Introduction

Manipur became a quiet corner of the Raj under the British after 1891, with relatively few links to the outside world. The prospect of the Second World War ever affecting this part of India's eastern frontier seemed remote. Manipur's location as a land gateway between India and Burma immediately came into sharp and urgent focus. Soon enough, Imphal began to feel the consequences of these dramatic developments in the Second World War. Many refugees were fed by the then maharaja Bodhachandra Singh and maharani Iswari Devi of Manipur. Construction and infrastructure activity in Manipur picked up dramatically in the latter half of 1942 and through 1943. The six airfields in the Imphal Valley that were to play a key part in the Battle of Imphal sprung up. Supply dumps and depots, hospitals and the entire logistical infrastructure required to sustain a large military force in Manipur and prepare for its advance eastwards into Burma was created.