Let's provide a concise
explanation of the origin of the name "Aizawl" and the history of its
first inhabitants.
Challenging the
Historical Accuracy: Reevaluating Henrova as the First chief to Occupy Aizawl:
In 1804, Chief Henrova,
who belonged to the Thahdo tribe, occupied an area known as Mission Veng tlang
Hriangmual. This historical account was documented by R. Thanhlira in his book
"Aw! Zawlkhawpui." Chief Henrova's rule in Hriangmual lasted from
1804 to 1810, marking the earliest known inhabitants of Aizawl based on
historical records. Hriangmual is located in Mission Veng, Aizawl, which is now
the site of the Synod Conference Center. The name "Hriangmual" is
derived from the presence of Hriang trees in the area.
It's worth noting that
Hriangmual is not exclusive to Aizawl; it extends to the Phuaibuang Mountain
range, situated north of Mawmrang Mountain within the Tuivai River basin. Chief
Henrova ruled over Hriangmual in that region. He was the younger brother of
Chief Huhena, who governed Phuaibuang. Some writers mistakenly attribute Chief
Henrova as the chief of Mission Veng tlang Hriangmualram, but historical
evidence suggests that he never set foot in that specific land.
The first recorded
occupant of Hriangmual in Mission Veng tlang was Ngâna, the grandfather of Mizo
Subedar Pakunga, around the year 1888.
Lalsavunga: Reconsidering
the First Chief of Aizawl's History:
Another significant
figure in the history of Aizawl is Lalsavunga. R. Thanhlira's book
"Zawlkhawpui" mentions that Lalsavunga occupied Aizawl Hill between
1810 and 1821 and hailed from Hlimen village. However, records from the Mission
Veng Church History in the Hundred Years suggest that Lalsavunga was present in
Aizawl in 1845-4. This contradicts common beliefs that Lalsavunga passed away
around the age of 80 in 1840, with some sources even stating that his demise
occurred in 1835 in Darlawng tlang. Regardless, it is clear that Lalsavunga,
the Sailo chief, is recognized as the first known Mizo chief to occupy Aizawl.
After Lalsavunga the
latest known Mizo chief who occupied Aizawl was Thanruma, son of Suakpuilala,
the greatest chief of southern Mizoram. R. Thanhlira believes that he occupied
it for 10 years. The area between Tuikhuahtlang and Assam Rifles grounds is
said to be the settlement of Thanruma.
R. Thanhlira said that Thanruman had left Aizawl three years prior to
the Vailian. Here Vailian is the last Vailian which happened between 1889-1890.
The Etymology and Origins
of the name “Aizawl”:
Regarding the origin of
the name "Aizawl," R. Thanhlira provides an account in his book
"Zawlkhawpui." While the exact date of the name's creation and its
composer remain unknown, it is established that Aizawl existed prior to the
arrival of the British. The name itself is believed to mean "Aichhia and
Aidu's place." Despite the mystery surrounding its origins and the
possibility that it was not composed by a single individual, the name holds
historical significance.
Additionally, Pu Paliana
Hauhnar, one of Mizoram's earliest circle interpreters, who began working as a
Lushai Clerk in 1907 and later ruled Aizawl as a chief, mentioned that between
the Governor's office and the Governor's house, references to Aidu and
Aiduchhia were abundant contributing to the name "Aizawl." A well was
dug in this location, which was initiated by Mizoram Governor A. Parteons ICS.
In 1983, the Governor's residence, Raj Niwas, was referred to as the Governor's
Bangla. The well was located on the north side of the north gate of Raj Niwas
and primarily supplied water for flowers and vegetables. After Mizoram
transitioned into a Union Territory in 1972, the well was filled, and houses
were built on the site. Given Aizawl's mountainous terrain, this location
likely stood as one of the few flat plains or horizons. According to some
elders, numerous Aichhia (wild taro) plants grew in the surrounding valleys.
However, the name "Aizawl" and its association with this location
remain clear.
Establishing Imperial
Presence:
In 1890, Officer Dally of
the Assam Police and his 400 men arrived at Aizawl to support Colonel Skinner's
troops during a British military operation against the Mizo tribals. On Dally's
recommendation, Aizawl was selected as the site of a fortified post that
Colonel Skinner had been ordered to construct. The troops constructed stockades
and buildings at the site. In 1892-95 Aizawl became accessible from Silchar by
fair weather road under the supervision of Major Loch.
