The earliest colonial source of Manipur’s history is The Account of Meckley (1763) by Neher Das Gossai, an agent of the English East India Company, which was later translated into English by Lieutenant Archibald Swinton. Before starting on the Meckley expedition as per the Anglo-Meckley Treaty of Defensive Alliance 1762, Swinton had sent a Subadar and ten Telangana sepoys along with Neher Das Gossai to Manipur ( the then capital of Meckley). They were accompanied by Meckley’s agent Hari Das Gossai. Their account was later published in Alexander Dalrymple’s Oriental Repository (1808). In Memoir of a Map of Hindustan (1785), James Rennell mentioned “The space between Bengal and China, is occupied by the province of Meckley, and other districts, subject to the King of Burmah, or Ava.”  Francis Buchanan, in his book A Comparative Vocabulary of Some of the Languages Spoken in the Burma Empire (1798), was the first to study the Meitei language. Michael Symes’s An Account of an Embassy to the Kingdom of Ava in the Year 1795 (1798) includes descriptions of the Meitei in Burma, mentioning their cavalry, goldsmiths, gunsmiths, weavers, and other skilled artisans. Dr. John Peter Wade’s An Account of Assam (1800) also provides references to Manipur. John Smith’s A Grammar of General Geography (1811) lists Manipur as one of the thirteen kingdoms in the region between Tibet, the Chinese Sea, China, the Straits of Malacca, the Bay of Bengal, and Hindustan. Judson’s tour diary (1819) records his eyewitness account of the Burmese invasion of Manipur, noting that the Burmese forces numbered around 30,000 soldiers. Francis Hamilton’s works, such as An Account of Assam (1820) and An Account of a Map of the Countries Subject to the King of Ava, Drawn by a Slave of the King’s Eldest Son, mention Manipur. Walter Hamilton’s The East India Gazetteer (1820) also references Manipur. J. Goldsmith’s A Grammar of General Geography (1821) identifies Manipur as a nation of Asia. H. H. Wilson’s Documents Illustrative of the Burmese War (1827) details Manipur’s role in the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826). John Crawfurd’s Journal of an Embassy from the Governor-General of India to the Court of Ava in the Year 1827 provides the official account of the ratification of the Treaty of Yandabo (1826), which declared Manipur independent of the Burmese Empire.

It also includes an account of the Meitei population in Burma, taken during the Burmese invasions.

B. Pemberton’s The Ferry-Bridges at Manipur, in the East Indies (1826) highlights the military expertise of Gambhir Singh’s Levy in the First Anglo-Burmese War. His celebrated Report on the Eastern Frontier of British India (1835) provides a detailed history of ancient Manipur, the First Anglo-Burmese War, and Manipur-Shan relations.William Marsden, in his book (1832), studied Manipur’s gold coinage. Francis John Grant’s Tour of Inspection on Manipur’s Frontier along the Course of the Ningthee River (1832) provides the earliest colonial survey report of the Ningthee River. Lieutenant George Gordon’s Religion and Government of Manipur (1834) discusses Manipur’s government, religious practices, and the Manipuri script’s adaptation to Roman characters. He later published A Dictionary in English, Bengali, and Manipuri (1837).The Calcutta Observer (1835) published the letters of Harish Chandra, preceptor of the young king Chandra Kirti, which provide insights into the first English school in Manipur.W. McCulloch’s Account of the Valley of Manipur and the Hill Tribes (1855) remains a well-known colonial source. R. Brown’s Statistical Account of Manipur (1873) provides demographic and economic details. G. H. Damant’s Note on the Old Manipuri Character (1877) examines the traditional Manipuri script. A. J. Primrose’s A Manipuri Grammar, Vocabulary, and Phrase Book (1888) discusses the Manipuri language. Alexander Mackenzie’s History of the Relations of the Government with the Hill Tribes of Northeast Frontier of British Bengal (1884) is considered an authoritative historical account based on official government records. E. W. Dunn’s Gazetteer of Manipur (1886) is another significant source. James Johnstone’s My Experience in Manipur and the Naga Hills (1896) , Ethel St. Clair Grimwood’s My Three Years in Manipur (1891), T.C Hodson’s The Meitheis (1908), Naga Tribes of Manipur (1911), John Shakespear’s Lushai-Kuki Clans (1913), G.A Grierson’s Linguistic Survey of India, William Pettigrew’s Tangkhul Grammar (1919), William Shaws’s Notes on Thadou Kukis (1933), L.W. Shakespeare’s History of Assam Rifles (1929) and J.C Higins’s Notes on Meithei Beliefs and Customs ( 1920s-30s), Robert Reid’s History of Areas Bordering Assam (1942) offer firsthand colonial perspectives on Manipur. These works, among hundreds of others, form a valuable corpus of colonial sources on Manipur’s history.