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 Pangals on Mawlid 2025 in Manipur Creative School | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 358,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
• India • Bangladesh • Myanmar | |
| Manipur | <240,000[1] |
| Assam | 80,000[2] |
| Tripura (Kamalpur) | 3000[3][2] |
| Mizoram | Unknown[4] |
| Bangladesh | 25,000[3][2] |
| Myanmar | 10,000[2] |
| Languages | |
| Pangal,Bengali,Sylheti | |
| Religion | |
 Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Meitei | |
| Part of a series on |
| Meitei people |
|---|
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Politics |
| Islam in Bangladesh |
|---|
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Ideology/schools of thought |
TheMeitei Pangals[a], also known asMeitei Muslims or theManipuri Muslims, are a group ofMeiteiMuslims. The wordpangal simply means 'Muslim' in the Meitei people similar as theHui people.[6] They live mainly inManipur, India. Various historical sources have different dates for when Islam first entered Manipur. However, the date all sources seem to confirm as definitive is 1606. The origin of the Pangal people is equally varied.
The word Pangal is thought to be a corruption of the word "Bangal",[7][8] indicating the original place of origin of Meitei Pangals. InAssam andCachar, they are also be referred to asMei Moglai (Mughal Meitheis).[9] Outside of India, they can be found inBangladesh'sMoulvibazar District (particularly southernKamalganj) where they are known asKhai Bangal.[7][10]
In the 17th century, Meitei Prince Sanongba requested aid from Dimasa Cachari King Prataphil to defeat his brother KingKhagemba. Dimasa king Prataphil was aware of Khagemba's military strength and knew that his forces alone could not win. So, he requested help from theNawab ofTaraf, Muhammad Nazir. Nazir supplied 1000 troops, who were placed under the command of his brotherMuhammad Sani. Sani was defeated and King Khagemba imprisoned him and his soldiers. Later, King Khagemba allowed the Muslim soldiers to settle in the valleys of Manipur.[11] Meanwhile, theBurmese army attacked theKabaw Valley. King Khagemba asked the Muslim soldiers to help the Meitei army. They agreed and fought alongside the Meitei army and were victorious. Khagemba was very happy with that and bestowed the namePangal,'strong' on the Muslim soldiers. Through marriage, adoption of the Meitei language and local practices which did not conflict withIslam, the Muslim soldiers were eventuallynaturalised as the Meitei Pangals.
The Meitei Pangals were result of two Muslim migrations in 1606 and 1724. Manipur provided shelter toShah Shuja, theMughal prince who fled (and was pursued) to save himself from the wrath of his brotherMughal EmperorAurangzeb. According to Henry Rule Kathe, Muslims are the result of intermixing (melting pot) of Muslims coming in different eras from different directions –Bengal,Arakan,Cachar andManipur itself. Silk-spinning was a trade widely practised by them.[12]
The Meitei Pangals ofManipur devastated and were taken as slaves by the invading Burmese armies.[13]
While some Muslims were already living in Manipur, there was a significant influx of Muslims from 1660 onwards, as refugees followed the deposing of theMughalShah Shuja (Shangkusum) ofHindustan, who lost a war of succession toAurangzeb. Shuja's flight is significant in the Islamic folklore of both north east India andBangladesh.