In 1890, Officer Dally of
the Assam Police and his 400 men arrived at Aizawl to support Colonel Skinner's
troops during a British military operation against the Mizo tribals, it was an
abandoned village site. The invaders decided that it was a good location to
establish a fortified post. On Dally's recommendation, Aizawl was selected as
the site of a fortified post that Colonel Skinner had been ordered to
construct. The troops constructed stockades and buildings at the site. In 1892-95
Aizawl became accessible from Silchar by fair weather road under the
supervision of Major Loch.
On
top of a mountain, cleared of trees, with excellent views of the surroundings and a fairly good water supply, it was a safe
position from which to launch military
operations. Equally important was the fact that it was relatively well connected with the British-controlled
plains. A path led down some 20 kilometres to Changsil (or Bepari Bazar), a
small trading post on the Tlawng river. This post had been established in the
early 1870s and was under the control of Suakpuilala, the chief of Reiek. It
boasted a few shops, run by Bengali traders. After the army ‘blasted away the
numerous huge boulders which obstructed the river traffic above Changsil’, the
market moved upriver to Sairang, 14 kilometres from Aizawl. From here a
flat-bottomed boat
could take you down the Tlawng (or Dhaleshwari) river to Silchar, the nearest
British town in the plains to the north. After some years a bridle path was
made, connecting Aizawl and Silchar by the land route; it took 8 days on pony
to cover the 130-kilometer distance.
Construction
of a double stockade round the new British stronghold began right away because
‘the clans round [Aizawl] were not exactly in a submissive state of mind’.
Immediately it proved relevant because, even before the second stockade was
ready, the chiefs combined and attacked both Aizawl and Changsil. It took 4
months to quell the revolt. More military detachments were posted at both
places, and the commander of the troops at Aizawl, Captain C.
H. Loch, ‘an engineer by inclination, though a soldier by profession’, took charge
of construction activities.
Soon
barracks came up to house hundreds of troops, as well as a military depot (or
quarter guard).Officials moved into newly built masonry bungalows and the hill began to
take on the semblance of a settlement.
A
post and telegraph office soon provided an essential lifeline to the outside world,
but for years there was no money available to make a proper building. The
Superintendent who arrived in 1897 observed:
“The
Post Office, when I arrived in Aijal was a most decrepit kutcha [non-brick] erection.
The Department refused to find money for a stone building, till I sent a
photograph of the office to Shillong that shamed the Department into sanctioning
the stone building. There was fire in the building once and an energetic fool
handed up a tin of kerosene, thinking it was water, to a fellow on the roof who
threw it over the flames with no good results.
Two
serious problems soon presented themselves. One was a lack of level ground, an
issue all over Mizoram. The troops needed level ground to practise,so Loch
decided to flatten a knoll to create a parade ground. Military labour made it
possible to take on this huge task, which took 5 years to complete:
The
labour for the parade ground was formed by the sepoys [soldiers]. Loch gave out
contracts, which were much sought after. To get the spoil away from the tract
of the hill to the edge of the ground, the men worked in pairs, one wheeled the
barrow, the other filled it, at the spot where the stuff had to be tipped, a
Gurkha Officer stood with a bag of paisa and paid for each barrow according
to the length of the load.
The
money for all this was provided by the Canteen Fund, which was largely produced
by the sums which the workers paid to satisfy the thirst produced by their labours.
The only cost to government was Rs.1,200/-. The range was also made by sepoy
labour. Mostly on Saturdays when every man from the commandant to the last
joined recruit put in about 8 hours Kamjarri [work], Loch’s battalion was the
only one in which there was never any trouble about Kamjarri, the reason being
that there was very little except on Saturdays when every one worked. When the
work was done, the parade ground ‘had a sheer cliff of 60 feet or more on one
side, and 150 feet of filling in on the other’. The cliff face of this field,
now known as the Assam Rifles.
The
other issue was that, as Aizawl grew, the water supply became insufficient for
the needs of settlement. To resolve this difficulty, the troops were set to
work on creating a water reservoir. They created what became known as the
‘crater’. As former Superintendent Shakespear remembered years later:
This
was the first effort made in the days of McCabe [Superintendent from 1890 to
1892] to solve the water supplying question. He had a big excavation made in a
circular knoll that stood opposite the house, the spoils being thrown outwards.
