Bishnupur Travel and Tourism Guide

The history of Bishnupur goes back to the ancient times. The original name of Bishnupur was Lumlangdong.The Cheitharal Kumbaba, an ancient book of manipur covers the history of Manipur from 33 A.D. - 1897 A.D. As per the book, the area was ruled by Pakhangba kingdom for about 120 years. During 154 A.D., King Tompok took over the Kingdom. He and his successors ruled until 654 A.D when King Kairench took over and the craft of the area developed during this time. The Shang dynasty (1523 - 1027 BC) was established by the Meitei tribe king that was later known as Tang Shang dynasty.  Thereafter a lot of development took place in the area in terms of transport, agriculture, cultural exchange, animal husbandry, literature etc. The successors continued to rule successfully. The Meitei initially worshipped the Dragon God and later adopted Hinduism by worshipped Lord Shiva and the Snake God. King Kyamba wanted to conquer The Shang kingdom. He attacked then along with the king of Pong. After the battle was won the area was divided between the two kings. King Pong gifted an idol of Lord Vishnu to King Kyamba which he kept at Lumlangdong. Since then the area came to be known as Bishnupur, the abode of lord Vishnu. It was since then that Vishnu worship started in Manipur from the 15th century. King Kyamba built the Vishnu temple at Bishnupur. It was during his era that the area gained fame and became important. The traditional costume of the Meitei ladies was designed and started by the queen around 965 AD. King Kobombaopened the road to assam  and the trade and cultural contacts started. In the 1600 A.D, King Khemba introduced cap / headgear to be worn at a time of festival. Relationships with China were also initiated in this century. In the year 1714, King Garib Niwaj took over the throne. From 1753-1758, there was no proper ruler of Manipur due to conflicts. In 1760, YuvarajBhagya Chandra took over the throne. The Manipur Kingdom was extended to the present territorial upto Myanmar. The Burmese attacked the area in 1769 AD and in 1773 AD, Manipur was taken back. Burma invaded again in 1819 AD during the reign of King Marjeet Singh. In 1825, the locals attacked the Burmese in an army led by Gambir Sing and drove them away.Manipur was free of the invasion from Burma by February 1826. The famous Yandaboo treaty was signed in February 1826.

Finally in the late 17th century, the first alliance between Manipur and the East India Company was made in the year 1762. The British were biased with the Burmese and paid little attention to the interest of the Meitei. After the death of Maharaja Gambir Singh in 1829, his son, Chanu Kumudini Chandrakirti, was announced the king when he was 2 years old.  His uncle and caretaker used this opportunity and declared himself as the king. After his death, the young king came back and took over the throne. The revolt of the Meitei against the British had initiated. The British were of the opinion that the Meitei were uneducated and were not interested in any development. Dr. Brown published the Meitei script for the first time in 1877 AD.  Maharaja Surajchand, son of Maharaja Chandrakirti, ruled from 1886 - 1890 and then his son, Maharaja Churachand ruled from 1891 - 1941, who was then a minor. In the year 1907, the Manipur State Durbar was established to assist the Maharaja in the administration of the area. His son, Maharaja Budhachandra Singh ruled from 1941 - 1955 AD. Manipur declared a war against the British. The great Khongjom war was fought between Manipuri army and the British Army. The territory was taken over by the British after the fierce battle. During World War II, moirang was the headquarters of Azad Hind Fauz under the leadership of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Netaji had hoisted Indian National Army's flag for the first time in India on 14th April, 1944 in Moirang of Bishnupur area. Post-independence, an agreement was signed between the Government of India and the Maharaja of Manipur on the 2nd September 1949 and Manipur was merged with Indian Union on Oct 15, 1949. Manipur become one of the union Territories under the union Territories Act, 1956.   Bishnupur was a district of Manipur with Bishnupur city as its headquarters.