princely state · Indian princely states

Kingdom of Manipur

33 CE – 1949 CE (approx.) · capital Imphal

The Meitei kingdom of the Imphal valley, one of the longest-lived monarchies of South Asia, which kept its own royal chronicle for nearly two thousand years of claimed history.

Origins

The royal chronicle, the Cheitharol Kumbaba, traditionally dates the founding to 33 CE, when Nongda Lairen Pakhangba became ruler of the Ningthouja clan. Over the following centuries the Ningthouja kings absorbed the other Meitei clans of the Imphal valley into a single kingdom known to its people as Kangleipak.

Rule and society

Kings ruled through the lallup system, under which adult men owed periodic labour and military service to the state. In the early 18th century Pamheiba, known as Garib Niwaz, made Vaishnavism the court religion, though the older Sanamahi faith survived. Manipuri cavalry and polo were famous, and the kingdom fought repeated wars with the Burmese kingdoms to the east.

Decline and legacy

Burmese occupation from 1819 was ended in 1826 by Gambhir Singh with British help. After the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891 Manipur became a princely state under British control. Maharaja Bodhachandra Singh signed a merger agreement with the Dominion of India in 1949, and Manipur became a full state of the Republic of India in 1972.

Lineage

Kingdom of ManipurDominion of India 1947 CE – 1950 CE

Connections (3)

Kingdom of Manipur was conquered by Konbaung dynasty1819 CE – 1826 CE
Kingdom of Manipur was a protectorate of Company rule in India1826 CE – 1858 CE
Kingdom of Manipur was a protectorate of British Raj1891 CE – 1947 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Manipur. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-manipur
MLA: “Kingdom of Manipur.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-manipur. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Manipur.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-manipur.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Manipur’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-manipur (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