Then he cut a number of shallow drains on the face of the hill below the
Assistant Commandant’s house all joining into one channel from which by a
corrugated iron aqueduct he carried through the drainage of that hill over the
road, into his ‘crater’. The first burst. The Civil Surgeon whose house then
stood on the north side of the ‘crater’ complained of the dampness resulting
from the experiment. So the aqueduct was removed and the ‘crater’ remained till
Cole succeeded me [in 1899], and the road round it was included in his gardens,
at least so I have been told. The next effort to improve the water supply was
made by Loch and myself throwing a bund across the valley south of his house.
This too was a failure for as in the first case the water would not stay, but
run away under the embankment. Before I left finally a little water did remain
as the silt filled up the leaks.
The
Early Mizo Inhabitants of Aizawl: Tracing the Region's Indigenous Population:
In
cultural terms, early Aizawl was a typical colonial garrison town that was not
interested in the way of life of its rural neighbours. The small British community
– government officials, army officers and missionaries – ruled the roost. They
introduced their imperial version of ‘Western civilization’ at a time when
Europeans had no doubts about its superiority. They felt that they had a great
deal to offer in terms of lifestyle and saw their public behaviour as an object
lesson to the natives. In this spirit they would, for example, go out on picnics,
dressed in clothes that were fashionable (or at least not too long out of
fashion) back ‘Home’ but that must have looked outlandish, misplaced and uncomfortable
to local observers.
The
hill people were fascinated by the physical appearance of Europeans:
As
soon as they [missionaries Savidge and Lorrain] commenced to cut down the
undergrowth, a number of Lushais came running towards them, and squatting down
on their heels, watched them with interest, but without offering any help. One
youngster, when he thought that Mr. Savidge was not looking, came up behind,
and touched him on the heel. When Mr. Savidge turned he ran for his life. Some
time later, a more impudent boy lifted up the bottom of one of the
missionaries’ trouser legs and shouted, ‘A ngo bawk. Ava mak em.’ And then he
too rushed off. Later they discovered that he was announcing the astonishing
fact that their legs were white like their hands and faces.
Even
though Aizawl was the command centre of British rule in Mizoram, most
inhabitants were not British but came from other parts of South Asia. A list of
Aizawl people who donated contributions to the World War I effort revealed
names from Assam, Bengal, Meghalaya, Marwar, Nagaland, North India and Nepal.
By far the largest group consisted of soldiers of the occupying Indian Army
stationed in Aizawl. By 1910 there were 777 army personnel in Mizoram: 663
common soldiers, 15 trumpeters, 82 havildars, 9 jamadars and 8 subadars. These troops came from different parts of North India as well as from Nepal,
which was not part of the British Empire. Culturally they were very diverse.
They followed various religions and spoke many different languages, none of
them familiar to the local people: most soldiers were Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims
and the primary army language was Hindi. Particularly prominent among them were
the Gurkha troops from Nepal.
Gurkhas
would eventually settle down in Aizawl and form a small permanent community
there. This was remarkable in view of the fact that one of the earliest British
policy decisions had been to declare an ‘inner line’ barring outsiders from
entering Mizoram without a permit. This regulation has acted as a fairly
effective separator of hill people and vai (outsiders) since the
1870s and remains in force today. Unlike other outsiders, the Gurkhas were
permitted to stay on and, as the following images show, they kept their cultural
distinctiveness and visibility in town.
In summary, Aizawl's history, marked by its nomenclature's enigmatic origins, unfolds a narrative that interweaves the footprints of early inhabitants and British military presence, offering insights into the city's formative years as a colonial outpost amidst the scenic splendor of Mizoram's hills.
This article is for information only, no part of this writing can be copied/re-written without proper permission from the author and the publishers.
Reference:
1. The Camera as Witness: A Social History of Mizoram, Northeast India by Joy LK Pachuau and Willem Ven Schendel, Cambridge University Press.
2. Aw! Zawlkhawpui by Thanhlira
3. "Aizawl hming hi le" by Lalhruaitluanga Ralte, Vanglaini 30th July 2021.
