The district of Thoubal, which occupies
the bigger portion of the eastern half of the Manipur Valley, takes the shape
of an irregular and triangular with its base facing north. It lies between 23°
45' N and 24°45' N latitude and 93°45' E and 94°15' E longitude.
It is bounded on the north by Imphal district, on the east by Ukhrul and Chandel
districts, on the south by Chandel and Churachandpur districts and on the west
by the districts of Imphal and Bishnupur. It has an area of 514 sq.kms. as supplied
by the Surveyor General of India. Its average elevation is not very much different
from the rest of the Manipur Valley which is about 790 metres on an average
above the sea level. Although the district is a part of the valley, the area
of the district is not entirely plain. Many rivers flow through the district
and many lakes dot its surface. Some of the which are closely inter-twined with
many folk tales and stories, of which mention may be made of the fishing and
other episodes of the love story of the legendary Khamba-Thoibi. In fact, all
important lakes of Manipur, with the exception of Loktak, are in this district.
The State of Manipur used to supplement its meager resources from the annual
lease of the lakes in the past.
Although little is known about its ancient history, the district has in recent
past, seen many bloody and disgraceful battles. Through the district runs an
international road that leads to Myanmar (Burma) via Moreh and Tammu and this
road is, in the days before the independence of India, the route of many military
expeditions and counter-expeditions by the forces of Manipur and Burma, and
later on, by that of the British Government. It Is in this district, at Khongjom,
that the last battle of the independence of Manipur was fought in April, 1891
by a few and ill-equipped soldiers of Manipur against the might of the British
empire where the sun does not set, as the saying goes. It is not just an irony
of the fate that Major Paona Brajabashi and others would meet their last days
in this battle. The battle symbolizes the honourable deed of an extreme sacrifice
for his motherland, knowing fully well that the fight would mean sure defeat.
Among the natural calamities that had occurred in the past, mention may be made
of the serious cholera epidemics of 1931 which took a heavy toll of the district
population. Although the epidemic is widely spread throughout the Manipur valley
it is felt in the district.
The district came into existence in May, 1983 through a notification of the
Government of Manipur, ( Secretariat :Revenue Department Order No.6/1/73-R (
Pt.VII) dated May 24, 1983) ( Manipur Extraordinary Gazette No. 76 of the same
date) under the Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act.1960. By the said
notification, Thoubal sub-division of the erstwhile Manipur Central District
( now Imphal district ) with all its administrative units was transferred to
form a new district under the name of Thoubal with its head-quarters at Thoubal.
Later, in November, 1983, Thoubal was bifurcated into Thoubal and Kakching sub-divisions
comprising of Kakching and Waikhong Tahsils with all their existing villages
( Manipur Gazette Extraordinary No. 343 dated November, 25, 1983 ), the headquarters
of Kakching sub-division being Kakching.
The district has two community development blocks one within each sub-division,
each block coinciding with its respective sub-divisional areas minus the statutorily
notified urban portion. It has 9 main towns. namely, Lilong ( Thoubal ), Thoubal,Yairipok,
Shikhong Sekmai, Wangjing, Heirok, Kakching, Kakching Khunou and Sugnu and a
part of Samurou whose major portion is in the Imphal District. Thoubal and Kakching
are Municipalities.
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