Manipur, a state
in northeastern India, 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.
Tourism
Manipur
is truly a tourists' paradise. Predominantly a hill
state with patches of plain and watered by the rivers,
Manipur's major destinations are Imphal, the beautiful
capital city is avalley full of lakes and grassy meadows.
Mao and Ukhrul, the picturesque hill resorts and Taminglong,
with its exotic landscape attracts any visitor.
Entry
Formalities
Foreign Tourists
: All foreign tourists visiting Manipur require
Restricted Area permit (RAP) issued by Ministry of Home
Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi. The permits
are also issued by Indian Missions abroad, Foreign Regional
Registration office (FRRO) in Mumbai, Kolkata, Immigration
office in Chennai and the Home Commissioner, Govt. of
Manipur, Imphal.
Domestic Tourists : Indian tourists
visiting Manipur via Dimapur/Kohima require Inner
Line Permit to pass through Nagaland. These permits
are issued by the Liaison officers of the Govt. of
Nagaland at New Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati /Shillong
and the Sub-Divisional Office (Civil) Dimapur. Deputy
Commissioner, Imphal can also issue permits to tourists
traveling by road from Imphal to Kohima and Dimapur
in Nagaland.
Weather
The
climate of the State is salubrious with approximate
average annual rainfall varying from 933 mm at Imphal
to 2593 mm at Tamenglong. The temperature ranges from
sub-zero to 36 o C. The valley gets the reflection of
the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter from
the neighbouring hills.
Places
of Tourist Interest
Imphal : The capital of Manipur, is a mini-metropolis
situated at the height of 790 m above sea level. It is
surrounded by Nongmaijing hills in the East and the Langol
in the North. It is the nerve centre of all cultural,
commercial and administrative activities of the State.
Govindajee Temple, War Cemetery, Khwairamband Bazaar,
Shaheed Minar, Manipur State Museum, Khonghampat Orchidarium
and Langthabal are some of the places of tourists attraction
in and around Imphal.
Festivals
& Events
Christmas :
Christmas is the greatest festival of all Christians
in Manipur and is observed for two days on December
24th and 25th. Midnight services are held in various
churches and in some villages the celebration continues
till the 1st of January which is equally celebrated
with great pomp and gaiety.
Gang-Ngai : A festival
of the Kabui Naga community, Gang-Ngai is celebrated
in the month of December-January for five days. The
festival starts with a religious ceremony on the first
day and the remaining days are associated with common
feasts, dances and presentation of gifts etc.
Lui-Ngai-Ni : Social
gatherings, songs, dances and rejoicing highlights the
festival of sowing which the Naga community celebrates
on the 15th of February every year.
Id-Ul-Fitr : Id-Ul-Fitr
is the most popular festival of the Manipuri Muslims.
It is celebrated to mark the end of Ramzan, the holy
month of fasting for the Muslims.
Yaoshang (Doljatra) :
It is celebrated for five days commencing from the full
moon day of Phalguna (February/March). The Thabal Chongba-
a kind of Manipuri folk dance, where boys and girls
hold hands, sing and dance in a circle, is particularly
associated with this festival.
Also, Cheiraoba, Lai Haraoba, Rath
Jatra, Hiekru Hitongba, Kwak Yatra (Dussehra), Kut,
Chumpha and Ningol Chakkouba are some major festival
celebrated with great pomp and gaiety.
Manipur is distinctly identified to
the world by its own art forms and cultural expressions.
Its famous classical dance remains a unique dance form
in all Manipur dance forms whether folk, classical or
modern.
When to
Go
Manipur is best visited during the months of October to
February.
Interesting Fact
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