and those warriors who possess this knowledge are believed to possess the
ultimate knowledge of the art of warfare.
Very little information is available about Thengkourol. It is a sacred
art, the knowledge of which is preserved in secrecy. It is never performed
in public. Currently, only a handful of martial artists claim to know
Thengkourol.
Although gurus sometimes disagree about the details of a Thengkou
(one of the forms of the art), they concur on the overall idea. There are nine
Thengkou: Akao, Leiphal, Leichai, Nongphan, Leikak, Leinet, Lankak,
Akham, Leishit.
The records of Manipur document occasions on which a series of
Thengkou were performed to bring victory. For example, during the reign
of King Garibniwaz, in the first half of the eighteenth century, Sarot haiba
Toglen Wangkheirakpa, a noble, performed Akham Thengkou. Pandit
Gopiram performed the Akham Thengkou during the reign of Rajarshi
Bhagyachandra in the second half of the eighteenth century. The revered
stories of these occasions have lived for generations in people’s memories.
A student must be both the trusted disciple of a guru and over the age
of forty before learning Thengkourol because it can bring destruction to
others or even kill the performer. These strictures are meant to ensure that
the martial artist has enough maturity and discretion to avoid misusing this
mystical and dangerous sacred art.
The system of training in thang-ta is strict and bound by tradition.
Training begins with the initiation ceremony, Ojha Boriba (teacher accep-
tance). On the auspicious day selected for the ceremony, the training
ground is cleaned and candles are lit in front of the picture of the
Pakhangba, the originator and ruling deity of thang-ta. The student is
asked to meditate in front of Pakhangba and then to bow down and offer
the teacher a gift of fruit, cloth (usually a khudoi,a locally woven garment
worn by men at home), betel leaves, betel nuts, candles, and a token re-
muneration (usually one Indian rupee). The teacher accepts the gift and the
student as a disciple, and that day the student officially starts training with
the teacher. There are strict codes of conduct in the institutions. The fol-
lowing represent the disciplinary regulations of Hula Sindamsang, a school
of thang-ta located in Imphal, Manipur.
- The student must enter barefoot into the sindamsang(school) or the
home of the teacher. - The student must bow in greeting to the teacher and elders who are al-
ready present. - The training floor must be well groomed and sprinkled with water before
and after each training session. - Pregnant or menstruating women are not allowed on the training
floor.
Thang-Ta 641