Кангла: Древняя крепость и сады Манипура

Fortified Palace in Manipur, India

The Kangla, officially known as the Kangla Fort, is an old fortified palace at Imphal, in the Manipur state of India. It was formerly situated on both sides (western and eastern) of the bank of the Imphal River, now remaining only on the western side in ruined conditions. Kangla means "the prominent part of the dry land" in old Meetei. It was the traditional seat of the past Meetei rulers of Manipur. Kangla (Imphal) was the ancient capital of pre modern Manipur. The Kangla is a revered spot for the people of Manipur, reminding them of the days of their independence. It is a sacred place to the Meiteis. The Kangla is being proposed to be declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for which there are discussions ongoing in the Indian Parliament.

The Kangla was the seat of administration of the Meitei rulers of the Ningthouja dynasty (33 CE to 1891 CE).

The Kangla possesses a sobriquet, "Lungs of Imphal" as it is heavily forested, providing oxygen at a massive level in the heart of the metropolis of Manipur. Unfortunately, due to some developmental construction activities in the last few years, some minor but significant deforestation occurred inside the Kangla. In the year 2009, the Kangla Herbal Garden was set up by the Kangla Fort Board, in order to carry out the plan of planting medicinal plants inside the Kangla into action. The responsibility for bringing up the botanical garden was held by the Lamphel based sub branch of the North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat (NEIST). In the year 2010, the Government of Manipur financed out of to the NEIST to carry out the task. It planted around 131 different plants, (including around 20 medicinal plant species) in the garden. Notable plant species nurtured in the Kangla Herbal Garden include "heigru" (Phyllanthus emblica Linn), "kihori" (Phyllanthus acidus Linn), agar (Aquilaria agallocha Lamp), neem (Azadirachta indica A Zuss), tera ([[bombax malabaricum), singairei (Nyctanthes arbotristis Linn) and leihao (Michelia champaca Linn). An area covering 3.5 acres of land was allocated for the development of the botanical garden by the Manipur Government. During the month of June in 2019, around 700 indigenous fruit bearing tree saplings were planted inside the , formerly known as "Biodiversity Park" of the Kangla) of the Kangla by the Government of Manipur, under the initiative of Green Manipur Mission. During the month of September in 2019, around 120 trees, including mayokfa, agar, uningthou, teak, chahui and samba, were planted inside the Kangla by the editorial board and the management team of "The Sangai Express" (TSE), a newspaper daily of Manipur, on its 20th foundation day. There's another garden named "Engellei Leikol" (formerly known as "Rock Garden" of the Kangla) located in the southern part of the Kangla. During the month of May in 2022, around 50 fruit bearing plants were planted inside the Kangla by the Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD). There's a plan for planting 10,000 saplings of fruit bearing trees inside the Kangla by the Kangla Fort Board, under the leadership of Nongthombam Biren, the Chief Minister of Manipur.

Image(s) Name Description(s) Western Kangla Gate The grand royal entrance gate to the Kangla from the western side Kanglasha A pair of sculptures dedicated to the lion god Nongshaba. Kangla Museum A museum that showcases the lifestyle of Meitei rulers of the Ningthouja dynasty as well as the ancient Meitei artistic and cultural heritage and maps of ) Kangla Uttra Shanglen A religious office building of Sanamahism (traditional Meitei religion), built in the traditional Meitei architectural style. The most significant and the holiest element is the chirong (literally, "horns"), which is the V shaped design adorned on the roof of the building. Sanggai Yumpham A fortified royal residence inside the Kangla. Inner Polo Ground Ningthouja dynasty polo field located to the south west of the citadel inside the Kangla Manūng Thāngapāt Manung Thangapat is the Inner Moat of the Kangla Fort, encircling and protecting the Sanggai Yumpham as a second line of defense. Statue of Meidingu Nara Singh The grand bronze sculpture of King Nara Singh riding on a Manipuri pony. The tomb of King Bodhchandra The site where the mortal remains of Maharaja Bodhchandra Singh (Manglen of Ningthou Bodhchandra or Samadhi of Maharaja Bodhchandra), the last ruler of sovereign state of Manipur Kingdom, was consigned to flames in 9 December 1955. Chīngkhei Īkon or Chingkhei Pukhri. A sacred pond in the northeastern corner of the Sanggai Yumpham. Kangla Boatyard The boatyard houses traditional Meitei royal boats (hiyang hiren) and commoners' boats (tanna hee). Pakhangba Temple, Kangla A temple dedicated to the god Pakhangba of Sanamahism. Archaeological Museum, Kangla A museum housing Stone Age tools and historical stone inscriptions, coins and other artefacts of the Ningthouja dynasty. Site for Meitei Heritage Park A Heritage Park dedicated to the Meitei people, the largest ethnicity of Manipur. It is also known as Meitei Heritage Park.