List of Manipuri kings

List of Monarchs that ruled the Kingdom of Manipur (present state of Manipur in northeast India) have been recorded in Court Chronicles of the Kings of Manipur (Cheitharol Kumbaba)^[1].

Location of Manipur in Republic of India

The Kingdom of Kangleipak with written constitution was established in 1110 by Loiyumba, who a local tribal ruler who incorporated most neighboring principalities.^[2] The Kangleipak kings expanded their territory, reaching their zenith under king Khagemba (1597–1652). In 1714, a king named Pamheiba adopted Hinduism. He adopted the name Gharib Nawaz, and in 1724 renamed the kingdom as Manipur (Sanskrit for "abode of jewels"). Manipur was conquered by Burma in 1819, and became a princely state within the British Raj in 1821. On 11 August 1947, Manipur Maharajah Bodhchandra singh signed ^[3] agreeing to accede defense, communication and external affairs to Union of India on the assurance of autonomy of Manipur and further signed a merger agreement in October 1949 which is disputed to be an agreement made under duress.^[4]^[5] It then became a part C state of the Republic of India in 1949 which is further upgraded to union territory in 1956 and a full fledged state in 1972.^[6]

Ancient kings[]

A number of legendary kings are mentioned in the Royal Chronicle, written down in the 19th century.^[7]

The Cheitharol Kumbaba begins with Nongda Lairen Pakhangba (Ningthouja dynasty).

Khapa-Nganpa Salai[]

Taang-chaa Leela Pakhangpa

(1445–1405 BCE)

Kangba

(1405–1359 BCE)

Maliya Fampalcha

(1359–1329 BCE) (epoch of the Meitei calendar)

Kaksu Tonkonpa

(1329 BCE)

Koilou Nongtailen Pakhangpa

(934 BCE)

Samlungpha

(44–34 BCE)

Chingkhong Poireiton

(34–18 BCE)

Singtabung

(18–8 BCE)

Paangminnaba

(8–1 BCE)

Luwang Salai[]

Luwang Khunthipa (1–5 CE)
Luwang Punshipa (5–33 CE)

Ningthoucha[]

Nongta Lailen Pakhangpa (33–154 CE)
Khuiyoi Tompok (154-264 CE)
Taothingmang (264-364 CE)
Khui Ningonba (364-379 CE)
Pengsipa (379-394 CE)
Kaokhangpa (394-411 CE)
Naokhampa (411-428 CE)
Naophangpa (428-518 CE)
Sameilang (518-568 CE)
Urakonthoupa (568-658 CE)
Naothingkhon (663-763 CE)
Khongtekcha (763-773 CE)
Keilencha (784-799 CE)
Yalaba (799-821 CE)
Ayangpa (821-910 CE)
Ningthoucheng (910-949 CE)
Chenglei-Ipan-Lanthapa (949-969 CE)
Keiphaba Yanglon (969-984 CE)
Irengba (984-1074 CE)

Kangleipak State[]

Loiyumpa (1074-1112)
(1112-1150)
(1150-1163)
(1163-1195)
(1195-1231)
(1231-1242)
(1242-1247)
(1247-1263)
(1263-1278)
(1278-1302)
(1302-1324)
(1324-1335)
(1335-1355)
(1355-1359)
(1359-1394)
(1394-1399)
(1404-1432)
(1432-1467)
(1467-1508)
(1508-1512)
(1512-1523)
(1523-1524)
(1524-1542)
(1542-1545)
(1545-1562)
(1562-1597)
Khaki Ngampa(1597-1652)
(1652-1666)
(1666-1697)
Charairongba (1697-1709)
Gharib Nawaz (Ningthem Pamheipa) (1709-1754), adoption of the name Manipur
Chit Sain (1754-1756)
Gaurisiam (1756-1763)
Ching-Thang Khomba (Bhagya Chandra) (1764-1798)
Rohinchandra (Harshachandra Singh) (1798-1801)
Maduchandra Singh (1801-1806)
Charajit Singh (1806-1812)
Marjit Singh (1812-1819), brother of Charajit, came to power with Burmese support

Burmese rule[]

There were two feudatory kings during the time of the Burmese invasions, Herachandra (1819) and Yumjaotaba (1820).

Gambhir Singh ascended in April 1821 and was forced into exile in October of the same year. The Burmese forces placed a son-in-law of Gharib Niwaz, one Jai Singh, on the throne of Manipur. Jai Singh was shortly replaced by Shoobal Singh, a brother of Kara Singh.^[8]

Princely State (British Raj)[]

Gambhir Singh (Chinglen Nongdrenkhomba) (1825-1834), restored after the First Anglo-Burmese War

Regency for Chandrakirti Singh (1834-1850)

Nara Singh (1844-1850), son of Bhadra Singh
Debendro Singh (1850), brother of Nara Singh

Chandrakirti Singh (1850-1886), son of Gambhir Singh
Surchandra Singh (1886-1890)
Kulachandra Singh (1890-1891)
Churachand Singh (1891-1941)
Bodhchandra Singh (1941-1947), d. 1955

Sovereign State of Manipur[]

Bodhchandra Singh (1947-1949), d. 1955^[9]^[10]^[11]

Dominion of India and Republic of India[]

Bodhchandra Singh (1949-1955), d. 1955^[12]

After the death of Bodhchandra Singh in 1955, there have been two titular kings of Manipur:

(1955 - 1976)
Leishemba Sanajaoba (1996 to present)^[13]

