Royal family of Manipur

Ningthouja dynasty (Mangang clan) (33 CE to 1972 CE)
Royal coat of arms of Manipur

The Ningthouja dynasty comprises the descendants of the kings of Manipur. It has 125 extended families. It was the single ruling dynasty of the erstwhile kingdom of Manipur. It was one of the longest-lasting dynasties in the world. It was founded by King Nongda Lairen Pakhangba in 33 CE. The reign of Ningthouja Dynasty continued until the abolition of the privy purse and royal entitlements by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi through a constitutional amendment in 1971.

By the beginning of the 1st millennium CE, the Ningthouja Dynasty began to emerge in Imphal River valley, overrunning the territory of the Khaba clan. They established Kangla as their seat of power. From Kangla they absorbed the surrounding clan principalities of Luwang, Moirang, Khaba-Nganba, Angom, Sarang-Leishangthem and Khuman. Since 33 CE till the rule of the last King Bodhchandra, Manipur was ruled by seventy-four kings, of whom the hallowed reign of Pakhangba, Naothingkhong, Loiyumba, Kiyamba, Khagemba, Charairongba, Pamheiba, Maharaja Jai Singh, Maharaja Gambhir Singh, Maharaja Nara Singh, Chandrakirti and Churchand are outstanding.

Since 19th century the ruling family was divided into several royal houses. They are:

The royal titles of Meitei princes are:-

The royal titles for Meitei princesses are:-

Since the adoption of Hinduism in the 18th century the royal family of Manipur styled Hindu titles:

During the reigns of Maharaja Churchand Singh ( 1891–1941) and Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh ( 1941–1955) their sons and daughters were given the high-sounding titles such as Maharaj Kumar and Maharaj Kumari. On the inherent title and privilege of the princes Major Maxwell, the then British Political Agent in Manipur and the regent of the young Raja Churchand Singh writes: “Rajkumars , or as they are called in Manipur Ninthou Machas, a Rajas , are very numerous; if, for instance, a Raja had eight sons and these sons were equally well blessed with male issue, the whole 64 grandsons would be Ningthou Machas, and their sons again, and so on.”.” Rajkumars were a troublesome people, Major Maxwell observed and he gave them little encouragement.

The members of the Royal Family of Manipur since 1709 CE include: