Ah! I hope we all managed to reach Imphal, the Capital of Manipur, safely despite the ongoing blockade. Now that we are still fresh in our travel stained clothes, let us pretend we are Sherlock Holmes and look around (literally, not snoopishly). We see we are in a vast green plain surrounded in a circular fashion by sky touched mountains/hills.
(Courtesy: Bijananda Chabungbam, thanks Cuz, for letting me use the pics)
Claustrophic people will almost think we are in a bottled city, with the hills as the bottle walls and the Imphal Valley (where we are standing in the middle of) as the bottom. The plain is in fact, surrounded by 9 hill ranges, which acted as a natural fortress from unfriendly armies in the past. The small city is oval in shape and is around 908 sq kms, and is like any other Indian town: shops lined up on the side of the roads, vehicles driving madly honking on each other, buses plying tilting precariously at each turning, but one small difference is, you won't see any beggars anywhere.
But we do not have much time to look around; The time capsule I borrowed is ready, so let's travel back in time to see the origin of Manipur. The subject is a matter of high debate among the anthropologist, and yours truly has little proof of the details that is going to follow, only old manipuri tales, archeological evidence, ancient manipuri scriptures, etc, and since I am not writing a thesis on the subject, nor a wikipedia entry, I will not be quoting any sources (write to me if you have some corrections/suggestions/more information).
Ah, we arrived at 4000 years back to around 20th Century BC! Remember dear readers, no changing the past, keep close to each other, and don't touch ANYTHING, it has serious repercussions in the future (Remember what "Back to the Future" taught us).
(Courtesy: Bijananda Chabungbam)
Well, as you can see, we are inside a water body, which is to say, there was no Imphal 4000 years back! It was part of a Big Lake! I hope you all know how to swim!
During this time, migrating humans have begun settling on the hills surrounding this lake, along with the original natives of the land. Some say, the migration was from China of the people of Tang Shang, some say from Thailand, but I believe it was not a one time migration. It might have been in waves, sometimes from China, sometimes from Thailand, sometimes from other remote regions, but safe to say, the region started to populate with people. This is prehistory, and most of it is derived from oral history passed down generations in old wives tales, or written down when writing was invented in this region.
There is not much to see, and prehistory does not give us much other than legends of the old kings, and various welcoming of clans, consolidation of the hilly lands etc. Pass! So, let us go 2000 years forward, during which Jerasulem was troubled by the appearance of the messiah. Something incredible happened over the middle region of Manipur during our 2000 years of absence, the water body we just (well sort of, time tracking is a tricky thing during time travel ) nearly drowned in, got drained! Only a comparatively small lake remains as a memory of the once great lake. There is fertile land to be claimed! Wait people, not for us, for the ancient Manipuri people. Seesh!
(Courtesy: Bijananda Chabungbam)
Well, let's take a break, dear readers, go explore this vast fertile land, imagine what you would do it you suddenly have a vast plain given to you. But remember, no changing the future, talk to no one, and no touching anything. Be back by tea time! And don't get lost!
(Courtesy: Bijananda Chabungbam, thanks Cuz, for letting me use the pics)
Claustrophic people will almost think we are in a bottled city, with the hills as the bottle walls and the Imphal Valley (where we are standing in the middle of) as the bottom. The plain is in fact, surrounded by 9 hill ranges, which acted as a natural fortress from unfriendly armies in the past. The small city is oval in shape and is around 908 sq kms, and is like any other Indian town: shops lined up on the side of the roads, vehicles driving madly honking on each other, buses plying tilting precariously at each turning, but one small difference is, you won't see any beggars anywhere.
But we do not have much time to look around; The time capsule I borrowed is ready, so let's travel back in time to see the origin of Manipur. The subject is a matter of high debate among the anthropologist, and yours truly has little proof of the details that is going to follow, only old manipuri tales, archeological evidence, ancient manipuri scriptures, etc, and since I am not writing a thesis on the subject, nor a wikipedia entry, I will not be quoting any sources (write to me if you have some corrections/suggestions/more information).
Ah, we arrived at 4000 years back to around 20th Century BC! Remember dear readers, no changing the past, keep close to each other, and don't touch ANYTHING, it has serious repercussions in the future (Remember what "Back to the Future" taught us).
(Courtesy: Bijananda Chabungbam)
Well, as you can see, we are inside a water body, which is to say, there was no Imphal 4000 years back! It was part of a Big Lake! I hope you all know how to swim!
During this time, migrating humans have begun settling on the hills surrounding this lake, along with the original natives of the land. Some say, the migration was from China of the people of Tang Shang, some say from Thailand, but I believe it was not a one time migration. It might have been in waves, sometimes from China, sometimes from Thailand, sometimes from other remote regions, but safe to say, the region started to populate with people. This is prehistory, and most of it is derived from oral history passed down generations in old wives tales, or written down when writing was invented in this region.
There is not much to see, and prehistory does not give us much other than legends of the old kings, and various welcoming of clans, consolidation of the hilly lands etc. Pass! So, let us go 2000 years forward, during which Jerasulem was troubled by the appearance of the messiah. Something incredible happened over the middle region of Manipur during our 2000 years of absence, the water body we just (well sort of, time tracking is a tricky thing during time travel ) nearly drowned in, got drained! Only a comparatively small lake remains as a memory of the once great lake. There is fertile land to be claimed! Wait people, not for us, for the ancient Manipuri people. Seesh!
(Courtesy: Bijananda Chabungbam)
Well, let's take a break, dear readers, go explore this vast fertile land, imagine what you would do it you suddenly have a vast plain given to you. But remember, no changing the future, talk to no one, and no touching anything. Be back by tea time! And don't get lost!
