The valley kingdom of the Meitei, a rice and lake basin ringed by hills, with its king and its clans (salai), its pantheon and its own script and writing tradition.
The chronicle fixes the king at Thawanthaba in 1200, but the chronicle is of the eighteenth century and the dates before 1485 are a tradition. The campaign board marks the valley "no kingdom attested"; we treat the Meitei kingdom as likely and low in confidence. The Kabaw valley and the Chindwin road to Burma lie to the east.
Who he is
- Name
- Thawanthaba (on the Cheitharol Kumbaba list)
- Title
- Ningthou (king) of Kangleipak
- Since
- 1195 on the list in English Wikipedia (Iwanthaba 1163 to 1195, Thawanthaba 1195 to 1231)
- Born
- not known
- Family
- List of kings from the Royal Chronicle: Loiyumba (1074 to 1122), Loitongba (1122 to 1150), Atom Yoiremba (1150 to 1163), Iwanthaba (1163 to 1195), Thawanthaba (1195 to 1231), Chingthang Lanthaba (1231 to 1242). English Wikipedia also dates the founding of the kingdom to 1110 and a written constitution to 1110, from another source.
- Confidence
- low
English Wikipedia, List of Meitei kings: the Chronicle "was reconstructed during the 18th century, with unknown provenance of the earlier sections"; its historicity "is assured only for the portions after 1485". These dates are therefore a tradition.
What it holds
- The Imphal valley and the Loktak lake basin
- The hill villages round it, in loose tribute
How it was acquired
By succession on the list.
Allies and rivals
The Naga and Kuki-Chin hill peoples round the valley; Pagan to the east over the Kabaw valley; the Shan states of the upper Chindwin; the Tripuri and Kachari to the west.
How things stand that morning
A king and a court in a closed valley, with the hills round it.
Wealth
Rice, fish of the Loktak, cotton, salt from the hill wells; the Chindwin road.
Military
Foot and cavalry (the Manipuri pony); no numbers.
Threats
- None recorded
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1231Chingthang Lanthaba succeeds on the list.Depends on: The list is right. Stopped by: Not applicable.
Places of note
- Imphal: Capital of Kangleipak.
Where the sources disagree
- The campaign board entry imphal-kangleipak is marked "no kingdom attested" for the Chin and Naga hills. The Cheitharol Kumbaba list gives a king; English Wikipedia reports that it was reconstructed in the eighteenth century. We give the king at low confidence.
Evidence: A chronicle reconstructed in the eighteenth century; no contemporary document.
"The campaign board" is OMNIA's working map. These notes record where its earlier claims were checked against the sources.
On the map: The valley only; the chronicle gives no border.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.