EASY DESTINATION
        HOME      WORLD TRAVEL GUIDE       INDIA TRAVEL GUIDE      ADVERTISE           TRAVEL FORUM

  INDIAN CUISINE     SKI RESORTS     TREKKING      MEDICAL TOURISM      WORLD CITY GUIDE    CYCLING


                 MANIPUR TRAVEL GUIDE
                 
                 IMPHAL

Manipur  is a state in northeastern India making its capital in the city of Imphal.
'Manipur' is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland in the north, Mizoram in the
south and Assam in the west; it also borders the country of Myanmar to the east.

The Meiteis, who live primarily in the state's valley region, are one of the primary
ethnic groups. Their language, Meiteilon (also known as 'Manipuri'), is also the
lingua franca in the state. It was recognized as one of India's national languages in
1992. The Kukis and Nagas live in the hills of the state. The Kukis too have their own
kingdoms like the Chahsat, Aisan,Jampi, etc. and were close to the Meitei kings in
the plain. The independent existence of the Meitei and Kuki kings can be proved by
common practice of calling Kuki village headmens by Meiteis as "Ningthou", which
means "King".

The earliest references to 'Manipur' date back to the ancient Indian epic
Mahabharata, in which several characters, such as Chitrangada, Ulupi,
Babruvahana, and Iravan, are 'Manipuris'.But historian have established the fact that
the Manipur of Mahabharata is not related with the kingdom of 'Manipur'. The
documented history of 'Manipur', however, begins from 33 AD. It has been ruled by a
total of more than 109 kings and known by different names at various periods in its
history, such as, Tilli-Koktong, Poirei-Lam, Sanna-Leipak, Mitei-Leipak, Meitrabak or
'Manipur' (present day). The legendary first King of 'Manipur' who made Kangla his
capital was Lord Pakhangba who ruled the kingdom from 33 AD.

Maharaja Bhagyachandra  (1762 - 1798 A.D.), is another famous king of 'Manipur'.
He had to fight off the Burmese several times, once running away to seek refuge with
the Ahoms. He started the Ras Lila dance.  He is also credited with spreading
Vaishnavism in Manipur after his grandfather Pamheiba Rajah made Hinduism the
official religion and for creating a unified Manipur


GENERAL INFORMATION


Time zone         IST (UTC+5:30)
Area                   22,327 kmē (8,621 sq mi)
Capital               Imphal
Largest city        Imphal
District(s)          9
Population        2,388,634 (22nd)
Density             107/kmē (277/sq mi)
Language(s)    Meiteilon