House of Karta
The House of Karta is one of the 5 royal houses of the Ningthouja dynasty of Manipur, India, alongside its counterpart, House of Nara Singh, with the latter being the current ruling house of Manipur. The House of Karta claims their descent from King Bhagyachandra. King Kulachandra Singh was the final ruler of the house but the family still lives on.
History
The House of Karta traces its origin to King Bhagyachandra, who ruled Manipur from 1759 to 1761 and from 1763 to 1798. His reign took place during a period of repeated Burmese invasions and internal disputes within the royal family. During his exile in Assam, he formed political ties with the Ahom kingdom. He is also known for strengthening Meitei Vaishnavism, establishing major cultural practices such as the Raas Leela, and reorganising administration after returning to the throne. Although he could not complete all of his planned reforms, his policies shaped Manipur’s political and cultural direction in the late 18th century.After Bhagyachandra’s abdication in 1798 and his death in the same year, his eldest surviving son Rabinchandra succeeded him. He was later assassinated by conspirators Prince Daoji and Gambhir Singh. After that, his younger brother Madhuchandra Singh immediately took over the throne and placed his younger brothers Chourajit Singh and Marjit Singh as the Yuvaraj and Senapati respectively. However, he was defeated and killed by Chourajit Singh with support from Marjit Singh. In the following years, Chourajit Singh and Marjit Singh had internal palace disputes and led to the latter being put on the throne after support from the Burmese, but also led to the Chahi Taret Khuntakpa, in which Gambhir Singh played a key role on freeing Manipur from the Burmese.
At various points, the throne alternated between the House of Karta and the House of Nara Singh, another branch of the Ningthouja family. The House of Karta ruled from 1763 upto the first reign of Gambhir Singh in 1821 and from 1822 to 1823, Joy Singh, the grandson of Prince Ananta Sai ruled. Until 1825, the House of Nara Singh ruled under Burmese occupancy. Then, the House of Karta regained its rule from the restoration of Gambhir Singh as the king of Manipur from 1825 to 1844. After that, The House of Nara Singh became the rulers with Nara Singh reigning from 1844 to 1850 until his brother Debindro Singh in 1850. The House of Karta again returned to reign from the second reign of Chandrakirti Singh in 1850, upto the reign of the last ruler of the house, Kulachandra Singh in 1891.
The House of Nara Singh came back to prominence after that when the British chose young boy Churachand Singh as the king.
Both the House of Karta and the House of Nara Singh trace their descent from King Pamheiba.