On 6 June 1660, Shuja fled fromDacca (Dhaka), initially intent on travelling, viaChittagong toArakan (Rakhine).[14][15] Arakan, capital of theMrauk U Kingdom, was the destination, becauseSanda Sudamma had reportedly promised to provide ships to take Shuja and his entourage toMecca forhaj (pilgrimage). Shuja travelled with his wifePiari Banu Begum (a.k.a. Praveen Banu, Piara Banu, or Pai Ribanu) and her sisterSabe Banu, his sons Zainul Abidin (Zainibuddin, Bon Sultan or Sultan Bang),Buland Akhtar andZain-ul-Din Muhammad (Zainul Abedi), and daughtersGulrukh Banu,Roshanara Begum andAmina Begum,[16] as well as two vessels of gold and silver, jewels, treasures and other royal trappings, on the backs of half a dozen camels, while about 1,000palanquins (carriers) transported Shuja'sharem. After staying for some time at Chittagong, Shuja took a land route (still called Shuja Road) southward. Shuja prayed theEid prayer at a place called Edgoung (meaningeidgah) inDulahazra. The part crossed theNaf River, half a mile north ofMaungdaw, which is sometimes still known as "Shuja Village". The final leg was a sea voyage to Arakan where Shuja was received by an envoy of king Sanda Sudamma and escorted to quarters provided for him. However, after Shuja arrived in Arakan, Sudama reportedly reneged on this promise and confiscated some of Shuja's treasure. In retaliation, Zainul Abidin and another brother led a Mughal attack on Sudama and almost succeeded in setting fire to the royal palace. Two or three of Shuja's sons died in subsequent fighting and/or the Mughals' flight into the jungle. Many other Mughals were massacred. Shuja's daughter Gulrukh reportedly committed suicide after being captured and raped by Sudama. The surviving members of Shaju's party, helped reportedly by Mughals andPathans resident at Arakan,[17] travelled north withPortuguese mariners, at a high cost in gold and jewels.
TheHindu kings ofTripura andManipur were more agreeable hosts – probably because they did not like the expansionist policy ofAurangzeb – and played a crucial role in concealing Shuja's whereabouts. Shah Shuja and his party arrived at Tripura on 16 May,[14] and in Manipur in December .[18] Aware that Aurangzeb’s scouts and spies were searching for the former Shah,[19] the Tripura officials spread misinformation that Shuja had died at Arakan, or was travelling to Mecca, among other stories.[17] Among other precautionary measures, Shuja was sent by elephant to the hill country ofUkhrul.[20]Mir Jumla II learned of the situation and sent three men to Manipur in late December, to detain and retrieve Shuja's family.[21] However, theQazi of Manipur,Muhammad Sani, detained the chief emissary of the Mughals,Nur Beg to ensure that the others,Dur Beg andRustam Beg, did not provide information regarding Shuja’s presence in Manipur.[22] At that time, Shuja was in hiding at a cave known later asShuja-lok ("Shuja Cave"),[23]Haignang,Kairang (east ofImphal). According to some accounts he later died at the cave.
The Manipuri Muslims are the descendants of the soldiers from Sylhet and the local Meitei women. TheMeitei Kings of Manipur gave their surnames based on their professions. For example, Fundreimayum was the surname given to those who worked on lathe. Likewise, Chesam was given as surname to those who worked in paper industry.
Their present population is 239,886, making up 8.40% of the state ofManipur population as per 2011 census. Pangal mostly settled in the periphery of Manipur near River bank, near lake and foothills. The Pangals are mainly concentrated in and aroundImphal, the capital of Manipur andThoubal. There is large number of pangals live inCachar inAssam,Hojai inAssam, Komolpur inTripura andBangladesh. It is believed that the ancestors of the Meitei Pangals settled in this region are migrated from Manipur during the seven years devastation also known asChahi-Taret Khuntakpa, the black period in the history of Manipur whenBurmese invasions of Assam and their conquest of Manipur around 1815 AD.
In 2014, six Islamic books were translated into Manipuri, including one titledSachcha Deen-1 by Md Abdul Barik.[24]
Meitei Pangals have many family names. They are an indigenous and peace-loving community. Traditional dress for men isLungis andpajamas, and for women isKurtis,Shalwar andphanek. Both also wear western attire.[citation needed] They maintained their own identity though they assimilated and intermixed with the other local communities.
Sagei (Sub-Clans): Unlike other Islamic groups in India, Manipuri Muslims were assigned Meitei‐style sub-clans (sageis), integrating them into the Meitei kinship network while maintaining Muslim identity.[25]
Among the Manipuri Muslims, a distinctive devotional song tradition known asmarifat is sung. Its themes focus on the glory of Allah, stories from Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, the impermanence of worldly life, and the inevitability of the Hereafter. Although local oral traditions vaguely mention a figure calledNiyamattullah—said to possess spiritual abilities and remembered asIpu Keidongba (“the grandfather who rides a tiger”)—there is no evidence of established Sufi orders (turuq) in Manipur. Marifat today is composed and sung by anyone, and no Sufi rituals or dances are known to have existed in the region.[5]
A representativemarifat song reads:
Leita nattedo leiman chanba, taibang meeshu leiman challi; leiman challaba hakchangdubu, mabu kouee ahal haina.
