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Manipur

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".

Imphal, the capital of Manipur has a number of tourist attractions. They include the widely visited Shri Govindaji temple, war cemeteries and Khwairamband Bazar run exclusively by women. Iroishemba, on the outskirts of Imphal has a beautiful zoological park. Khonghampat Orchidarium keeps over 120 varieties of orchids which includes some of the rarest in the world. Langthabal is a place of historical importance having relics of an old palace, well planned temples and ceremonial houses.

Moirang is the seat of early Manipuri folk culture. There are also a few beautiful temples in Moirang. 83 kms from Imphal, Ukhrul is the highest hill station of the state. But the most prominent attraction is Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating national park in the world. The park is also home to Sangai, one of the most endangered deer species in the world. Other animal species include hog deer, panther, fishing cat and wild boar.

Having a varied and proud history from the earliest times, Manipur came under the British Rule as a Princely State after the defeat in the Anglo-Manipuri War of 1891. After independence of India in 1947, the Princely State of Manipur was merged in the Indian Union on October 15,1949 and became a full-fledged State of India on the 21th January, 1972 with a Legislative Assembly of 60 seats of which 20 are reserved for Scheduled Tribe and 1 reserved for Scheduled Caste. The State is represented in the Lok Sabha by two members and by one member in the Rajya Sabha.