Thangal General: Soldier, Statesman and Martyr of Manipur — SB Luwang

THANGAL GENERAL

Soldier, Statesman and Martyr of Manipur

On 13 August 1891, Thangal General and Yubraj Tikendrajit were executed following Manipur’s defeat in the Anglo-Manipur War. Their deaths became enduring symbols of resistance, sacrifice and the defence of Manipur’s political dignity.

Yet the life of Thangal General was far larger than the events of 1891.

Thangal General: Soldier, Statesman and Martyr of Manipur presents a detailed and critical biography of one of nineteenth-century Manipur’s most influential personalities.

Drawing upon historical chronicles, colonial records, military accounts, parliamentary debates, published scholarship and competing community traditions, author SB Luwang reconstructs Thangal General’s long career in the service of the Manipur kingdom.

The book explores his rise through the royal administration, military responsibilities, frontier campaigns, involvement in roads and public works, political influence at Kangla, relationship with Maharaja Chandrakirti and Yubraj Tikendrajit, and his role during the political crisis of 1890–1891.

Special attention is given to the dramatic events surrounding the attempted British arrest of Tikendrajit, the attack on Kangla on 24 March 1891, the subsequent Anglo-Manipur War, Thangal General’s surrender, trial, mercy petition and execution.

Rather than presenting history as simple hero worship, the book also investigates difficult and disputed questions surrounding Thangal General’s ancestry, original name, military actions and alleged responsibility for the deaths of British officers.

Inside the Book

Readers will discover:

• The competing traditions concerning Thangal General’s birth and ancestry
• His rise from royal service to one of Manipur’s most powerful officials
• Military organisation and administration in nineteenth-century Manipur
• Frontier campaigns and relations with neighbouring communities
• His contribution to roads, bridges and public works
• The history of the Thangal General Temple
• The succession crisis following Maharaja Chandrakirti Singh
• Surachandra, Kulachandra and the rise of Tikendrajit
• British political intervention in Manipur
• The attempted arrest of Tikendrajit
• The attack on Kangla on 24 March 1891
• The deaths of the British officers
• The Anglo-Manipur War fought on three fronts
• The Battle of Khongjom
• The British occupation of Manipur
• Thangal General’s surrender and trial
• Questions surrounding the fairness of the colonial tribunal
• His mercy petition and death sentence
• The execution of Thangal General and Tikendrajit on 13 August 1891
• The transformation of Manipur after 1891
• Patriots’ Day and the making of Thangal General’s modern legacy
• Competing genealogical and community memories
• Historical chronology, court ranks, glossary and documentary appendices

A Critical Biography of a Manipur Patriot

This book approaches Thangal General both with respect and historical discipline.

Colonial descriptions are examined critically rather than accepted at face value. At the same time, later patriotic traditions are compared with documentary evidence wherever possible.

The result is a portrait of Thangal General not merely as a martyr at the gallows, but as a complex nineteenth-century soldier, administrator and statesman whose career illuminates the final decades of Manipur before the decisive political transformation of 1891.

Recommended For

Thangal General will be especially useful for:

• Students of Manipur history
• Competitive examination candidates
• College and university students
• Historians and researchers
• Readers interested in the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891
• Readers of Northeast Indian history
• Libraries and educational institutions
• Manipuri readers and diaspora communities
• Anyone interested in anti-colonial resistance and Indian history