Chahi Taret Khuntakpa
Meitei King Gambhir Singh, the ruler of Manipur Kingdom, was responsible for the liberation of his dominion from the Burmese occupation, thereby ending the "Chahi Taret Khuntakpa", with the help of his Manipur Levy and the British Government. | |
| Native name | Chahi Taret Khuntakpa |
|---|---|
| English name | Seven Years Devastation |
| Time | 1819 CE to 1825 CE (3212 MF to 3218 MF) |
| Duration | 7 consecutive years |
| Location | Manipur |
| Type | Genocidal massacres, ethnic cleansing, slave raids |
| Cause | conflicts of Burmese–Meitei relations |
| Target | Meitei people |
| Perpetrator | Burmese Kingdom |
The Chahi Taret Khuntakpa (Meitei: ꯆꯍꯤ ꯇꯔꯦꯠ ꯈꯨꯟꯇꯥꯛꯄ), also known as the Seven Years Devastation, was a period in the history of Manipur when the Manipur Kingdom was occupied by the Burmese from 1819 to 1826 CE (3212–3218 MF in the Meitei calendar).
The Chahi Taret Khuntakpa caused destruction, war, and the near collapse of the Meitei population. Many Meitei people were killed, and others fled to Assam, Tripura, Sylhet, and even Myanmar. The contemporaneous Manor Din was similarly catastrophic for Assam.
The Burmese invasion began during the rule of King Marjit Singh and was led by Burmese general Mingimala Bandula. Marjit, along with his brothers Chourjit Singh and Gambhir Singh, fled to Cachar.
In 1824, the First Anglo-Burmese War began. Gambhir Singh formed a group called the Manipur Levy with 500–2,000 men, trained and supported by the British under Captain Grant. This force successfully fought the Burmese and pushed them out of Manipur.
In February 1826, the Treaty of Yandabo was signed. It ended the war and officially restored Gambhir Singh as the King of Manipur.