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{{Short description|Meitei ruler (died 1231)}}
{{Contains special characters|Meitei}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Thawanthaba
| title = Meitei Ningthou
| succession = [[List of Meitei kings|King of Ningthouja dynasty]]
| reign = 1195–1231 CE
| reign-type = [[Monarchy]]
| coronation = 1195 CE
| predecessor = [[Hemtou Iwanthaba]]
| successor = [[Chingthang Lanthaba]]
| death_date = {{death year|1231}}
| issue = Chingthang Lanthaba
| era name = [[Medieval Manipur]]
| era dates = 1195–1231 CE
| regnal name = Meidingu Thawanthaba
| house = [[Ningthouja dynasty]]
| father = Hemtou Iwanthaba
| mother = Khuroi Ngambi
| occupation = Ruler of the [[Kangleipak Kingdom]]
| religion = [[Sanamahism]]
}}
{{Kingdom of Manipur}}
'''Meidingu Thawanthaba''' or '''Thawan Thaba''' ({{Langx|mni|{{Script|Mtei|ꯊꯋꯥꯟꯊꯥꯕꯥ}}|Tha-waan-thaa-baa}}) was a [[Meitei people|Meitei]] ruler of the [[Ningthouja dynasty]] of [[Medieval Kangleipak]] who ruled from 1195 to 1231 CE.<ref>{{Cite web |title=E-Pao! Books :: Complete e-platform for Manipuris |url=https://books.e-pao.net/Heritage_Manipur/epShowChapter.asp?src=kangla/kings |access-date=2025-10-20 |website=books.e-pao.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ray |first1=Asok Kumar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bjkBM3qyZ00C&q=Thawanthaba |title=Society, Politics, and Development in North East India: Essays in Memory of Dr. Basudeb Datta Ray |last2=Chakraborty |first2=Satyabrata |date=2008 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=978-81-8069-572-8 |language=en}}</ref>

He is the central figure in the historical [[Meitei language]] literary work, [[Thawanthaba Hiran]] (ꯊꯋꯥꯟꯊꯥꯕꯥ ꯍꯤꯔꯥꯟ), a tragedy based on a crime story.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Manipuri Literature in History 3 |url=https://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=manipur.Arts_and_Culture.Manipuri_Literature_in_History.Manipuri_Literature_in_History_3#:~:text=Thawanthaba%20Hiran,%20a%20tragedy%20based%20on%20a%20crime%20story. |access-date=2025-10-20 |website=e-pao.net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Oinam |first1=Bhagat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X31aDwAAQBAJ&q=Thawanthaba%20Khuman |title=Northeast India: A Reader |last2=Sadokpam |first2=Dhiren A. |date=2018-05-11 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-429-95320-0 |language=en}}</ref> He ascended the throne during a relatively peaceful period in [[History of Manipur|Manipur's history]] and also during a time of rivalry and occasional alliance between the [[Ningthouja|Meiteis]] ([[Ningthouja dynasty|Ningthoujas]]) and [[Khuman dynasty|Khumans]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Ch Manihar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yiBkAAAAMAAJ |title=A History of Manipuri Literature |date=1996 |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |isbn=978-81-260-0086-9 |pages=23, 29–36 |language=en}}</ref>

== Matrimonial alliances ==
To strengthen the relations with the Khumans, Thawanthaba decided to marry [[Khayoiron Tangja Samphabi]]{{Efn|Also known as "Saphabi" (ꯁꯥꯐꯥꯕꯤ).}}, the daughter of the Khuman King Punshi Purenhanba{{Efn|Shortly known as "Punshiba" (ꯄꯨꯟꯁꯤꯕꯥ).}} (c. 1230 CE - 1270 CE).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ibobi |first=Laikhuram |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.465221 |title=Khuman Kangleiron Amasung Laikhuram Shageigee Meihouron |date=1998}}</ref> In exchange, Thawanthaba gave his own daughter, [[Wangamlon Chingkheithanbi]]{{efn|also known as [[Chingkhei Thanbi]]}} in marriage to the Khuman king.{{Sfnp|Moyon, The Lost Kingdom of Moyon (Bujuur): Iruwng (King) Kuurkam Ngoruw Moyon & The People of Manipur|2023|p=116}}{{Sfnp|Goshwami, History of the People of Manipur|p=178}} Both marriages were commemorated with lavish ceremonies, lavish gift-giving, and symbolic acts of peace.<ref name=":0" />

