Nestling deep within a lush green corner of North East India is the wondrously beautiful little Shangrila called Manipur. Literally meaning - "A Jeweled Land" this little corner is a veritable paradise on earth where mother nature has been extra generous in her bounty.

Untouched and undiscovered Manipur promises to be the great tourist discovery of the 21st century. An oval shaped valley surrounded by the blue green hills, rich in art and tradition has inspired descriptions as the "Switzerland of the East" with its cascading rapids, tripping rivers, carpet of flowers, exotic blooms and lazy lakes.

The people and tribes of Manipur include Meities, Naga and Kuki-Chin-Mizo groups and other colorful communities which have lived in complete harmony for centuries. These are the people whose folklore, myths and legends, dances, indigenous games and martial arts, exotic handlooms and handicrafts, are invested with the mystique of nature and an indefatigable "joie de vivre". The wonders are never ending, the place is Manipur.

Physiography

History
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 19 are reserved for Scheduled Caste. The State is represented in the Lok Sabha and 1 for Scheduled Caste. The State is represented in the Lok Sabha by two members and by one member in the Rajya Sabha.

State of Economy
More than three fourths of the villages are electrified in this valley. Handloom is the biggest industry in Manipur. More than three lakh people are employed in this field. Oak Tasar Industry was first introduced in Manipur. The tribal families of the valley are involved in producing about 30 million Tasar cocoons per year.

The 45,000 kg of raw silk produced annually, by the traditional methods of reeling and spinning are utilized in its exquisite handloom industry.

Significant advances have been made in the field of agriculture. The main crop are paddy and maize. A considerable area of the valley has been brought under high yielding rice.

Sight Seeing
The former Premier of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, called the valley of Manipur, dotted with the gleaming lakes and variety of orchids as the 'Jewel of India'. Gleaming lakes is famous for a variety of orchids.

Besides being the center of cultural and commercial activities, the capital city of Imphal is adorned with two War Cemeteries, Govindajee Temple,Women bazaar, etc. The Bishnu temple at Bishnupur built in 1467 A.D; the Loktak lake, the biggest fresh water lake in eastern India; Keibul Lamjao, the only floating national park in the world; the Orchid Yard at Khongampat, etc are places worth visiting.

Comfortable accommodation and Transport facilities are available at moderate charges.

General Details:

State Emblem	Kangla Shaa
State Bird	Nongin
State Animal	Sangai
Population (as per 1991 census)	18,37,149
Density of Population( per Sq Km.)	82
Literacy Rate	59.89%
Area	22,327 sq km

This is the place where Rajarsee Bhagyachandra created the famous Ras Lila, the classical dance of Manipur, out of his enchanting dream by the grace of Lord Krishna. Her folk dances reveal the mythological concept of creation of Manipur.

       It is bound by Nagaland in the north, Mizoram in the south, Upper Mayanmar in the east and Cachar district of Assam in the west. Imphal is surrounded by hills on all the sides.

       Almost 67% of the geographical area of Manipur is hill tract covered forests. Depending on the altitude of hill ranges, the climatic condition varies from tropical to sub-alpine. The wet forests and the pine forests occur between 900-2700 m above MSL and they together sustain a host of rare and endemic plant and animal life.

       One can also witness Ukhrul, the Hoolock Gibbon, the Sloe Loris, the Clauded Leopard, the Spotted Linshang, Mrs. Hume's Barbacked Pheasant, Blyths Tragopan, Burmese Pea-Fowl, four different species of Hornbills etc. The most unique of these is the Sangai the dancing deer. The floating mass of vegetation on the Loktak Lake sustains small herds of this endemic deer which unfortunately has the dubious distinction of being the most threatened Cervid (known as Phumdi) in the World. Other mentionable fauna is Salamander known as 'Lengwa' found at the foothill of Siroi in Ukhrul.

Transport and Communication

Air
Daily flight connects Imphal with major cities like NEw Delhi, Calcutta, Guwahati, Silchar.

Rail
Dimapur 215 Kms. from Imphal, is the nearest railhead. Another railhead is at Jiribam, a small town on Manipur's border. It is 225 kms. from Imphal.

Road
Imphal is connected by road with Guwahati (Assam) through National Highway No. 39 and Silchar (Assam) through National Highway No. 53.