Manipur - Background
Manipur literally meaning “A jeweled land” nestle deep within a lush green corner of North East India. It seems much like an exquisite work of art executed by superb hands of Nature and is indeed a state of exquisite natural beauty and splendors, the beauty of which once inspired Mrs. St. Clair Grimwood described it as “A Pretty Place more beautiful than many show places of the world” Late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru paid a fitting tribute by describing it as “Jewel of India”.
Surrounded by blue hills with an oval shaped valley at the center, rich in art and tradition and surcharged with nature’s pristine glory. Manipur lies on a melting pot of culture. It is birth place of Polo. This is the place where Rajashree Bhagyachandra created the famous Ras Lila, the classical dance of Manipur, out of his enchanting dream by the grace of Lord Krishna.
Imphal, the capital of the state is the main tourist attraction of the state. The important tourist places of the state are Shri Shri Govindaji Temple, Khwairamband Bazar (Ima Market), War Cemeteries, Saheed Minar, Nupi Laal (Women's War) Memorial, Khonghampat Orchidarium, INA Memorial (Moirang), Loktak Lake, Keibul Lamjao National Park, Bishnu Tample at Bishnupur, Sendra, Moreh, Siroi Hills, Siroi Village, Dzuko Valley etc. Polo is one of the major attractions of the tourists. Manipur has a number of folk dances. These dances have both grace and vigour and appeal to the viewers for their vitality as well as naturalness.
Manipur is somewhat different culturally from the rest of the Northeast region because of the Vaishnav influence and some of the dance forms are very distinct and stylised. Along with dance forms, various martial arts are practised here and the game of Polo is said to have originated in Manipur. Folklores abound and are supported by a fair amount of recorded history. The capital city of Imphal itself has a lot to offer - war cemeteries, Kangla, the building that housed field marshal slim during World War II, the Orchidarium, many temples and a lot more. One of the more interesting areas to visit is the Ima Market or Mothers' Market, which is run by women only.
Manipur is strategically located in the North-eastern corner of India bordering Myanmar. Nestled in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas, the state is considered the Gateway to South East Asia. The serene beauty of the state leaves every traveller spellbound that Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru once described the state as the ‘Land of Jewels’. Least touched and least discovered, the state is a promising tourist destination for adventure and nature lovers alike.
Overlooked by a circle of distant hills, the capital of Manipur, Imphal, lies in an almost completely flat basin at an altitude of around 785m. Though devoid of dramatic monuments, it is at least given a sense of openness by its large avenues; but even the rivers and canals that run through the town are unable to give it any visual appeal. Instead, the real interest in Imphal is supplied by its people, whose handsome Meithei faces are adorned with the long and distinctive tikki (forehead mark) of Vishnu. Although the valley is predominantly Hindu, Imphal feels more like Southeast Asia than India, and visitors tend to be confronted by a language barrier: most people understand neither English nor Hindi.
Imphal's airport, 6km south of town, is connected by Indian Airlines to Calcutta (5 weekly; 1hr 5min), Silchar (3 weekly; 35min), and Delhi (2 weekly; 3hr 10min). NEPC fly daily to Guwahati (1hr 5min). The Indian Airlines office is on MG Rd (220999). State buses arrive at the stand next to the Polo Ground and private buses at their individual offices. Bus connections with Guwahati are good, but the 579-kilometre journey takes around twenty hours. Manipur Golden Travels, on MG Rd (221332), provides by far the best service. National Highway 39 - "The Burma Road" - links Imphal with the closest railhead at Dimapur, 215km away, via Kohima in Nagaland; you need a permit for Nagaland to travel this way. The 200-kilometre bus ride to Silchar with Kangleipak Tours & Travels, MG Rd (222911), may look tempting, but anti-smuggling checkpoints along the way make it a nightmare of up to fourteen hours. Auto- and cycle rickshaws are the main means of transport within Imphal, and taxis and rental cars can be booked through hotels. Rather intimidatingly, and of no great help in bridging the language barrier, the cycle rickshaw men of Imphal wear water-proof straw caps, and wrap their faces in cloth to keep out dust and fumes.