Initially, the new brides became the young favourite queens of each king. However, internal palace rivalries and jealousies—especially within his large harem—would soon lead to a tragedy.<ref name=":0" />

According to scholar Wahengbam Ibohal, Thawanthaba was the father-in-law of King Punshi Purenhanba.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Singh |first=Wahengbam Ibohal |url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.463276 |title=The History Of Manipur}}</ref>

== War against Heirems ==
King Thawanthaba was requested by the Khuman King Punshiba to assist him in a battle against the Heirems. Thawanthaba agreed to help him and went to attack the Heirems with his soldiers.<ref name=":2" />

The Heirems (Heirems and Khunjans in other books{{Sfnp|Goshwami, History of the People of Manipur|p=176}}<ref name=":1" />) were fully destroyed by the combined forces of the Meiteis and the Khumans.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Parratt |first=Saroj Nalini |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2EUUngEACAAJ |title=The Court Chronicle of the Kings of Manipur: 33-1763 CE |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-34430-2 |pages=34–35 |language=en}}</ref>

== Unfortunate misjudgement ==
During a royal festival in the kingdom, Thawanthaba set up an archery competition. He then invited his younger brother ''Leishapamba Tougaingamba'', who was a great lover of flowers, to attend. However, he refused to attend as he did not have any purpose of having fun after he lost his bunch of flowers.<ref name=":0" />

At that time, ''Akong Langmeisu'', a malicious maidservant, planted those same flowers in the bed of Queen Samphabi.<ref name=":0" />

That night, the Meitei King found the flowers and, suspecting adultery, became enraged. Despite the Queen's tearful pleas of innocence, her emotional appeals, and the royal ritual oaths, the King sentenced her to death by using a pointed iron weapon. This action was done in cold blood.<ref name=":0" />

== War with Khumans ==
A terrible chain of events began with the assassination of Queen Samphabi. When her father, the Khuman King Punshiba, saw the iron weapon in her skull at her funeral, he promised a revenge for her.<ref name=":0" />

The Khuman King invited Thawanthaba to follow him for a military campaign, but he was secretly planning to kill him in revenge of his daughter. However, Thawanthaba managed to get away after being alerted by his own daughter, but Khuman soldiers caught him in the act. After the Meiteis prevailed in that battle, they killed a Khuman noble in retaliation.<ref name=":0" />

In revenge, the Khuman king killed the daughter of Thawanthaba—his own wife{{Sfnp|Goshwami, History of the People of Manipur|p=178}}—even though she was pregnant and innocent. As a result, the two kingdoms went on a full-scale war.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />

== Military campaigns and final conflict ==
Thawanthaba conducted a series of military campaigns against the Khumans. He used disguised spies, decoys, and scouts, and entered the Khuman territory.<ref name=":0" />

One Meitei warrior took the form of a lone hunter and ambushed the Khumans in a decisive attack. Even though the Khumans fought back, they were devastatingly defeated and many of their soldiers were murdered. At the end of the war, both sides suffered significant losses.<ref name=":0" />

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== Sources ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* {{cite book |last1=Moyon |first1=Rev Dr Koningthung Ngoru |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nn3jEAAAQBAJ |title=The Lost Kingdom of Moyon (Bujuur): Iruwng (King) Kuurkam Ngoruw Moyon & The People of Manipur |date=2023 |publisher=Shashwat Publications |isbn=9788119517312 |ref={{sfnref|Moyon, The Lost Kingdom of Moyon (Bujuur): Iruwng (King) Kuurkam Ngoruw Moyon & The People of Manipur|2023}}}}
* {{Cite book |last=Goshwami |first=Hareshwar |url=https://archive.org/details/hareshwar-goshwami-history-of-the-people-of-manipur |title=History of the People of Manipur |publisher=Yaol Publishing Limited |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-9993057-0-3 |ref={{sfnref|Goshwami, History of the People of Manipur}}}}

{{Draft categories|
[[Category:Ningthouja kings]]
[[Category:13th-century Indian monarchs]]
}}

Thawānthābā - Revision history

Debasish swain: starting new data.