Thang-ta (Meiteilon; sword-spear) is the popular Manipuri name for a set of armed and unarmed fighting techniques developed by the Meitei people of the state of Manipur, India. The formal name for this martial system is Huyen Lallong (Meiteilon; art of warfare).
Bordered on the east by Myanmar (Burma), the state of Manipur (total area: 8,456 square miles) in northeastern India consists geographically of an oval valley of about 700 square miles surrounded by densely forested mountain ranges. Each of the various communities residing in the valley possesses its own distinct religious practices. The Meiteis have long been the principal inhabitants of this valley. Their history is characterized not only by interclan and intertribal warfare and conflicts with Myanmar, Assam, and other neighboring kingdoms but also by long periods of stable government. Thang-ta, with its long and energetic practice sessions, allowed Meitei warriors to hone their combat skills in times of peace as well as war.
The story of the origins of thang-ta is embedded in the religious mythology of the Meitei community. In the mythology of the Meitei, the limbs and bones of the community’s progenitor, Tin sidaba (also called Pakhangba), are said to have turned into various swords and tools, some of which are used in thang-ta; others are used in certain rites. Tin sidaba’s ribs turned into the thangjao (broad sword) for instance, while one of his fingers became the heijrang (kitchen knife). Even today, each of the seven clans of the Meitei owns a distinctively shaped traditional sword that must be laid out during any event of ancestor worship. Leishemlon, the story of creation in Meitei mythology, records Pakhangba as the originator of thang-ta.
During the reign of King Khagemba between the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries a.d., thang-ta reached its zenith. Chainarol, a manuscript written in the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries that contains glimpses of the prevailing war customs, suggests that warriors were expected to adhere to a strict code of conduct. For instance, when an unarmed man was challenged, he had the right to fetch weapons and to fix the date for the fight. During the fight, when blood oozed from a scratch or wound on any part of a combatant’s body, that combatant was declared the loser. Afterward, the combatants shared food and wine supplied by their wives. Then, the victor cut off the loser’s head and, if the loser had requested this service, cremated the loser’s body. Heads usually were preserved by victors as trophies of prowess.
Manipur, after losing the Anglo-Manipuri War, was annexed to the British Empire in 1891. In recognition of the heroism and skill of the Ma-nipuri army, which was ably led by Major General Paona Brjabasi, the British immediately made it illegal for a citizen of Manipur to possess a weapon and outlawed the martial arts of Manipur, including thang-ta. Thang-ta went underground and was kept alive by only a few expert practitioners. After India gained independence in 1947 (Manipur became a territory of the Indian Union in 1949 and a constituent state in 1972), thang-ta slowly reemerged. Considerable controversy surrounds modern differences in thang-ta techniques taught by the various gurus (teachers); these differences may be attributable to the long suppression of this martial art by the British colonial power.
Today, thang-ta is popular in Manipur both as a martial art form and as a technique used in theater and dance. Therefore, it receives support from the state and has gained widespread popularity. Across Manipur a number of martial arts academies train men and women in thang-ta, and many dance and theater schools include thang-ta among their course offerings. The performance of thang-ta techniques, as in the solo decorative sword dance or a choreographed thang-ta duel on the stage, has become common in Manipur. In fact, the professional Manipuri dancer is quite likely to have taken a few thang-ta workshops, and well-known Indian choreographers such as Astaad Deboo and others have collaborated extensively with thang-ta artists.
Advanced acrobatic and sword skills are required in thang-ta, as is demonstrated by this photograph of two men in Manipur, ca. 1994.
The traditional repertoire of thang-ta is divided into four broad categories. These categories are Ta-khousarol (art of spear dance), Thanghairol (art of swordplay), Sarit-sarat (unarmed combat), and Thengkourol (art of touch and call).
Ta-khousarol consists of nine extremely demanding and sophisticated movement sequences: Maram Nungshetpa, Maram Achouba, Maram Ma-cha, Tangkhul, Athou Achouba, Thel, Maram Nungjrongba, Kabui, Athou Chumthang. Each involves a series of moves executed in a specific order— salutation, removing stakes, watching the foe, battle, and so forth. The martial artist holds the ta (spear) in the right hand and the chungoi (shield) in the left. The spear is made of bamboo, approximately 5 feet or more in length, with a blade attached on both sides. The spears used in present times are decorated with colored thread. The chungoi measures about 3 feet in length and 1 1/2 feet in breadth. It is usually black in color, with a motif painted on top.
Today, the spear dance is a popular solo performance piece for the expert martial artist, and Ta-khousarol techniques are used widely by drama directors and dance choreographers in Manipur.
Thanghairol encompasses two kinds of swordplay: Leiteng-thang (decorative swordplay) and Yanna-thang (combat swordplay). The expert swordsman carries a chungoi (shield) and three swords, namely, a yet-thang (right-hand sword), an oi-thang (left-hand sword), and a tendon-thang (additional sword); this last is kept at the back and used like an arrow in an emergency. In Leiteng-thang, the swordsman moves either two swords or one sword and the shield gracefully in a show of valor and virtuosity. A typical technique involves twirling two swords around the swordsman’s body so that they trace the path of a figure eight without ever touching one other. In Yanna-thang the swordsman learns to master the various units of Thanglon (language of the sword), which include blade-work and the accompanying footwork, so that the swordsman can defend against all modes of attack and counterattack. The thang is about 2 feet long, straight or slightly curved, with a handle made of brass and wood. In contemporary Manipur, Thanghairol is taught in martial arts academies and also seen frequently in theatrical productions.
