Nara Singh (1792 – 11 April 1850) also known as Chingthanglen Pamheiba and Meetingu Lairen Nonglen Sendreng Manik Khomba, was a ruler of the

Kingdom of Manipur The Manipur Kingdom, also known as Meckley, was an ancient kingdom at the India–Burma frontier. Historically, Manipur was an independent kingdom ruled by a Meitei dynasty. But it was also invaded and ruled over by Burmese kingdom ...

. He ruled first as regent from 1834 to 1844 and then as king for a period of six years from 1844 to 1850. His subjects called him ‘Eningthou Nungsiba’ or ‘our beloved king’. Statue of Maharaja Nara Singh in front of the Western Entrance to the Kangla fort in Imphal

Statue of Maharaja Nara Singh in front of the Western Entrance to the Kangla fort in Imphal

Early life

Nara Singh was a son of King Badra Singh (r. April 1825 – June 1825 ) and Queen Loitongbam Chanu Premlata and the great grandson of Emperor

Pamheiba Gharib Niwaz (also known as Pamheiba, 1690–1751, , ) was the ruler of the Manipur Kingdom, ruling from c. 1709 until his death in 1751. He introduced Hinduism as the state religion of his kingdom (1717) and changed the name of the kingdom fr ...

, popularly known as Gharib Niwaz (r. 1709–1748). He was born at Sangolbal Moirang Leirak,

Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

. According to the

Cheitharol Kumbaba ''Cheitharol Kumbaba'' or ''Cheithalon Kumpapa'' (''Ch. K.''), the "Royal Chronicle of Manipur", is a court chronicle of the kings of Manipur, which claims to start from 33 CE and to cover the rule of 76 Kings until 1955. The work of chroniclin ...

his father Badra Singh was holding several posts including that of Yaiskul Lakpa (minister) during the reign of

Bhagyachandra Bhagya Chandra (also known as Ching-Thang Khomba and Jai Singh) (1748–1799) was a king of Manipur in the 18th century CE. He was the grandson of Gharib Niwaz and ruled Manipur for almost forty years (1759–1798). During his rule, he faced ...

(r. 1763–1799). For his involvement in a conspiracy against the king Badra Singh was exiled to

Cachar Cachar district is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. After independence, the pre-existing undivided Cachar district was split into four districts: Dima Hasao (formerly North Cachar Hills), Hailakandi, Karimganj, and the ...

in 1796. In 1819, Manipur was occupied by the Burmese forces. During this period all the princes of Manipur took shelter in the kingdom of Cachar. Many princes like Herachandra and Yumjaotaba tried to liberate Manipur; some obliging princes were appointing the king of Manipur under Burmese sovereignty. Badra Singh’s son Jadu Singh (r. 1823), Jadu Singh’s son Raghov Singh (r. 1823–24) and Badra Singh himself (r. 1825) were puppet rulers of Burmese occupied Manipur. Though his father, his elder brother and his nephew became puppet rulers, Nara Singh was not involved in the scramble for the throne of Manipur. He was taking shelter in

. And he supported the cause of his second cousin Gambhir Singh in negotiating with the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

for the liberation of Cachar and Manipur.

Nara Singh in the First Anglo-Burmese War

Nara Singh appeared in the History of Manipur as the commanding Officer of the Gambhir Singh levy, popularly known as

Manipur Levy The Manipur Levy was the first standing army established in Manipur Kingdom. It was formed during the Manipur national war, national struggle against Burmese rule, which occurred during the period known as the Chahi-Taret Khuntakpa (1819–1826 ...

, which was the most effective force to defeat the Burmese in Cachar and Manipur. Nara Singh got an allowance of Rs. 100 per month from the Government of British India during the

First Anglo-Burmese War The First Anglo-Burmese War (; ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as the First Burma War in English language accounts and First English Invasion War () in Burmese language accounts, was the first of three wars fought between the ...

