Yumjaotaba
Yumjaotaba, also known as Keiphasana, Nawol Singh, Pitamber was the son of Meitei King Madhuchandra, the second son of King Bhagyachandra.{{Cite book |last=Parratt (historienne).) |first=Saroj Nalini |url=https://books.google.co.in/books/about/The_Court_Chronicle_of_the_Kings_of_Mani.html?id=Q8qhzQEACAAJ&redir_esc=y |title=The Court Chronicle of the Kings of Manipur: The Cheitharon Kumpapa : Original Text, Translation and Notes |date=2005 |publisher=Jain Book Shop Publication |isbn=978-81-939548-5-0 |language=en}}
Reign
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Yumjaotaba
Pitamber
| succession = King of Manipur
| reign = 1820-1821
| coronation = 1820
| predecessor = Herachandra
| successor = Gambhir Singh
| birth_date = 1790
| birth_place = Manipur
| death_date = 1834
| death_place = Manipur
| issue = Ripujit
| house = House of Karta
| father = Madhuchandra
| religion = Hinduism
| dynasty = Ningthouja dynasty
}}
Yumjaotaba ascended to the throne of Manipur in 1820 during the period known as the Chahi Taret Khuntakpa.{{Cite book |last=Sharma |first=Gourachandra |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.465319/page/n6/mode/thumb |title=Gambhir Singh Chahi Taret Khuntakpa}} It is believed that he was sent by his uncle, Chourjit Singh, during the Burmese annexation of Manipur, with the intention of assassinating his other uncles, Gambhir Singh and Nara Singh{{Cite web |last=cbkwgl |date=2023-04-30 |title=Manipur |url=https://cbkwgl1.substack.com/p/manipur |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=cbkwgl’s Newsletter}}{{Cite book |last=T.c. Hodson |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.158175 |title=The Meitheis |date=1908}}
The Complex Political Environment
The internal struggles among the princes, compounded by the Burmese invasion, created a complex political environment in which Yumjaotaba's loyalty and actions remain debated in historical narratives.{{Cite web |title=History of Manipur {{!}} PDF |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/653597282/History-of-Manipur |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=Scribd |language=en}}
Attempt to Liberate Manipur
Although the primary resistance against the Burmese was led by Gambhir Singh through the Manipur Levy, which received British support during the First Anglo-Burmese War, Yumjaotaba's short reign highlights the divided and fractured leadership that characterized Manipur's fight for liberation.{{Cite book |last=Sharma |first=Gourachandra |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.465319/page/n5/mode/2up |title=Gambhir Singh Chahi Taret Khuntakpa}}{{Cite web |title=Seven Years Devastation 1819 1826 Book Review By James Oinam |url=https://e-pao.net/epSubPageExtractor.asp?src=reviews.books.Seven_Years_Devastation_1819_1826_Book_Review_By_James_Oinam |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=e-pao.net}}
War tactics
Yumjaotaba, along with 800 guerrillas, 50 horses, and 12 guns, collaborated with his cousin Herachandra in a strategy to trap the Burmese general Kanewoon. As part of their plan, Yumjaotaba gathered rice for the Burmese forces stationed at Sekmai. In a case of mistaken belief, the Burmese authorities, thinking Yumjaotaba had defeated Herachandra, rewarded him with 40 horses, 20 guns, and two gilded swords. However, Yumjaotaba and his guerrillas had already successfully eliminated 200 Burmese soldiers at Heiyen. They positioned themselves strategically, spanning from Uchiwa Khundon to Heiyel near Loktak Lake, where they continued to eliminate Burmese forces at Chaobok.{{Cite book |last=Sanajaoba |first=Naorem |url=https://books.google.co.in/books?id=-CzSQKVmveUC&printsec=copyright&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Manipur, Past and Present: The Heritage and Ordeals of a Civilization |date=1988 |publisher=Mittal Publications |isbn=978-81-7099-853-2 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Sana |first=Raj Kumar Somorjit |url=https://books.google.co.in/books/about/The_Chronology_of_Meetei_Monarchs.html?id=eybpM1KZjVoC&redir_esc=y |title=The Chronology of Meetei Monarchs: From 1666 CE to 1850 CE |date=2010 |publisher=Waikhom Ananda Meetei |isbn=978-81-8465-210-9 |language=en}}