Manipur, known as 'Meetei Leipak' or 'Kangleipak' in the two millennia old Meetei manuscripts had experienced some form of constitutional government under a proto-Constitution in 429 A.D. which was reduced to a final format in 1110 A.D. Constitution entitled 'Loiyamba Shinyeri' during the regime of King Loyumba, Manipur's State Constitution Act, 1947 was the final document embodying the genius of the people of Manipur, which preceded other constitutions adopted in many of the South and South East Asian countries. Manipur's love hate and war relationship with Britain commenced with a treaty in 1762 and was put to test in two successive Anglo-Manipur wars in 1891, which created storm in British Public opinion in Britain. The Times and The Daily News of London poured in the events continuously to the British public. The debate in British Parliament covered more than 200 pages on Manipur. The native rule under the limited protection of the crown was continued. Manipur merged with newly born Indian Union in 1949. The selected treaties and historical documents will enlighten some of the obscure events in the history of Manipur.

Late Dr. Naorem Sanajaoba (30.12.1946-13.12.2009) postgraduated in law from Poona University and earned the Doctor of Philosophy (Law) from Gauhati University. He was a member of nearly a dozen international and national legal forums of repute, he had contributed more than a hundred research and socio-legal papers and articles in a number of national, regional and international conferences or forums. Some of his published works are: 'Industrial Tribunal Working, Producer, Judicial Trends', 'Socio- legal Problems and Developing Society', 'Law and Society: trategy for Policy Choice 2001. He edited with an introduction and article of his own, 'Basic issues on Centre-State Relation' He edited three volumes of Interdisciplinary and Total History and a book of Treaties which includes Manipur Past and Present (Volume 1,2,3,4).

Manipur, which was rightly known in the ancient and medie- val Meetei manuscripts one of the richest intellectual heritage in South East Asia-as Poirei Meeteileipak' or 'Kangleipak' had its situs practically equidistant from the Indus Valley Civilization in the west and the Hong Ho Civilization in the Far East. A compre- hensive account of the land, people and civilization of the two millennia old state had been given in the treatise Manipur: Past and Present-The Ordeals and Heritage of a Civilization' volumes I, II and III, which attempted to present a total or complete history of this South East Asian Civilization.

The Meeteis who happened to be a small ethnos in the pre- Christian era had widened its fold by assimilating six other major ethnoses or sub-nationalities, which enjoyed considerable political autonomy till the assimilation. As the things stand today, despite its ethnic significance which would normally be too narrow to be pointed out, the term 'Meeteis' had gradually widened for histori- cal reasons to incorporate in the recent past western immigrants of different cultural roots under the terms like 'Meetei Bamons' (Meetei Brahmins) and 'Meetei Pangals' (Meetei Muslims) etc. The political integration would be complete and more adequate, should all the native and indigenous ethnoses in the state indicate a liberal attitude to the wider connotation of the term; however, the ethnic processes in the state are yet to reach a plateau stage, since many ethnoses are vigorously participating in the moulding of sub-nationalities or nationalities, although in the plain area the process of national formation passed through the universally accepted stages of the formation of clan and tribes as early as the pre-Christian era.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages