WAHENGBAM RORRKYCHAND———
“All over the Thangjing hills, a cup of black tea could be hard to find, and now, milk like water flows as from a spring”, runs a famous folk song of Haokip tribe, who inhabited around the foothills of Thangching popularly known as Thangjing hill range.
From the chapter of history the hill range is one of the edifices that tell the story of immemorial brotherhood relationship between the valley and hill people of Manipur. It is the place where Eputhou Thangjing resides before the demigod was brought down at valley (Moirang Leikoi Pung). It is also believed that Koirengs worshiped Thangjing (Thangjing Koren lai) at the time they settled in and around Thangjing hills.
The books ‘Geography of Manipur’ by Dr. M T Laiba and ‘The Koirengs of Manipur’ written by Prof. Gangmumei Kabui aptly noted the relationship between the Meitei and Koireng tribe. ‘The Koirengs of Manipur,’ claimed that the presiding deity of Moirang is originally a Koireng God. However valley people started worshiping Thangjing after Koirengs were defeated by the Moirangs.
However the godly historic place- Thangjing, which is believed to be the original abode of Thangjing deity, is came to known as Thangting.
In the light of this new name of the Thangjing area, this paper carried a news report on September 18, 2015 under the title ‘By mistake or ignorance- historic Thangching is now listed as Thangting village.’ Unfortunately, the state government in its Gazette, the area has been listed as Thangting which is a corrupted word of Thangjing.
A resident of Bunglon village, TM Gangte, clearly stated in his letter to local English daily- Sangai Express (dated 15-Aug-2014) that ‘Thangting is corrupted local word of Thangjing’.
In pursuance of a State Cabinet taken on 07-08-2014, the state government ordered the creation of a new Sub-Division/TD Block in Churachandpur district with 125 villages located around the Thangjing foothill. Even though the creation of the Sub-Division is a welcoming effort from the side of the government, it failed to retain the original name of the range (Thangjing) but christened as Thangting Sub-Division.
