Tikendrajit Singh (29 December 1856 – 13 August 1891), also known as ''Koireng'', was a crown prince of Kangleipak () in present-day northeastern India, which was a protectorate of British Raj at that time. Tikendrajit was the commander of the Manipuri army and engineered a palace revolution that led to the events known as the

Anglo-Manipur War The Anglo-Manipur War was an armed conflict between the British Empire and the Kingdom of Manipur. The war lasted between 31 March and 27 April 1891 and ended in a British victory. Background In the First Anglo-Burmese War, the British helped p ...

of 1891 or the ''Manipur Expedition''.

The Anglo-Manipur War

After

Maharaja Chandrakriti Maharaja Chandrakirti Singh (1850 – May 1886) was a Meitei monarch and the Maharaja of Manipur Kingdom. He was the son of Maharaja Gambhir Singh. Biography He was born in Imphal, and resided there till the end of his Regime in 1886. Before ...

's death in 1886, his son

Surachandra Singh Maharaja Surachandra Singh was a Meitei King and a Maharaja of Kangleipak (), who ruled between 1886 and 1890. He became the Raja of Manipur in May, 1886 after his father Raja Chandrakirti Singh died. During his lifetime, Maharaja Chandrakir ...

succeeded him. As in previous occasions, several claimants to the throne tried to unsettle the new king. The first three attempts were defeated, but in 1890, following an attack on the palace by Tikendrajit and Kulachandra Singh (two of the king's brothers) Surachandra Singh announced his intention to abdicate and left Manipur for Cachar.

Kulachandra Singh Kulachandra Singh was a Meitei monarch and the Maharaja of Manipur kingdom. He was a son of Maharaja Chandrakriti. Exile to the Cellular Jail At the end of the Anglo-Manipur War in the year 1891, which resulted in the British victory, Kula ...

, the king's younger brother, rose then to the throne while Tikendrajit Singh, commander of the Manipuri armed forces (Senapati), held the real power behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Surachandra Singh, once safely away from Manipur, appealed to the British for help to recover the throne.Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 17, p. 186.
/ref> The British decided to recognize Juvraj Kulachandra Singh as Raja, and sent a military expedition to Manipur in order to punish Senapati Tikendrajit Singh as the main person responsible for the dynastic disturbances. On 21 February 1891 Lord Lansdowne, the British viceroy of India, ordered J.W. Quinton, the chief commissioner of Assam, to recognise Jubraj

as the King but to arrest Senapati Tikendrajit. Quinton arrived in Manipur on 22 March 1891 with a troop of 400 soldiers under Colonel Skene and asked Raja Kulachandra Singh to hand over Tikendrajit to him as desired by the British Governor General of India. The Manipuri soldiers struck back and the British were put on the defensive. In the ensuing chaos, five British officers--including the Political Agent Frank Grimwood and Quinton--were killed. On 31 March 1891 the British Government sent a military force against Manipur formed by three army columns from Kohima (under the command of Major General H. Collet), Silchar (under the command of Colonel R.H.F. Rennick) and Tamu (under the command of Brigadier General T. Graham) were sent to Manipur. Tikendrajit led the Manipuri army in this war. The British army finally took possession of the Kangla Palace on 27 April 1891. Major Maxwell took over as the chief political agent. Later, Manipur became a

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...

and Churachand Singh, a minor was placed on the throne of Manipur. Tikendrajit and other leaders of Manipur subsequently went underground. Tikendrajit was arrested in the evening of 23 May.

Ethel Grimwood Ethel St Clair Grimwood, born Ethel Moore, became Ethel (Evelyn) Miller (4 October 1867 – 11 August 1928) was a British woman who became known as "the heroine of Manipur". During the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891, British power was used to undo a c ...

was consulted by Queen Victoria who was concerned that a Prince would be hung when the British appeared treacherous. Grimwood said that she did not hold Tikendrajit responsible for her husband's death, but she felt that he had committed other crimes.

The trial and death

The special court, formed under Lt. Col. John Mitchell for the trial commenced on 11 May 1891. The court found Tikendrajit, Kulachandra and Thangal General guilty and they were sentenced to death. The Governor General confirmed the death sentence passed on Tikendrajit and Thangal General and converted the death sentence of the Maharaja and Angousan into transportation for life. The order was announced on 13 August 1891 and Tikendrajit and Thangal General were publicly hanged at 5 pm the same day at Pheida-pung(Polo ground) in Imphal. Pheida-pung is also known for its purpose of serving as court for market matter. After independence, this ground in Imphal where he was hanged was renamed as Bir Tikendrajit Park.

References

Bir Tikendrajit – The Hero of Manipur
in Press Information Bureau, Government of India website.

External links

{{authority control Indian royalty 1856 births 1891 deaths Meitei royalty Executed Indian people Executed royalty People executed by British India by hanging 19th-century executions by British India

The Anglo-Manipur War

The trial and death

See also

References

External links