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Perched
in the far north-eastern corner of India adjoining Myanmar is the
little state of Manipur. The author takes you on a guided tour around
Imphal the capital city.
On
coming out of the airport in Imphal one hits Tiddim road. Huge
hoardings and arches welcome visitors in bold letters. The broad,
clean roads with beautiful lasses in their colourful shirts and
phaneks (sarongs) cycling along and young lads in jeans whizzing past
in leather jerkins on Hero Hondas cannot fail to impress anyone on
his first visit to the state of Manipur.
Smartly
dressed Manipur policewomen direct the traffic at various junctions.
They click their heels to come to attention when they spot
star-plated vehicles speeding by.
A
mere four kilometres drive towards the city from the airport and one
reaches the roundabout traffic island right in front of Raj Bhavan.
This magnificent building once occupied by the British resident
Commissioner is not accessible to tourists.
As
one steers to the left, the Assam Rifles campus in Kangla on the
right with a moat encircling it cannot be missed. Kangla is
considered sacred because of the ancient temple of Govindjee and the
Brindaban Chandra temple within the precincts of the campus. Since
the occupation by the British forces in April 1891, the place has
served as a permanent garrison. The complex also houses the old
palace of the Maharaja of Manipur. Due to persistent demand, the
Government has agreed to shift the Assam Rifles garrison to another
spot throwing the gates open to the public to worship at the two
temples inside the campus.
At
a distance of about a kilometre, opposite the high security Assam
Rifle gate, is Haathi Chowk so known because of a huge statue of an
elephant at the junction.
Mid-way,
on the left, while driving towards Haathi Chowk, is the Shahid Minar
-- the minaret in memory of Manipuri warriors who laid down their
lives fighting the British forces. It is situated in Tikendrajit
Park. Tikendrajit, considered a war hero, was hanged by the British.
Right
behind the park is the famous polo ground where, in days gone by, the
men of the royal clan played polo. It may be of interest to note that
polo is believed to have originated in Manipur. The Englishmen having
picked up the game here popularized it back in their country. The
first polo match was played in the neighbouring town of Silchar.
Adjacent
to the polo ground is the Manipur State Museum which has a good
number of arms, costumes and historical documents.
A
little short of Haathi Chowk is Khwairamband bazaar on the right. It
is known for being run wholly by women. A road leading to Thangal
bazaar splits the market in two. While in one vegetables, fish,
fruits and other household items are sold, the other half sells
colourful woven shawls and other handloom items.
A
word about the predominance of women in Manipur society. Known as
Nupi, these women are politically very conscious and are often a
force to be reckoned with. As far back as December 1939, the Manipuri
women launched a massive agitation against the export of rice which
is known as Nupi Lan (Women's War). The agitation resulted in the
breakdown of the administration and imposition of a total ban on
export of rice.
To
a very large extent the women have been responsible for curbing
drunkenness among the men. Moving in groups they confront drunkards
late in the evening and after a sound thrashing, hand them over to
either the police or their relatives.
Moving
ahead on Kangchup road from Haathi Chowk, at a distance of six
kilometres, is the Manipur Zoological Garden at Iroshemba. Among the
various species of animals and birds here are the rare Brow antlered
deer which is not to be seen anywhere else in the world. The number
of deer have dwindled considerably and efforts are being made to
preserve the existing ones by the authorities.
Return
to Assam Rifle gate, turn left on Imphal-Dimapur road and drive a
distance of about two kilometres. A small board on the right points
towards the British War Memorial.
It
has beautifully manicured grounds with shining bronze plaques
uniformly distanced. This war memorial commemorating World War II
heroes is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Delegations from England regularly visit this War Cemetery as also
another one on the Imphal-Ukhrul road. On the bronze plaques are
inscribed the names of the officers and soldiers and some of the
epitaphs inscribed are very touching and remarkable. The serene
ambience in and around the cemetery adds to the solemnity and
sanctity of the place.
Drive
back towards Raj Bhavan, turn right towards Tiddim road, the one that
passes the airport. a hillock about 17 kilometres from Imphal on the
left stands out prominently. Atop the hill is a repeater station
which as damaged by bombs planted by insurgents in early 1994. At the
base of this hillock is the Japanese War Memorial constructed by the
Japanese in 1994 in memory of Japanese soldiers who died in fierce
battle with the Allied Forces during World War II. Known as the
Indian Peace memorial, it is a spot of pilgrimage for Japanese war
veterans who visit the place every year.
Driving
ahead through Bishnupur district, after covering another 28
kilometres, one reaches Moirang -- the town that witnessed the
unfurling of the Indian National Army (INA) flag by Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose on Indian soil on April 14, 1944 for the first time. The
INA had based their headquarters for their operations in Manipur and
Nagaland here in Moirang.
The
INA's Martyrs Memorial in Moirang serves as a pilgrimage centre for
all those who visit this state. At the site has been erected a
lifesize bronze statue of Netaji.
Within
the memorial complex is a replica of the INA war memorial in
Singapore with the INA principles of Ittefaq, Itmad and Kurbani
inscribed on the granite structure. The replica is at once impressive
and magnificent.
While
the Netaji library boasts of a collection of 10,000 volumes of books
on the freedom struggle, the INA museum has an impressive array of
photographs, documents and other relics of World War II.
"It
goes without saying that a trip to Manipur is futile if one does not
see the INA Memorial" says S.L Sharma, a resident of Moirang.
A
tea break at the Tourist Home opposite the INA Memorial is refreshing
and we proceed to Sendra island just two kilometres away. A slightly
steep climb to the top of a hill ends up at the Tourist Bungalow.
From here one can get a scenic view of several beautiful floating
islands in the vast expanse of the famous Loktak lake. This is the
largest fresh water lake in the country.
Women
catching fish with their hair tied in neat buns and covered with
checked linen presents a pretty sight. The typical Chinese fishing
nets being used draw attention.
If
one has the time, a visit to nearby Keibul Lamjao National Park on
the fringes of Loktak Lake can be attempted. Its main attraction is
the rare Brow antlered deer found only in Manipur.
Drive
back to Imphal, 50 kilometres away, and here one deserves a good rest
in one of the several tourist lodges and hotels that dot this
beautiful township of Imphal.
INFORMATION
Imphal,
the capital of Manipur has a population of over 8 lakhs. It is in a
valley surrounded by hills and is situated at a height of 705 metres
above mean sea level.
Getting
There
There
are Indian Airlines flights from Delhi, Calcutta and Guwahati.
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