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Home / Explained / Explained: Why a peak in Andaman and Nicobar Islands is now named after Manipur

Explained: Why a peak in

Andaman and Nicobar Islands
is now named after Manipur
The Centre has rechristened Mount Harriet, a historical tourist spot in the
Andaman and Nicobar islands, as 'Mount Manipur'. What is the
connection?

Written by Tora Agarwala , Jimmy Leivon , Edited by Explained Desk | Guwahati, Imphal |
October 20, 2021 11:27:41 am

Mount Harriet, a tourist spot in the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

On Sunday, the Union government rechristened Mount Harriet, a historical
tourist spot in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, as ‘Mount Manipur’. The
announcement was made during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit toEXPLAINED
Port
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Blair, where he referred to the “significant contribution” the Northeastern state had
made in resisting the British, especially during the historic 1891 Anglo-Manipur
war. Manipur goes to polls in 2022.

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What is Manipur’s connection to Mount Harriet?

After the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891, several Manipuris who had fought the British
in the war, including Maharaja Kulachandra Dhwaja Singh, were exiled to the
British penal colony in the Andaman Islands. Since the cellular jail (Kalapani) was
yet to be built, Kulachandra and the prisoners were kept on Mount Harriet, a
hillock in what is now the Ferragunj tehsil of South Andaman district.

According to a British-era document from the Manipur State Archives, 23 men,

including King Kulachandra and his brothers, were “transported for life” to the
Andamans. While some died there, Kulachandra was released and shifted
elsewhere before his death.

“The 23 are considered war heroes in Manipur. That is why Mount Harriet is an
important symbol of the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891,” said Wangam Somorjit, an
Imphal-based historian who specialises in the war.

What set off the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891; why is it significant?

Considered an epoch in the history of Manipur, the Anglo-Manipur War was fought
between the kingdom of Manipur and the British over a month in 1891.

The battle was triggered by a coup in the palace of Manipur, which had been
marked by internal factionalism in the years leading up 1891. According to the
Manipur State Archives website, the British government took advantage of the
“internal dissension” among the princes of the royal family.
In 1886, when Surchandra inherited the throne from his father Chandrakirti Singh,
the kingdom of Manipur was not under the British rule but had links with the
EXPLAINED
crown through different treaties.
IMF outlook a

However, Surchandra ascension to the throne was controversial and his younger
brothers — Kulachadra, Tikendrajit — revolted against him.

According to an essay, “A forgotten war of British Raj that became an International

scandal”, authored by Wangam and Imphal-based curator and author, Somi Roy
and published on the Penguin India website, the 1890 coup by the rebel faction
deposed Surchandra, and proclaimed Kulachandra, the next oldest brother, the
king. Surchandra fled to Calcutta seeking British help to reinstate him.

“Instead, the British dispatched James Quinton, the Chief Commissioner of Assam,
with an army to Manipur. His mission was to recognise Kulachandra as the king
under the condition that they be allowed to arrest the coup leader Crown Prince
Tikendrajit and deport him from Manipur. This aggressive imposition of British law
in a sovereign state was rejected by the king, precipitating the Anglo-Manipuri War
of 1891” Wangam and Roy wrote.

In the first phase of the war, the British surrendered and their officers — including
Quinton — were executed in public. In the second phase, the British attacked
Manipur from three sides, and finally capture the Kangla Fort in Imphal. Prince
Tikendrajit and four others were hanged by the British, while Kulachandra, along
with 22 others, were banished to the Andaman Islands.

Many say the war was described as a “blow to British prestige”. Despite their
victory, it had led to the death of five important officers. In India, it was viewed as
being part of the general uprising against British rule in the country, soon after
after the Revolt of 1857.

The war led to Manipur officially becoming a princely state under the indirect rule
of the British crown.

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Why is it considered a forgotten chapter?

In Manipur, historians say there is not much information available on the war,
especially about the prisoners who were exiled. “After the British took over, the
narrative changed considerably and there was little documentation of such
EXPLAINED
episodes,” said Wangam. IMF outlook a

In February 2003 and 2013, two representations from the All Manipur Working
Journalists’ Union (AMWJU) visited Mount Harriet to “find out more” about the
prisoners. A Mubi, the then Vice President, AMWJU said they were able to confirm
that Kulachandra was housed in Mt Harriet, based on some records available.

Manipur Art and Culture director Ng Uttam said the state had been in talks with the
Andaman and Nicobar authorities to allocate a site to build a memorial for the war
heroes. While in 2019, the authorities agreed to provide an area near the cellular
jail but the pandemic delayed the process. Before Independence Day in 2021, the
Manipur government unveiled a monolith in Imphal, in the memory of the “unsung
war heroes”.

Uttam said the rechristening of Mount Harriet to Mount Manipur was a long-
awaited, befitting tribute to the exiled heroes.

But who was Mount Harriet originally named after?

Mount Harriet is the third highest peak in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and
served as the summer headquarters of the Chief Commissioner during British Raj.

It is believed to be named after British artist and photographer, Harriet Christina

Tytler, who was the wife of Robert Christopher Tytler, a soldier who served in the
British Indian Army. Between 1862 and 1864, Tytler was the superintendent of the
penal colony at Port Blair.

District officials from South Andaman said Mount Harriet houses a colonial
bungalow, which now functions as a forest guest house. Close by is the Mount
Harriet National Park known for its wide variety of birds.

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