The correct answer is: a) Tribal communities in the hills.
The British encouraged Christian missionary activity in Manipur, primarily focused on tribal communities in the hills. The British believed that Christianity would help to “civilize” the tribal people and make them more amenable to British rule. The missionaries also saw the tribal people as a potential source of converts, and they worked hard to convert them to Christianity.
The British government provided financial support to the missionaries, and they also gave them land and other resources to help them in their work. The missionaries built schools and hospitals, and they also provided education and medical care to the tribal people.
The missionaries’ work was not always successful, and there was often resistance from the tribal people. However, the missionaries did make some converts, and they had a significant impact on the culture and society of the tribal people.
The other options are incorrect because:
- Option b) is incorrect because the British did not focus on the urban Meitei population. The British believed that the Meitei people were already civilized, and they did not see them as a potential source of converts.
- Option c) is incorrect because the British did not focus on the Muslim Pangal community. The British did not see the Muslim Pangal community as a potential source of converts, and they did not provide them with the same level of support as they did the tribal people.
- Option d) is incorrect because the British did not focus on aristocratic families. The British did not see aristocratic families as a potential source of converts, and they did not provide them with the same level of support as they did the tribal people.