References[]

^ The court chronicle of the kings of Manipur : the Cheitharon kumpapa : original text, translation, and notes. Parratt, Saroj Nalini. London: Routledge. 2005. ISBN 0-203-44427-2. OCLC 252763470.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^ Phanjoubam Tarapot, Bleeding Manipur, Har Anand Publications (30 July 2007) ISBN 978-8124109021
^ https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Instrument_of_Accession_and_Standstill_Agreement_of_Manipur_to_Dominion_of_India.pdf
^ Subramanian, K. S. (5 October 2015). State, Policy and Conflicts in Northeast India. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-39650-5.
^ Mukherjee, Kunal (28 February 2021). Race, Ethnicity and Religion in Conflict Across Asia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-37161-1.
^ Roy, Kaushik (2 March 2017). Unconventional Warfare in South Asia, 1947 to the Present. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-87709-1.
^ "The manuscripts collected by W. Yumjao Singh consist of literary, historical, astronomical, astrological and miscellaneous other works of which mention may be made of Cheitharon Kumbaba, the Ningthourol Shingkak, the Poireiton Khunthokpa, Dharani Samhita, Srimat Bhagabat. "The Cheitharol Kumbaba or the royal chronicle has been the most valuable for historical investigations, as it professes to record all the important daily transactions and occurrences of the State... By orders of Jai Singh this book was rewritten as the former copy was no more available then". "The Nigthourol Shingkak is a work written in the way of prediction. It professes to predict all important events that would happen from the time of Khagemba downward. It, therefore, professes to be a work of the early 17th century. It is an anonymous work, and in this book, we see for the first time Gharib Niwaz's having had some Naga connection in his childhood." Jyotirmoy Roy, History Of Manipur, 1958, p. 8.
^ Jyotirmoy Roy, History Of Manipur (1958),p. 61.
^ "Biography of His Highness Maharaja Bodhachandra Last King of Manipur Part 1". e-pao.net. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
^ "Biography of His Highness Maharaja Bodhachandra Last King of Manipur Part 2". e-pao.net. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
^ "Biography of His Highness Maharaja Bodhachandra Last King of Manipur Part 3". e-pao.net. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
^ "Manipur Merger Agreement, 1949". www.satp.org. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
^ 'Royal' gamble by RSS pays off in Imphal valley, Times of India, 14 March 2014 ("The RSS's move to involve the titular 'king' of Manipur, Meidingu Leishemba Sanajaoba, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's poll campaign").

External links[]

nigombam, macks. "A Brief history of the Meiteis of Manipur". themanipurpage.tripod.com.
"Titular king Leishemba Sanajaoba Archives - The Sangai Express". The Sangai Express. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
History of Manipur:The Medieval Period - IIT Guwahati
Manipur and the mainstream by N. Tombi Singh
The court chronicles of the kings of Manipur - Cheitharol Kumpapa

[1] The court chronicle of the kings of Manipur : the Cheitharon kumpapa : original text, translation, and notes. Parratt, Saroj Nalini. London: Routledge. 2005. ISBN 0-203-44427-2. OCLC 252763470.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

[PT-2] Phanjoubam Tarapot, Bleeding Manipur, Har Anand Publications (30 July 2007) ISBN 978-8124109021

[3] ttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Instrument_of_Accession_and_Standstill_Agreement_of_Manipur_to_Dominion_of_India.pdf

[4] Subramanian, K. S. (5 October 2015). State, Policy and Conflicts in Northeast India. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-39650-5.

[5] Mukherjee, Kunal (28 February 2021). Race, Ethnicity and Religion in Conflict Across Asia. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-37161-1.

[6] Roy, Kaushik (2 March 2017). Unconventional Warfare in South Asia, 1947 to the Present. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-87709-1.

[7] "The manuscripts collected by W. Yumjao Singh consist of literary, historical, astronomical, astrological and miscellaneous other works of which mention may be made of Cheitharon Kumbaba, the Ningthourol Shingkak, the Poireiton Khunthokpa, Dharani Samhita, Srimat Bhagabat. "The Cheitharol Kumbaba or the royal chronicle has been the most valuable for historical investigations, as it professes to record all the important daily transactions and occurrences of the State... By orders of Jai Singh this book was rewritten as the former copy was no more available then". "The Nigthourol Shingkak is a work written in the way of prediction. It professes to predict all important events that would happen from the time of Khagemba downward. It, therefore, professes to be a work of the early 17th century. It is an anonymous work, and in this book, we see for the first time Gharib Niwaz's having had some Naga connection in his childhood." Jyotirmoy Roy, History Of Manipur, 1958, p. 8.

[8] Jyotirmoy Roy, History Of Manipur (1958),p. 61.

[9] "Biography of His Highness Maharaja Bodhachandra Last King of Manipur Part 1". e-pao.net. Retrieved 2 December 2019.

[10] "Biography of His Highness Maharaja Bodhachandra Last King of Manipur Part 2". e-pao.net. Retrieved 2 December 2019.

[11] "Biography of His Highness Maharaja Bodhachandra Last King of Manipur Part 3". e-pao.net. Retrieved 2 December 2019.

[12] "Manipur Merger Agreement, 1949". www.satp.org. Retrieved 2 December 2019.

[13] 'Royal' gamble by RSS pays off in Imphal valley, Times of India, 14 March 2014 ("The RSS's move to involve the titular 'king' of Manipur, Meidingu Leishemba Sanajaoba, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's poll campaign").

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