( 1824–1826). He showed his military skill and courage in the war of liberation. The

liberated Manipur in June 1825. The last battle of the war of independence was fought at

Tamu Tamu may refer to: * Texas A&M University or TAMU * Tamu, Myanmar ** Tamu District, Myanmar ** Tamu Township * Ta'mu, rice cooked in woven coconut leaves from the Philippines * Tamu Massif, an inactive underwater volcano in the Pacific * ''Helioph ...

in December and January 1826. Nara Singh played a vital role in saving the Meitei by inflicting a crushing defeat on the Burmese armies and driving them beyond the historic Ningthi river. The

Treaty of Yandabo The Treaty of Yandabo ( ) was the peace treaty that ended the First Anglo-Burmese War. The treaty was signed on 24February 1826, nearly two years after the war formally broke out on 5March 1824, by General Sir Archibald Campbell on the British ...

(1826) concluded the

, with article 2 of the treaty declaring

Gambhir Singh Chinglen Nongdrenkhomba (1788–1834), also known as Raja Gambhir Singh, was a ruler of the Manipur Kingdom. Biography He was a son of Chingthang Khomba. He succeeded his nephew Yumjaotaba in April 1821 during the seven years devastation. H ...

as the independent ruler of Manipur.

As the general of Manipur

During the reign of his second cousin

(r. 1826–1834 CE) Nara Singh served as the senapati (general) of Manipur army. He conducted around five military expeditions into the hills of Manipur to subjugate the rebellious chieftains. In December 1826, he successfully conducted military expedition against "Thonglang hao"; in February 1827, he led an expedition into "Khaki hao"; in October 1828, he conducted an expedition to Kongchai and in April 1831, he again attacked "Khaki hao" in which twenty villages were abandoned.

As the regent of Manipur

Gambhir Singh having sat on the throne for about eight years made up his mind to make a pilgrimage to Brindavana after entrusting the state and his little son, Chadrakirti, to Nara Singh. When all preparations were over, the king’s ailing health suddenly took a turn for the worse and soon he died on 9 January 1834. Turning down the offer of the throne to him by the people, Nara Singh made Chandra Kirti, the young prince, only four years old then, king with himself as regent. The whole reign of the minor king Chandrakirti, also known as Ningthem Pisak, witnessed a large number of rebellions. He successfully quelled the palace revolts of Prince Tarang Khomba (May 1836), Prince Jogendrajit Singh (June 1835), Prince Tribubanjit Singh (April–May 1841), Prince Karaba (May 1841), Prince Chiba (May 1841), Prince Parbitan Singh, Prince Norendrajit Singh and Prince Nilambar Singh (September 1841). During the reign of the boy king Chandra Kirti, Nara Singh conducted military expeditions against Phumnung Hao ( September 1835), Awang Hao (February 1836), Khaki Hao (April 1836), Koirek (December 1838), Awang Hao (September 1839), Nungbi and Nunghar ( October 1839), Khongchai ( October 1840), Khaki Hao and Kolek Hao (February-March 1842), Ngamei (January–February 1843) and Khaki Hao (April 1843).

Queen-Mother Maisnam Kumudini's conspiracy

Nara Singh looked after the administration of Manipur as the Regent with efficiency and care for the welfare of the people. He was popular during the lifetime of Gambhir Singh. And during his 10-year regency, he got the appreciation of his subjects. He became more popular. Popularity of Nara Singh created a fear and jealousy in the mind of Dowager queen, Maharani Kumudini, the mother of the boy king Chandra Kirti. This ultimately led to the plot for the assassination of the Regent. Queen Kumudini sent Prince Nabin to assassinate him. The plot failed. In consequence of the failure of her plot, Kumudini and her son Chandra Kirti fled to Cachar.

As the king of Manipur

On the abdication of Chandra Kirti in 1844 Nara Singh ascended the throne on the request of his subjects to save the kingdom from chaos and anarchy. According to the Cheitharol Kumbaba Nara Singh ascended the throne on 8 February 1844 at the age of fifty-two. His installation ceremony was performed on 22 November 1844. One of the first acts of Nara Singh as the king was to shift the capital from Langthabal to

Death

After a short reign of six years Maharaja Nara Singh died at the Kangla Palace on 11 April 1850. Every year his death anniversary is observed as National Dedication Celebration Day in Manipur. The Government of Manipur has made the day as restricted holiday in the state since 2001.

References

External links

*
In revered memory of Maharaja Nara Singh By Haobam Bhuban Singh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Nara Kings of Manipur 1792 births 1850 deaths