(Flowers are not the only ones that wither, humans also wither; the body that withers becomes old.)
Hakchangee marupti thawainido; dunya nanga kari thoknei; bandada khuda juda natte; khudada banda parda leitedo.
(The soul is the companion of the body; what relation has it with the dunya? Humans have no separation or veil from God.)
Taibangee thourang insangi poloi; punsinadi konba thungde; puba yaroi leihougani.
(Worldly affairs exceed a lifetime; nothing can be carried beyond death; all must be left behind.)
Khalhousi insan meeoibasa; punsigi ipakta taoriba hakchang; thamoida asha puraduna; dunya koina chellamlaga; leiman shingda chankhiniko.
(O humankind, reflect on this: the body moving through life with hopes in the heart will eventually wither after chasing the world.)
Mapugi khudoldi mamal yaode; shariatki lambelda tingkhang leite; tattana shonsi Kaothokloishi.
(God’s gift is priceless; there are no thorns in the path of Shariat; one must remember this constantly.)
Punshigi mari tatkhiniko; ningsha hondraba kabarduda; leiruba tare takkabbur hakchang; nungshiba dunya thadoklaga; pattuna leibak onkhiniko.
(The string of life may break at any time; in the breathless grave the proud body will decay, leaving behind this cherished world and returning to the earth.)
Despite the Pangals having a long history in the area, sharing many cultural traits with their non-Muslim neighbors, and generally living in peace as a minority; they have recently faced episodes of discrimination, marginalization, andIslamophobia from the Manipur government, some politicians and other Manipuris. Stereotypes of Pangals include that they are anti-social and prone to certain crimes like thievery or drug trading.[26][27]
The1993 Pangal massacre saw the death of around 130 Pangals and the burning of their homes. Mobs killed and assaulted Pangal men and women and destroyed Pangal-owned commercial establishments. The police were criticized for doing little to curtail the violence or stop the misinformation.[27] The rise of theBJP in Manipur since 2016 has led to a rise of attacks against Pangals.[27] Yumnam Devjit, the son ofYumnam Joykumar Singh, wrote in afacebook post that theQurbani ritual done duringEid al- Adha "was nothing but training for Muslims to kill."[26]
In September 2018, a Pangal entrepreneur named Mohamed Farooq Khan waslynched by a mob and the video of his lynching was soon spread throughoutsocial media. He was lynched for allegedly stealing a scooter but there has been alternative reports that Khan was wrongfully framed for the theft. This incident had led to local Pangals fearing for their safety.[27]
According to a report from journalist Chingiz Khan ofThe Pioneer, Meitei Pangals have little political representation in the Manipur government and institutions with very few of them holding political office. The Manipur government initially refused to include a Muslim representative during the drafting of the Protection of Manipur People proposed by the State Government on 23 May 2018.[28] The bill was meant to preventRohingyas (and certain other migrants) from settling in Manipur. A narrative that was spread during the creation of the bill was that Pangals gave asylum to the Rohingyas and placed blame on them for the perceived offense.[28]
The Pangals generally receive a disproportionately low amount of aid from the government compared to the Meiteis and other groups in the area. The implementation of theKGBV program was established among theNaga andKukis but not in areas with sizable Pangal populations.[26] Equal access to higher education, healthcare, and employment is considered an obstacle.[28][29]
According to a piece inFirstpost, Pangals have experienced the loss of some of their land in a more frequent rate after the1993 Pangal massacre.[30] There was a 2018 incident in where the Manipuri government forced 400 Pangals to leave their residences, alleging that the locals lived in forest reserves and paddy rice areas. The government deployed the police and utilized environmental laws to execute the evictions. The Pangals have not yet been given compensation for these evictions. Advocates have claimed that comparable areas inhabited by Meiteis face much less scrutiny and evictions.[28][30] Chingiz Khan, writing forManipur Daily, stated that these actions by the state has encouraged other native groups in the area to threaten Pangals and their businesses to vacate the place.[28]
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For Similar Communities
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)Bangal meaning Bangalee. The word Pangal is the corruption of Bangal.
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