Kazis of Manipur and education among Meitei Pangals then

By – Dr. Makakmayum Baadshah
We know that modern and western education started with the establishment of Johnstone School at Imphal in 1885 and especially after 1891. The case study here will be about the pattern of education prevalent in Manipur among the Meitei Pangals (Manipuri Muslims) during the late medieval phase from 1606 to 1891 as records show that Manipur kings appointed Kazis (Qazis) for the Pangal community of Manipur during this period and some ambience of comparative education system that persisted among the communities will be presented for which earliest verifiable literary sources will be cited to get an idea about how the peoples received education and other skills and what they appeared like as compared to modern methodology, syllabus and curriculum adopted for imparting education.
A Kazi means a juriconsul or a learned judge who can give and gives opinion and decision about the people or masses in matter of governance and jurisprudence. In medieval period in places where Muslims ruled, the Sultan or monarch appointed a judge (a chief judge) for the department or ministry of law and jurisdiction but in Manipur the Meitei kings appointed the Kazis for the Muslim citizens (Meitei Pangals) of Manipur from 1606 to 1891 and the kings granted certain rights and authorities or administrative authority to Kazis for governance of the Pangals except in case of marriage, divorce and baby feed price when disputes arose according to Lairenmayum Iboongohal Singh in his Introduction to Manipur.
Some published sources and traditional narratives indicate Pangals (Muslims) have been existent as Aribam yumank-sagei (clan) since the time of king Naophangba, the Moijingmayum since the time of king Khongtekcha, and the Sebukpur-Moinam sagei since the time of kings Loiyumba and Loitongba. Available sources however can give certain iota of explanation about the modes of education and learning imparted to and received by the peoples from 1606 only since which the populace and ways of life of Meitei Pangals became more visible. Yet we can assume that the education modalities prevalent before that period was a mix of invariably the Gurukul system of ancient Hinduism and Maktab system attached to mosques and madrassas of medieval period which well continued unto the period when European or British model of education replaced them. The Gurukul system was the earliest form of education in ancient India dating back to around 5000 B.C. In this residential schooling system, students (shishya) lived with their teachers (guru) in the guru’s home or nearby. In ancient India, both formal and informal ways of education system existed. Indigenous education was imparted at home, in temples, pathshalas, tols, chatuspadis and gurukuls. There were people in homes, villages and temples who guided young children in imbibing pious ways of life. The earliest form of Islamic education was informal and began at a young age with the study of the Quran and Arabic. Teaching was usually done in mosques but some major mosques had separate rooms for teaching. The aim was mainly for the observance of daily rituals and pious ways of life. Indeed the Maktab system still continues at extra or convenient time along with modern education among the Meitei Pangals.
Wahengbam Ibohal Singh, History of Manipur (1986: 217) writes that the first Kazi of Manipur appointed by King Khagemba in 1606 was Tona Malik from Murshidabad. Exhaustive data collection enables us to make of list of Kazis till 1891 as- 1. Tona Malik (in 1606-8), 2. Muhammed Sani Khullakpam (in 1608-27), 3. Sheikh Junaid Chesam (in 1627-47), 4. Syed Ambiya Merai (in 1647-49), 5. Syed Hussain Merai (in 1649-61), 6. Syed Shaiznad Merai (in 1661-76), 7. Tomba (in 1676-8), 8. Melei Ngangba Merai (in 1678-9), 9. Aukatullah (in 1679-86), 10. Melei Ngangba Merai II (in 1708-13), 11. Sib Muhammed alias Shangailakpa alias Marifat Taothongtaba Shajabam (in 1713-35), 12. Nir Miya (in 1735-46), 13. Ismail Moijingmayum (in 1746-56), 14. Ali Mullah Thoubalmayum (in 1756-93), 15. Qulsum (in 1793-1802), 16. Ahmed Ali alias Muhammed Ali Khutheibam (in 1803-19), then interregnum during the Chahi Taret Khuntakpa or Seven Years Devastation during 1819-26, then 17. Nasirullah Makakmayum (in 1826-36), 18. Hira Yumkhaibam (1836-47), 19. Jan Muhammed Makakmayum (in 1848), 20. Surba alias Nungjaba Nongjaimayum (in 1849-78), 21. Ali Miya Phundreimayum (in 1878-80), 22. Ira Basheimayum (in 1880-88), 23. Ghulam Sarwar Khutheibam (in 1888-89), 24. Abdur Rahman alias Sanajaoba Ipham (in 1890-91). It means the British abolished the Kazi system in an attempt to bring administrative unity and coherence in Manipur.
The earliest published book by a Meitei Pangal or Pangals was in the form of journal meant for religious education and it was titled Resala-e-Jabbariya which was published between 1893 and 1912 by a team of mualavis taking education at Matlaul Uloom Madrassa (University) of Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. The panel in the editorial team of Resala-e-Jabbariya included maulavi senior students from Manipur namely Abdul Jabbar, Sarfuddin Ahmed, Ebadullah, Zinatullah, Fazlur Rahman, Muhammed Hafiz Ali and Muhammed Ubaidullah. While the earliest known secular/historical book published by a Manipuri Meitei Pangal was also by a Calcutta resident at the time namely Abdul Bari who had his work Musalman-e-Manipur (meaning Muslims of Manipur) published from Mohammadi Press, Calcutta in 1934.
(The author is Ph.D in Management from JJT University, Rajasthan in 2022)