Patriots Day in Manipur Date in the current year: August 13, 2024

Manipur is a small state in northeastern India. Prior to India’s independence, it was an independent kingdom and then a princely state of the British Raj. It was established in 1100 as the Kingdom of Kangleipak and received the name “Manipur” in 1724. Thirty years later, Manipur was occupied by the Kingdom of Burma.

During the First Anglo-Burmese War, Raja Gambhir Singh expelled the Burmese from Manipur with the assistance of British troops. Subsequently, Manipur entered in a subsidiary alliance with the British East India Company and thus became a British protectorate.

In 1886, Raja Chandrakirti Singh passed away and was succeeded by his eldest son Surachandra Singh, with the approval of the British Government. Four years later, Surachandra’s younger brothers Kulachandra Singh and Tikendrajit Singh overthrew him in a palace coup. Kulachandra ascended the throne as the new Raja of Manipur, but it was Tikendrajit who stood behind the coup and had the real power.

The British decided to take advantage of the complicated political situation in Manipur to annex the kingdom. Their plan was to recognize Kulachandra as the ruler but to arrest his brother for organizing the coup. In 1891, Chief Commissioner of Assam James Wallace Quinton arrived in Manipur with an escort of 400 Gurkhas and demanded that Kulachandra hand over Tikendrajit.

Kulchandra refused, and an armed skirmish ensued, resulting in the deaths of several British officers. In response, the colonial government declared war on Manipur. British forces began to advance towards Manipur on March 31, 1891. Manipuri troops did their best to fight back, but they were outnumbered and outgunned.

Because of this, the Anglo-Manipuri lasted for mere weeks. The last battle of the war was the Khongjom Battle; the Manipuri lost about 130 men, while British forces came out of the battle largely unscathed. On April 27, 1891, the British captured the Manipuri capital of Imphal and hoisted the Union Jack above the royal palace.

On May 23, the British arrested Tikendrajit Singh and other Manipuri leaders. On August 13, Tikendrajit and four other commanders were publicly executed for waging war against the British Empire. Kulachandra Singh and 21 Manipuri noblemen were stripped of their property and transported for life.

After the war, the British declared a 5-year-old boy from a side branch of the royal family Raja of Manipur to nominally restore the ruling dynasty. In reality, however, Manipur lost the remnants of its autonomy and became part of the British Empire.

There are two official holidays in Manipur commemorating the Anglo-Manipur War: Khongjom Day, observed on April 23, and Patriots Day, observed on August 13. Patriots Day is marked by remembrance ceremonies held throughout the state to honor the memory of those who died in the war or were executed by the British in the aftermath.