Jampui Hill Mizo Convention in a meeting yesterday decided to call 48 hours total bandh on October 19-20 at Jampui Hills in Tripura. The bandh was called in protest against the proposed plan of construction of Shiva Mandir at Thaidawr Tlâng by, as the Convention termed. “ some religious groups and communities from outside of Jampui Hills”.
The Convention said, the people of Jampui Hill took this objection as they felt that ‘no individual or groups from outside of Jampui Hill had the moral and legal rights to construct a structure within their traditional Village Council areas’. The convention that went on warning that : Any move made against our objection would endanger peace and harmony among different communities.
The Village Council of Phuldungsei village, under which Thaidawr Tlâng falls, officially lodged a complaint to Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Kanchanpur today against the proposed construction and activities, as follows:
The Convention also gave a brief history of Thaidawr Tlang and Phuldungsei village in particular and that of Jampui Hill in general to drive their points home.,
The Jampui Hill Mizo Convention claimed : “Phuldungsei Village of Jampui Hill was established in 1911 by Chief Hrangvunga Sailo with 70 Families. The nearest market place during that time was Kailashahar which was also known by the Mizo’s as Hmawngdawr. During these times, the whole of present Kanchanpur and Dasda and its adjoining areas were just a thick forest with no habitations.
During 1942-1943, a Reang Leader Ratnamani Noatia, who was a preacher of Hinduism amongst Reang people was against the rule of their Rai (Reang Chief/Political Authority).
The Rai exercised extreme authority and collected high taxes from the Reang People. Ratnamani and his disciples objected it and also claimed that he and his disciples are also qualified to act as priests to collect taxes and that they do not need Brahmins to do it. But the Reang Choudhuries and Brahmins strongly opposed Ratnamani and his activities, and they complained to the Maharaja. Choudhuries however lost control over their people and also suffered loss of their source of income i.e., taxes.
This started a conflict between the Choudhuries and Ratnamani and his followers. The Maharaja was in favour of Rai and his Choudhuries. There was a large scale fight between Ratnamanis and Choudhuries. Ratnamani’s group were fearsome, extreme and apply militant tactic. Then, the Maharaja tried to capture him and his hardcore followers. When the Maharaja’s armies were hunting Ratnamani and his followers, some leaders of Ratnamani’s followers arrived at Sabual Village in 1942 and seek protection from Sabual Village Chief Khawtinchawma Sailo.
They said to him that, Ratnamani before he fled to the Chittagong Hill Tracts, had asked them to go east and seek refuge from any Mizo Chief. Accordingly the Chief let them stay for about a year and then they wanted to bring their families too to Sabual Village. Then the Mizo volunteers of Sabual village escorted them in bringing other Reang people to Sabual Village in the year 1943/1944 with the permission of Chief Khawtinchawma Sailo.
Later, some of these families shifted to Phuldungsei Village (after 1944). And eventually many of them shifted and settled in the plain area of present Tuisama, Dasda and Ananda Bazar. Those who have shifted to Tuisama, Dasda and Ananda Bazar are mostly Christian as they converted to Christianity during their short stay in Sabual and Phuldungsei Village.
Some undocumented verbal accounts claims that the Reang people (Ratnamani followers) who sought refuge in the Mizo Villages used to perform Puja in Thaidawr Tlang and later after their conversion to Christianity, they eventually stopped doing puja.
However, the path leading to the peak gradually becomes unapproachable. But since government officials who happen to visit Jampui Hill always wanted to climb up to the peak since it is known as highest point of Tripura, the local Mizo villagers used to do a footpath clearing/jungle clearing occasionally. This peak/top of the Hill is known as Thaidawr because Mizo womenfolk used to gather at the top of the hill to receive blessing from god of fertility.”
