An appraisal of the lallup system in pre-colonial Manipur

This article re-examines the lallup system of compulsory labour in Manipur before the establishment of British colonial administration (1892), challenging its conventional portrayal as both an ancient institution originating under King Pakhangba or King Loiyumba and as the backbone of the state economy. While not dismissing the possibility of its earlier origins (before the seventeenth century), the article argues that the textual and archival evidence commonly cited in support of these claims remains inconclusive. It further contends that framing lallup as the backbone of the pre-colonial economy obscures the contributions of women, ‘lower’ caste and class groups, and hill communities. By foregrounding the exclusions, the article shows how post-colonial historiography has reproduced caste, gendered and spatial hierarchies in the interpretation of Manipur’s past. It concludes by calling for a more inclusive and empirically grounded framework for understanding labour and state formation in pre-colonial Northeast India.