IMPHAL, February 16: The ‘Arambai’ which was one of the most remarkable weapons used by the Army of the former Manipuri kings symbolises a ‘unifying force’ of the land, said IPS retd Sarangthem Manaobi alias Khoiranthaba during a press meet held at his Chanchipur residence.
He said when the British arrived, the then Manipore (now Manipur) was known as an Asiatic sovereign power and the fact that Arambai is still kept in the British Museum is a historical evidence of its past power.
Today, Manipur is on the downfall due to several factors, he said stressing further that the failure to maintain a proper history of the land and certain communities claiming their land to be gifted to them by the then kings are some of the factors.
Claims made without any evidence to authenticate them are just made up stories and cannot be called history, he said.
Manipur has failed to preserve its historical monuments and evidences although many such insignias of the land’s history are still found outside the State, he said.
He said the Arambai force of the then Manipuri kings had been instrumental in attacking Myanmar.
Manaobi said he had been searching for the original Arambai for the past 20 years or so and managed to locate it at Pitt River Museum at the University of Oxford, England where it has been on display since way back in 1880.
He said Dr Biswajeet Elangbam who is practicing Medicine at Birmingham helped him in the process and extended his gratitude for the same.
He said Arambai represents unity, strength, self-reliance and power.
The first Britishers to arrive in Manipur were fully aware of the significance and power of the Arambai force, he added.
The present day Arambai displayed in the State during exhibitions and functions is not the same as the one found in the British museum, he added.
He continued now we can have the exact replication of the weapon used by our forefathers and not of some duplicates, he added.
This will take us back to our roots, he said.
He said the present NDA government in the Centre is unaware of the history of the land.
If we are able to properly present our history in detail before the world, everyone will have high regards of us, he said.
Manipur is a land which has given the world the game of Polo, art forms like the Raas Leela, he said.
It is time we introduce Arambai to the world, he added.
He also called for unity among the people of the land saying that if the people are united, the neighbouring people will never think of provoking the Manipuris.