Meidingu

Meidingu or Meedingu () is a native royal title used by the kings of the Meitei people in Kangleipak (now called Manipur). The title was used before the Sanskritisation of Manipur in the 1700s.

 Etymology 
The name Meidingu comes from two Meitei words. Mei (ꯃꯩ) is a short form of "Meitei", which first meant the people of the Ningthouja dynasty (also called the Mangang clan). Dingu (ꯗꯤꯡꯉꯨ) means "ruler" or "great king". So, Meidingu means "King of the Meiteis" or "Main ruler of the Meitei kingdom".

 Usage 
The title Meidingu was used by the kings of the Ningthouja dynasty and other small kingdoms in old Manipur. The word can be found in old books, temple writings, and songs. The first known king who used the title was Nongda Lairen Pakhangba, who became king of Kangla and started the rule of the Ningthouja kings.

In the 1700s, during the rule of Pamheiba (also called Gharib Niwaz), Manipur changed its religion to Hinduism. After this, the Meitei kings started using new royal names from Sanskrit like Maharaja instead of Meidingu.

 Historical change 
Many researchers say that the change from Meidingu to Maharaja was part of a big cultural change in Manipur. This happened when King Pamheiba changed the religion of the kingdom to Vaishnavism, a type of Hinduism.

After that, many local Meitei traditions were replaced with Hindu customs. The kings began to use Hindu names and started adding the word "Singh" to their names. The old title Meidingu slowly stopped being used as the royal court accepted the new culture.

 Related pages 
 List of Manipuri kings
 Cheitharol Kumbaba
 Pamheiba
 Sanamahism
 Ningthouja dynasty

 References 

 Other websites 
 Transformation of Meitei Naming System – RajPub
 Singh Title in the Meitei name – E-Pao
Category:Kings of Manipur
Category:Manipur
Category:History of Manipur