How about a rendezvous with nature — flying with the clouds, gazing at the wondrous black night with a million sparkling stars, or just sitting beside a lake listening to the soft breeze or to the stream flowing nearby? You can experience all these and more at Manipur, aptly described by Jawaharlal Nehru as `a jewel of India'.
Tucked far above the sea level is the little paradise on earth — Manipur. Nestling deep within a lush green corner of North-East India is this beautiful little Shangrila Manipur, where mother nature has been extra generous in her bounty. The valley of Manipur is oval shaped, surrounded by beautiful blue-green hills.
Imphal, the capital of Manipur, is a bustling mini-metropolis at a height of 790 metres. Our first stop was the Shree Govindajee temple. It is a simple and beautiful structure with twin domes. About six km from Imphal is the zoological garden. Here, we were lucky enough to spot one of the rare species in the world — the brow antlered deer, Sangai. One of the must-see places in Imphal is the Khwairamband bazaar or the Ima market. This market is unique because about 3,000 women working at this all-women market.
Manipur is a treasure-trove of flowers. About seven km from Imphal lies the famous 200-acre Knonghampat Orchidarium. This is the central orchidarium and it houses over 110 varieties of orchids. The peak blooming season is March-April.
On the Manipur-Nagaland border lies the flower valley, Dzuko. To view the beauty, colour and uniqueness one has to trek through hilly areas and rivers, as there is no motorable road. Next on the cards was the largest fresh water lake on the Sendra Island.
The most important places which are worth seeing is the Govindajee temple, a Vaishnavite temple, adjoining the royal palace of the former rulers of Manipur. The other places whish are worth seeing are the war cemetery, Khwairamband Bazar, Shaheed Minar, Manipur state museum, Manipur zoological park, Langthabal, Khonghampat Ochidarium.
The largest fresh water lake of northeast India is located in Manipur. It is called the Loktak Lake and Sendra Island. On the western fringe of the loktak, lake is Phubala. The only floating National park in the world is the Keibul Lamjao National park on the Loktak Lake. This is the last natural habitat of Sangai the dancing deer of Manipur.
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