Moirangthem Chandra Singh (Poireiton Khunthok, 1979:4-18) noted that “turban wearing Pangals” seemingly traced to Pang, a Tai tribe by conversion were found in Manipur and Lilong is mentioned, and W. Ibohal (1986: 41,52, 63) confirms this Pang tribe during the period 810-850 AD. Dr. Yengkhoibam Bhagya Singh (Leithak Leikharol puya, 1956: 122-3) mentions “Pathan Ninthourol” and “Pasha Ningthourol” (the principalities) in Manipur during the period of grandsons of the legendary “King Kangba who physically lived in Manipur in the 11th century” (Ibohal, p.9). Puyas as ‘Kanglei Langba Pakhangba’, ‘Sakok Lamlen Ahanba’, ‘Nongchu-pharamlon’ noted that a “Pangal Musalman guru” (saint) appeared in Manipur from the west during the reign of Naophangba (1140-71) and ‘Sakoklamlen Ahanba’ and ‘Manipuri Longi Kangleiron’ noted that another Pangal saint preached in Manipur during the reign of Irengba (1296-1310).

The Moroccan traveler Ibn Butata, via Delhi, visited the famed saint Shah Jalal, from Yemen or Turkistan (RM Eaton :1997:212) at ‘Kamru Hills’ in 1345 AD by sailing up the Surma-Barak River and further proceeded to Habanq (there is Habang at the confluence of Makru and Barak rivers) ruled by one called Ziena (RM Nath: 1978:50, 64; BC Allen et al: 1979) before proceeding to China by junk via a kingdom of Pasha, which DS Richards (ed. 1970:133) says, was in northern Sumatra, ruled by one called Malik al-Jabiz. Eaton says this Kamru of Ibn Batuta is too vague to be in Assam (Kamrup) hill, and suggests Sylhet to be the place.

Manipur was known to outsiders by various names and her territory extended as per the conquering extent of different kings. As known to outsiders, Abdus Sattar (In the Sylvan Shadow: 1970: 155) noted “Legend has it that a Manipuri prince after becoming a Muslim, married a Mughal (? Muslim) princess and settled down at a place called Thoubal in Manipur Kingdom of Assam. This prince also materially helped the advancement of Islam within his sphere of influence”. MT Laiba (1992:44-5) noted: “Hiuen Tsang refer to Manipur as a part of the kingdom of Kamrupa and the Burmese chronicles mention Manipur as a border kingdom within the basin of Irrawady”. So it is clear that Ibn Batuta’s ‘Kamru hill’ is ‘Kaubru hill’ in west Manipur that is the extension of Kamrup Hills in the east, and hence “Kaubru” is derived from the word “Kamru”.

As regards the place Pasha (Pasa) mentioned in puyas as Leithat Leikharol and Pangal Thorakpa, Pemberton (1966: 113) called it “Basa” probably meaning Banga, capital of Cachar, which Cheitharol Kumbaba (1989:6) identifies as ‘Pasha’, where Samlungfa from Pong invaded. Ibohal (1986:217) noted that this Pasa is the Muslim province of Tarap of the 13th century, and that Pasa/Basa is derived from the word “Badshah”. HAR Gibbs (1983:298, 373 ft32) similarly noted that “Pashay”, meaning chief or king as in China too, is derived from “Badshah”. Dr. Y. Bhagya (1956: 113ft) noted that “Pasha” means “Turushka/Turk” as found in Vaishnavite literatures in Assam. As Milton Israel and NK Wagle (1983:292) noted that “the most striking features of all the biographers, discussions of the Muslims is the total absence of such basic terms as Muslim, Musalman and Islam. Instead, when referring to persons, singly or collectively, the texts occasionally mention Turk or Pathan”. As MT Laiba (1992: 44-5) noted: Other than Ptolemy, Huen Tsang, “Chinese historians (Changkien, 2nd century BC), Shan chronicles, Arabian historian, Persian historian, Ahom and Assam historian, European historian etc also recorded many events that happened subsequently in Manipur”.

Among the Muslim historian-geographers who recorded events of this frontier region, it included - Masudi (d.956), Ibn Khurdadbhih (d. 850), Buzurg (930), Sulaiman Tajir (d. 851), Dimashqi (1325), Abul Fida (1331) and Bakuwi (1400) [IFP: 20 Mar 2004]. But, the so-called Oriental historians- desktop writers sitting at London or Paris who got the Arab-Persian sources (notes) translated in English or French did their research on Malay archipelago, they being known Muslim lands, not knowing that “Pangals” or “Muslims” (noted in those records) are in Manipur, subsequently ‘quite innocently’ pilfered and dislocated history, putting real history topsy-turvy. For example, Frank Lebar et al (1964: 181), GE Gerini Eastern Geography (1909:260, 895 & 906 indices) located the “Pangan” as some ‘eastern pygmies in Malay Peninsula”, and similarly some of the accounts of “Pasha/Pasa” of Manipur and Cachar-Taraf were attributed to those of Pasa/Pasai of Java (Sumatra) etc. Again, a confused DS Richards (ed. 1970:116) noted: “towards the middle of the 13th century, the prince of Tuban (on the northern coast of the island?) was converted to Islam and subsequently adopted it as the official religion of the country.

In the case of Sumatra (?), Islam first spread in the northern part of the island. The earliest reliable news of fairly large scale conversion dates from around 1282 AD, when the kingdom of Pase is known to have sent two Muslim ambassadors, Sulaiman and Shams al-Din from China. It is not known exactly when the first Muslim Sultan of Pase was converted, but it must have been during those same years as he died in 1297 AD”. This “Tuban” seems to be “Thoubal” in the east of Loktak Lake as Abdus Sattar noted above.