Sarit-sarat consists of a series of techniques that must be mastered by every student. The training begins with different types of somersaults and various methods for rolling on the floor and later continues to include strategies of offense and defense without the use of weapons. This tradition focuses on using movements such as punching and kicking in strategic ways in order to deal with sudden attacks of any kind. It also includes unarmed fighting techniques for fighting an armed opponent. In stage performances of thang-ta, a popular theatrical piece is one showing a woman who defends herself against a male attacker by using the self-defense techniques of Sarit-sarat.
Thengkourol involves ritualistic movements that must be executed in sequence on the symbolic diagram of the paphal (coiled snake). The martial artist’s movements form patterns by connecting the points of the diagram with the feet. Rather than being a system of techniques used for direct combat with another human being or an animal, Thengkourol functions as a magical practice in which the prayer along with the mode of action performed brings about the desired effect on the enemy or the kingdom. The knowledge of Thengkourol is highly valued by the community, and those warriors who possess this knowledge are believed to possess the ultimate knowledge of the art of warfare.
Very little information is available about Thengkourol. It is a sacred art, the knowledge of which is preserved in secrecy. It is never performed in public. Currently, only a handful of martial artists claim to know Thengkourol.
Although gurus sometimes disagree about the details of a Thengkou (one of the forms of the art), they concur on the overall idea. There are nine Thengkou: Akao, Leiphal, Leichai, Nongphan, Leikak, Leinet, Lankak, Akham, Leishit.
The records of Manipur document occasions on which a series of Thengkou were performed to bring victory. For example, during the reign of King Garibniwaz, in the first half of the eighteenth century, Sarot haiba Toglen Wangkheirakpa, a noble, performed Akham Thengkou. Pandit Gopiram performed the Akham Thengkou during the reign of Rajarshi Bhagyachandra in the second half of the eighteenth century. The revered stories of these occasions have lived for generations in people’s memories.
A student must be both the trusted disciple of a guru and over the age of forty before learning Thengkourol because it can bring destruction to others or even kill the performer. These strictures are meant to ensure that the martial artist has enough maturity and discretion to avoid misusing this mystical and dangerous sacred art.
The system of training in thang-ta is strict and bound by tradition. Training begins with the initiation ceremony, Ojha Boriba (teacher acceptance). On the auspicious day selected for the ceremony, the training ground is cleaned and candles are lit in front of the picture of the Pakhangba, the originator and ruling deity of thang-ta. The student is asked to meditate in front of Pakhangba and then to bow down and offer the teacher a gift of fruit, cloth (usually a khudoi, a locally woven garment worn by men at home), betel leaves, betel nuts, candles, and a token remuneration (usually one Indian rupee). The teacher accepts the gift and the student as a disciple, and that day the student officially starts training with the teacher. There are strict codes of conduct in the institutions. The following represent the disciplinary regulations of Hula Sindamsang, a school of thang-ta located in Imphal, Manipur.
1. The student must enter barefoot into the sindamsang (school) or the home of the teacher.
2. The student must bow in greeting to the teacher and elders who are already present.
3. The training floor must be well groomed and sprinkled with water before and after each training session.
4. Pregnant or menstruating women are not allowed on the training floor.
5. Before each training session, the student must bow to Pakhangba with reverence.
6. Before each training session, the student must bow to the partner and salute the partner with the weapon wielded by the student.
7. Before picking up a weapon (whether a sword, spear, shield, or stick), the student must touch it with the fingers and then touch the fingers to the forehead, thus acknowledging the sanctity of the weapon.
8. The student’s feet must never touch the student’s weapon or the partner’s weapon.
9. If any person comes between practicing partners, all practice must be stopped for the day.
10. All students must stand still when receiving the instructions from the teacher.
11. No student shall come to the school intoxicated. Chewing of betel and smoking are not allowed in the sindamsang or in the presence of the teacher.
12. At the end of a training session, the student must bow again to the teacher.
Such regulations ensure that students learn in a disciplined and controlled environment, an important factor given that the slightest lapse in concentration may result in injury or even death. Students learn and execute a rigorous practice routine of different sets of exercises, after having mastered basic exercises that develop balance, flexibility, agility, endurance, and coordination. Beginning students practice with sticks of different sizes. Training in the use of various swords, the shield, and the spear follows once the student is proficient enough to use actual weapons.
Thang-ta provided the basis for two other movement traditions of Manipur: the classical Manipuri dance and the performance techniques of the ensembles of drum dancers and cymbal dancers and singers known as Nata Sankirtana. The decorative, nonnarrative hand gestures and the footwork of Manipuri dance are said to derive from thang-ta. Also, the basic stances of the drum dance and the cymbal dance have been influenced by this martial art.
The ever-present threat of invasion by the warriors of Myanmar and other kingdoms fostered in Manipur a strong martial tradition, which gave impetus to a vibrant physical culture as well. Among the ancient indigenous sports of Manipur are Sagol Kangjei (polo, which the British learned in Manipur), Khong Kangjei (a type of field hockey), Yubi Lakpi (coconut snatching, similar to rugby), Mukna (a style of wrestling), and Kang (a team sport played indoors only between mid-April and June).
