Meidingu Naophangba () was a
Meetei
The Meitei people, also known as the Manipuri people,P.20: "historically, academically and conventionally Manipuri prominently refers to the Meetei people."P.24: "For the Meeteis, Manipuris comprise Meeteis, Lois, Kukis, Nagas and Pangal." is ...
ruler of
Ningthouja dynasty of
Ancient Manipur
The Manipur Kingdom
was an ancient independent kingdom at the India–Burma frontier that was in subsidiary alliance with British India from 1824, and became a princely state in 1891. It bordered Assam Province in the west and Brit ...
(
Antique Kangleipak
The Manipur Kingdom
was an ancient independent kingdom at the India–Burma frontier that was in subsidiary alliance with British India from 1824, and became a princely state in 1891. It bordered Assam Province in the west and Brit ...
). He is the successor of
Naokhamba and the predecessor of
Sameiraang. He promulgated a proto-Constitution in 429 AD, which later grew into the
Loyumba Shinyen, a written
constitution in 1100 AD, during the reign of King
Loyumba. He is one of the most outstanding figures in the history of
Meitei architecture of
Ancient Manipur
The Manipur Kingdom
was an ancient independent kingdom at the India–Burma frontier that was in subsidiary alliance with British India from 1824, and became a princely state in 1891. It bordered Assam Province in the west and Brit ...
. He laid the foundation stone of the
Kangla, the "Namthak Sarongpung", which is the holiest place to the
Manipuri ethnicity.
During his reign, the coronation hall in the
Kangla was inaugurated and a
hog was sacrificed.
According to the
Loyumba Shinyen, he took command from
Mangang Luwang Khuman
Mangang Luwang Khuman is the triple deity of supreme divinity in Sanamahism, the Sanamahism, Meitei religion. The three deities are Mangang Sitapa, Luwang Sitapa and Khuman Pokpa, Khuman Sitapa. They are also regarded as the progenitors of the Ni ...
for the administration of justice in the kingdom. According to the
Chakparol, the ten villages of the
Chakpas separated during his reign. It was right from his reign that the newcomers (immigrants) were assigned and admitted to the
yek salai (clans) and the
yumnaks (families) of the
Meitei ethnicity. According to the
Thengkourol,
copper and
brass were imported from
Burma () and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
() during his reign.
The first seven kings preceding his reign were sometimes considered divine, but it was right from his era that the rulers were usually regarded as human beings. He is remembered for his emphasis on
ethics. Though many Manipuri Muslims claim that their earliest ancestors settled in
Manipur right from the reign of Naophangba (5th century AD), the claim is clearly contradicted by the fact that
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
and
Muslims first set feet in the
Indian subcontinent in
Gujarat, extreme
Western India in 623 AD (7th century AD).
References
{{Reflist
External links
Recent Researches in Oriental Indological StudiesA Short History of Manipur Kings of Ancient Manipur
Pages with unreviewed translations
Ningthouja dynasty