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               IMPHAL TRAVEL GUIDE

Imphal  is the capital of the Indian state of Manipur. In the heart of the town and
surrounded by a moat, are ruins of the old Palace of Kangla. Until 2003, the grounds
used to be occupied by the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force. Another place of
historical interest is the Polo Ground which is the oldest existing polo ground in the
world. Near the Polo Ground is the Manipur State Museum, which has a good
collection of old artifacts and nice pictures depicting the history of Manipur. 'Ima
Keithel' at Khwairamband Bazar is the only market in the world where, as the name
suggests, all the stalls are run by women.

In 1944 during World War II the Battle of Imphal, along with the simultaneous Battle
of Kohima, was the turning point in the Burma Campaign. For the first time in the
South-East Asian Theatre of World War II the Japanese lost the initiative to the Allies,
which they retained until the end of the war.

The state is also famous for the Brow-antlered Deer called the Sangai. This species
of the deer is endemic to Manipur and is on the verge of extinction. Last count of
Sangai deer revealed only 162 left in the Keibul Lamjao National Park.



GENERAL INFORMATION

Time zone         IST (UTC+5:30)
Elevation           786 m (2,579 ft)
District(s)          Imphal West, Imphal East
Population        217,275 (2001)


PLACE TO VISIT


Palace of Kangla - is an old palace at Kangla, Manipur state in India. It was
situated on the both side (western and eastern) of the bank of the Imphal River. But
now it remains only on the western side of the bank. Only the ruins remain now.
Kangla means "dry land" in old Meitei. It was the traditional seat of the past Meitei
rulers of Manipur. The British referred to it as the Manipur Fort.

Khwairaman Bazar - is the main market of Imphal, capital of the state of
Manipur in India. The main feature of this market is that all its shops are owned and
operated by women.

Keibul Lamjao National Park - is the last natural refuge of the Manipur
brow antlered deer , locally called sangai - the dancing deer of Manipur. It is situated
in the southeastern region of the Loktak Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the
North Eastern India. The floating national park is characterised by many floating
decomposed plant materials locally called phoomdis. It is also the home of other
endangered species including a species of Python, Python molurus.


HOW TO REACH

By plane - Imphal is connected to Kolkata and Guwahati by Indian (Indian
Airlines) and Deccan Air services.

By train - Imphal is not connected by the railway network. Nearest railway station
is Dimapur railway station of Nagaland. It is almost 7 hours bus journey from
Dimapur station.

By bus - Imphal is connected to it's neighbouring states by bus routes. There is
daily bus service for - Kohima, Dimapur of Nagaland and Guwahati of Assam.