Khongjom Day: remembering the last stand of the Anglo-Manipur War
A century and a quarter on, Manipur's 'Therou and Thangal' story draws thousands to the Khongjom war memorial.
Every year on April 23, thousands climb the hill at Khongjom where the last battle of the Anglo-Manipur War was fought in 1891 — a stand that ended with the beheading of Major General Paona Brajabasi.
The memorial, a sword-shaped obelisk, has become a site of quiet pilgrimage and loud debate about how the region remembers its colonial past.
This year, students led the ceremony, carrying the story of the ‘last stand’ into a new generation.