipak. He taken them to Takhel and they stayed there for months after Khamlangba secured Takhel. He was married with Shija Kalika, the daughter of Takhel King as his second wife. After spending his time at Takhel, he backed to Manipur with his second wife. Shija Kalika was followed by many of her followers. These followers from Takhel also made their settlements at Kangleipak. They were married to Kangleipak Ningols (women). Khamlangba is said by oral source that he was just disappeared from the Kereching. He did not Volume 9, Issue 5, 2019 Page No: 147 Suraj Punj Journal For Multidisciplinary Research ISSN NO: 2394-2886 die. This is categorized to mythological story by this research paper. The actual extinction of Khamalangba has no source other than this. Written sources Yotsa Muriba, Yotshung Mori Tek Tek are mentioned as Khamlangba in several accounts of Kakching history books and journals. He was one of the seven Chirens cut by Guru Sidaba. Leithak Leikharol mentions about Yotshungba Mori Tek Tek’s parents. His father name was Chengnga and his mother name was Chengleima. He had two siblings called Thingbaroi Khompi and Yuchenleima. Sakok Lamlen Ahanba also mentions about the nine Umanglais (God) of Manipur. Khamlangba was one of the Umanglais. During the reign of Irengba, Khamlangba was worshipped as the popular one. According to M. Gourachandra, Khamlangba was the prominent figure and lived in the pre- Pakhangba period (before 33 A.D). His occupation was production of iron. Most of the books of the Khamlangba were written in late 19th and 20th century. So, writers made bias when they wrote the books. The story of Khamlangba has been told orally by elders till today. Everyone from the Kakching community knows the brief oral history of Kakching. The culture or the love of telling the oral history of Kakching makes the story to one generation to next generation which might have many manipulates and bias. If he lived in 33 A.D, it had been 18 centuries before the first book of him had written down even though there was the high chance of manipulation. Absolute truth history of him is still in search. According to some books and oral story, he reached the Kereching, this is the last settlement made by the Kakching community before the Kakching. Kereching settlement was made only in the 18th century. So, there is the big doubt that how could he live for many centuries. There is another story line of Khamlangba which says that he died at Uripok. His followers who were under his occupation had been carrying the same occupation till the beginning of current Kakching settlement. There is a strong evidence of this occupation at Kakching. A small pareng (street) has been named under this occupation and this particular pareng is called Yotsungbam Pareng (the street of iron production). After the dead of Khamlangba, there was brave man who carried out the the Khmalangba’s occupation.