Manipur Violence: A Look At The History Of Kuki-Zo People – The Lost Kiratas Of Mahabharata

New Delhi: The current Manipur conflict has shocked the entire country and amidst fake and twisted narratives, the actual information is covered in dust. One of the major myths and widely circulated narratives is that the Kuki-Zo people were not the original inhabitants of Manipur. These tribals are often insulted and are called immigrants, refugees, foreigners, and infiltrators from Myanmar. Unfortunately, none of these narratives has any evidence or historical proof. All of it was circulated just for political gains. Not only this, but Manipur also had a rich history and most of it was well documented until April 13, 2000, when an angry mob of womenfolk (Meirapaibi in Manipuri) burnt down Manipur State Central Library along with over 1,45,000 books, ancient manuscripts and documents. A part of the history was already burnt down but a major part survived too. 

While researching this topic, we stumbled upon some authentic and surprising data which proves the connection of the Kuki-Zo community with India right from the times of Mahabharata. Although in the present times, most of them have converted to Christianity which took place after the arrival of British people, the history of the Kuki people is much older than that and It is pertinent to discuss the real story of Kuki-Zo history in detail so that the popular myths can be busted. 

Origin of word Kuki and ancient Buddhist texts

One of the most authentic sources of ancient history is "Taranatha’s History of Buddhism in India", which was written in the 16th century by one of the most renowned Buddhist scholars Taranatha, and later published by Motilal Banarsidas Publishers. The book has a separate chapter on the Kuki people which gives a clear account of their origin.

Taranatha wrote extensively about the existence of the people inhabiting the hills between Bengal and Burma as Ko-Ki and he named this area as Ko-Ki county.

British probably might have taken the name Kuki from this Ko-Ki only. He also mentioned that these Ko-Ki people were ardent followers of Buddhism.

Chapter 39 of the book extensively covers the details of these Ko-Ki people and confirms their eastern boundary to the Rakhan area (present day Rakhine state of Myanmar) which pinpoints their location in present day Manipur.

Taranatha also wrote that these Ko-Ki people are settled in the area ever since the time of King Asoka (3rd Century BC) and made a mention of several Buddhist viharas in the area which clearly proves that these people have been the settlers in these hills for over two and half millennia or may be since pre-historic times as written by renowned historian Prof Gangmumei Kabui too.

The copper plates of Tripura

The Panchakhanda Copper-plate of Tripura (641 CE) mentioned an incident where some land was given to five saintly Brahmins in the east 'By the settlements of the Hānkulā Kukis, within which paddy is cultivated by the Tengkori Kukis'.

Further, the Itā Copper-plate (1194 CE) of Tripura also mentioned land-grant to the saintly Mithila Brahmin in the 'the Kuki inhabited land in Manukula Pradesha bounded by Langlā hill on the east'. Langla Hills is an old name of Langol Hills of present-day Manipur. The inscriptions on these two copper plates also prove the existence of Kuki people in this area during the 7th and 12th centuries respectively. 

Narrations from Tripura Rajmala

Tripura Rajmala is probably the only authentic document that throws light on the history of entire northeast India in the most impeccable manner. It gives a detailed account of the 145 kings of Tripura and has the events well documented for over two millennia.

Rajmala mentioned the Kuki people as staunch followers of Lord Shiva. The very first mention is during the rule of King Subrai or Trilochan (the 47th king) and narrates that when the king won his conquest over Hidamba (present day Cachar) and performed the "ceremonies to the fourteen gods", it was the Kukis and the Kirats who contributed all the animals for sacrifices and helped the king in the ceremony. The rule of King Trilochan is assumed to be somewhere in the 7th or 8th century BC.

Rajmala also documents an incident during the rule of King Dhanya Manikya who ruled in the 15th century about the existence of Shaivism in the Kuki-inhibited areas. There is a mention of a Shiva Linga in the Kuki area which was granting 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 ling and wrapped it in Betel leaves to be sent to the king but miraculously the Shiva Linga escaped from the box and reached its original place in the Kuki land.

It is pertinent to mention here that Tripura Rajmala uses two names for these tribals. One is Kuki and the other is Kirata which is an important part of Mahabharata. The 6th century epic “Kirataruniya” written by Mahakavi Bharavi portrays the Kiratas as mountain dwelling hunters, a term which fits exactly on the Kuki tribes and is re-confirmed by Tripura Rajmala. 

Manipur royal chronicles (The Cheitharol Kumbaba)

The royal chronicles of the Manipur royal family are known as Cheitharol and give irrefutable evidence that the Kuki people have been the aboriginals of Manipur. Cheitharol mentions a few Kuki tribes during different years like Khongsai in 1508 and Kyangs or Chins in 1467 and named the southern Manipur hills “Khongsai Hills” which proves beyond doubt that Kuki people were staying in these hills during the fifteenth century. 

This Cheitharol which was written by ancestors of the present-day Manipur royal family also made mention of several campaigns against the Kuki people at different parts of the times. Some of them are the Mangaitang Expedition of 1734, the Khongsai hills expedition of 1786, the Saiton hills expedition of 1789, and a few minor expeditions during the same time. All of them categorically mentioned the expedition to be aimed against the Kuki tribes.

It is pertinent to mention here that the British reached these hills in the middle of the nineteenth century. So, if the Britishers bought the Kuki people, against whom did these Meitei kings fight?

History has been distorted in the past and when we move beyond the world of fake narratives and rely on strong and irrefutable evidence, we find that Kuki people have been staying in the area for almost three millennia and they were followers of Lord Shiva. Calling them refugees, immigrants or infiltrators is not only a sheer lie but also a crime. They may be our lost 'Kiratas' of Mahabharata. 

(Views expressed in the article are personal opinions of the author. Major Amit Bansal is a Defence Strategist with keen interests in International Relations and Internal Security. He is also an author, blogger, and poet)