Similarly N. Tarling (ed.1994:330) noted: “The earliest Muslim kingdom arose at Pasai…. before the end of the 13th century”. This seems to be the Pasa (Badshah) kingdom of Tarap which lies to the east of the Surma River and southwest of Sylhet of 13th century. Ibohal noted that it existed there for a short period (1986:216). They in all possibility shifted en masse to Manipur, as Shah Jalal of Sylhet around 1340s did not find them. N. Tarling again noted: “According to Tom Pires, Bengali traders had long frequented Pasai, and in the latter part of the thirteenth century had been responsible for placing a ‘Moorish king of Bengali caste’ (black) on the Pasai throne”. This seems to be the ‘Kala Raja of Pangal Mar Khul’ (Pangal village) at Loijing range as Ningthourol Lambuba (O. Bhogeswor: 1967:80); Ibohal (p. 216) noted to be during the reign of Irenga (1296-1310).

RM Montgomery noted that Arabs-Muslims of early period named their ‘abode’ as ‘Mar (a)’. So there is confusion among these western Orientalists on locating places between ‘Pasha’ of India’s eastern frontier and ‘Pasha’ of Java (Sumatra). It is for historians to conduct further investigations. As for Manipur, Ibohal (1986:216-7, 158, 156) he used the terms- Panagal = Pasa= Basa for the same ethnic group during the reign of Irengba1296-1310 AD), a contemporary of Khuman chief Nongyai Thingkonhanba (but refused to say that they are Muslims, though he got relevant sources in his hands as references indicate. RK Sanahal in puya ‘Pangal Thorakpa’ (1989: ii) noted that he found references of Pangal (Musalman) during the reign of Irenga with the first clan name ‘Aribam’. Puyas- Sakok Lalmlen Ahanba (Kh. Chandrasekhar Singh: 1992: 10, 27) refers to one “Pangal Musalman guru” in Manipur, during Irengba’s time, which is again confirmed by Ch. Hemchandra (Kangleiron: 1996:8) clearly as “Pangal Musalman guru”, as in RK Kokngansna (Kanglei Langba Pakhangba: 1950: 2).

Another Pasha: A Tibeto-Burman tribe, known to the Poireis as ‘Hao’ left their ancestral home near Hukong valley around the 11th century, moved southwards along the Chindwin River, following the medieval south highways, and finally entered the Imphal valley, and their cognate tribe, who also entered this land, were Mangangs and Thongnangs (Ibohal: 1986: 157). Muslims in northern Thailand are called Ho (Frank M. Lebar et al (1964:2). Adam Wolfe noted that southern Thais ‘adopted Islam in the 13th century” (IFP: 2 Oct 2005). Those Tibeto-Burman Haos or neo-Burmese mostly settled along the medieval highways from Arakan to the Loijing ranges within the present Lushai hills area in the latter part of the 12th century. While inhabiting there for a considerable length of time, they probably got mixed with the non-Mongoloid proto-Bangals who came from the west and south west.

At about the early part of the 13th century AD, a group of Bangals came and lived together with them” (Ibohal, p. 156). These Bangals must be Muslim traders or disgruntled sections of Bakhtiyar Khilji’s troops after the botched Tibet campaign in 1205AD who wanted to live peacefully. As is noted: “With firm footing of the Muslims in Sylhet-Cachar and Arakan by 1303 CE, started from 1204 CE during the medieval Bengal sultanates, either independently or suzerainty under Mughal Empire, sprinkling of Muslim traders and soldiers traversed through Manipur valley and Arakan since 1210s CE”, which was unrecorded in Cheitharol Kumbaba as its chronicling started in 1484 AD only (IFP: 3 Dec 2003).

Muslims in the region around the period were called Pashas with whose contact those neo-Burmese Hao/Ho too apparently embraced Islam and they too came to known as Pasha (Pasa). While Ibohal (p. 156-7) opined that: “The Bangals and proto-Bangals called the settlement ‘Basa’ meaning ‘temporary settlement’. The Tripura chronicle Rajmala indicates that Basa was close to Rangamati”. Thus two ethnic Pasa Muslim groups emerged in certain parts of Manipur valley by the early 13th century. “After some years of their stay at Basa, a group of Shan invaders headed by Samlungfa, the Pong prince came and subdued them. After subduing Basa, Samlungfa left northwards for some other countries where he met the Poireis and defeated them. After the invasion of Samlungfa, all the inhabitants of Basa appeared to have moved towards the north and finally settled at Lamlangtong (Lamangdong) at about 1225 AD and carved out a principality there”.

They later moved to Loijing range of Leimatol (Koubru) hill (Ibid). O. Bhogeswor (Moirang Ningtourol Lambuba-ii: 1998:47) noted that there was a Pangal community near Khuga River with their chieftain Maraton Adon, who introduced in Manipur ‘rice seed-broadcast and transplantation’ during the reign of Moirang King Punshi Khurel Chauba alias Yiwang Putiklai Punshipa, who according to G. Kabui (1991: 172) ruled by 1312-81 AD. No doubt that KC Tensuba (1993:171) and Ibohal (1986:437) noted that there were two Pasa (Pasha) and one Pangal principality in Manipur during the reign of King Irengaba (1296-1310). And clearly they are Muslim ‘ethnic names” indicating their heterogeneous origin, and they got homogenized after adopting Meiteilon as mother-tongue which was also the lingua-franca of all Manipuri ethnic communities since a great antiquity.

(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)