Imphal's small and congested centre is sandwiched between the stately avenue of Kanglapat on the east and the somewhat stagnant River Nambu on the west. The town's Polo Ground dominates the area; according to popular legend, the Manipuri game of Sagol Kangjei is the original form of the modern game of polo. In one corner, the Shaheed Minar commemorates the Meithei revolt in 1891 against British occupation, while just southeast, the Manipur State Museum focusses on tribal costumes, jewellery and weapons along with geological, archeological and natural history displays.
At the heart of Imphal, the fascinating market of Khwairamband - also known as Nupi Keithel and Ima Bazaar or "Mothers' Market" - is run solely by Meithei women, making it one of India's largest women's markets. One of its two sections is devoted to textiles, selling shawls and fabrics including the moirangphee, the traditional Meithei dress. This distinctive striped skirt comes in two pieces; for a small fee, women with sewing machines will stitch them together with amazing speed. Across the road, the other half of the market sells local fish and vegetables, along with basic provisions, while smaller markets nearby include one dedicated to cane and wicker. If you prefer not to bargain, fixed-price shops include Sangai Handloom and Handicrafts, at GM Hall, near the clock tower, and the Handloom House in Paona Bazaar.
Next to the ruins of the Old Palace, 2km east, is Shri Govindjee, Manipur's pre-eminent Vaishnavite temple. Otherwise a disappointing mix of twentieth-century buildings, Shri Govindjee is crowned by two gold domes and has an impressive large prayer hall preceding the courtyard and main temple. Covering around 200 acres with more than a hundred species of orchids, the Khonghampat Orchidarium, the orchid centre of the Forest Department, lies 12km from Imphal on NH39 and is best visited in April and May when the orchids are in bloom.
The State has a rich cultural past dating back to centuries. It is the birthplace of Raas Lila- a renowned form of classical dance which was created by Maharaja Bhagyachandra. Manipur is also the birthplace of modern Polo and the locals call this game ‘Sagol Kangjei’. It is a land of festivals and almost every month the people of Manipur get together to celebrate various festivals which reflects its rich culture, traditions and religious practices. Yaoshang, Gaan Ngai, Cheiraoba, Lai-Haraoba, Kang, Heikru Hidongba, Kut, Ningol Chakkouba, Mera Houchongba and Lui Ngaini are just some of the festivals celebrated by different communities in the state.
The Sagol Kangjei has been adapted and adopted by the international enthusiasts of the game as Polo and now it’s now being played worldwide. Today, the world has accepted that the game of Polo originated from Manipur. The Manipuri Polo is played with seven players (in each side) who mount and ride ponies. Each player is fitted with Polo-stick made of bamboo root. The mounted player gallop after the ball to hit it straight into the goal. Extremely masculine and vigour-taxing, the exhilarating game is now played in two styles –the pana or original Manipur style and the international style and the international style i.e. Polo. It is heart- cheering to see Manipuri players in their sixties and even seventies riding ponies at full gallop playing Sagol Kangjei (polo) with gusto. The ponies are also decorated fully with various guards of protecting the eyes, forehead, flanks etc.
The Britishers learnt the nuances of the game of Sagol Kangjei in the 19th century from Manipur and after that clever refinement, the erstwhile indigenous game was renamed Polo and played in other parts of the globe.
Manipur has been mired in insurgency since long, with armed outfits waging a war against the state to pursue a myriad of demands. In 2000, a powerful local group, the Revolutionary People’s Front, ordered a ban on Hindi films and channels to "stamp out Indianisation". As theatre and cable operators capitulated, Korean fare stepped in to fill the vacuum. India’s Look East Policy opened the Indo-Myanmar border through Manipur for trade and facilitated the smuggling of pirated DVDs. The influence has spilled over to the other northeastern states.
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