Willong Khullen, India's very own Stonehenge!

Who knew a small village in Manipur, a rarely visited North Eastern State, could hold such a significant wonder that is on the same lines as the Stonehenge. This exceptionally intriguing monument is sadly not known by the locals of Manipur apart from those living in the villages around Willong. We were left in awe to see massive blocks of rocks many towering over 10 feet and a few over 1 meter wide. There are a total of approx 135 pillars here.

Looking at these monoliths there were tons of questions floating in our minds. The biggest were how did they manage to do this centuries ago and most importantly why? What was significance or meaning behind carrying out such a hard, time consuming and challenging task. Were they funeral stones or used for some religious ceremony or sacred stones? The massive stone blocks did not seem to be available in the vicinity so where did they procure these from? Apart from the local tales there is no documentation or script that can provide answers to the questions we had. We guess the answers would remain lost with time.

If the local tales are to be believed, the stones talk to each other at night and each stone has a name. According to them, only a man with great strength and power can think of erecting a stone. Before erecting a stone, he has to fast the whole night and perform a ritual of offering wine to the stone. He would have to venture out to far off places to find the perfect stone and the villagers would assist him if required to bring it to Willong. They also believe that it is not possible to count the stones as their placement is so confusing that you tend to miss the count, they believe a spirit confuses you from counting.

The locals don't seem to be aware of this place or the monoliths. Sadly, such an iconic site is left in ruins and the Government has taken zero steps to promote such a monumental site. It was disheartening to see sheds constructed to store construction material right in front of this monument. Tiny homes have started to encroach the land around. In a matter of time this entire monument would go invisible.

Reaching this wonder in 'Willong' could be tough as there is absolutely no public transportation available. The only way to reach is to hire a vehicle either from Imphal or Kohima and do it as a day trip. Also, there are no places to stay or eat here. Willong is equidistant from both State Capitals. One should head to Maram village in Senapati district and from there take the road that goes to Peren. 40 km on this road is Willong Khullen. As soon as you reach Willong, to your left is the Stonehenge of India. The distance from Imphal to Willong took us 3 hours one way in private taxi and for the total journey we were charged Rs.3500.

India The Land Of Celebrations- Sangai Festival

Manipur's most prestigious festival- Sangai Festival is celebrated every year from November 21- 30th and is a grand and gala event. Organized by the State government in Imphal to promote tourism and unity, this festival also highlights the conservation efforts to protect their state animal- Sangai. The festival showcases to the world Manipur's art and culture, indigenous games, cuisine and handloom. The State Government has shown great enthusiasm and dedication to organize a seemingly flawless festival to project Manipur on an international stage.

The Sangai festival starts with such a bang and the best of Manipur- dance and music is put forward. The best performances were showcased on the inaugural day followed by cultural events in the evening at the open air theater.  All the cultural events were very beautifully performed but the one that stood out among the rest was a group of young women showcasing their sword skills. The first day's events were so awesome that they should not be missed at any cost.

The venue for the festival was the massive city convention center and the entire ground was filled with stalls from every nook and corner of Manipur. There were exclusive stalls promoting indigenous products ranging from organic to agro based products to cycles made out of bamboo. Many stalls were dedicated to exclusive Manipuri cuisine, handicrafts, small scale cottage industries, highly skilled handmade pottery without the help of spinning wheel and hand woven textiles. There was also an international presence with stores from Thailand, Myanmar and Bhutan.

One of the stalls was put up by Indian post. With one of us being a crazy superstar fan, it was a goosebumps moment to see a postal card dedicated to the superstar 'Rajinikanth.'

Sangai festival was a perfect platform to introduce non locals to the traditional games where the younger generation were proud to keep the indigenous sports alive and kicking. Several of these traditional games were played on a daily basis with great fanfare. It was a proud moment to see the young folks showing their dedication towards sports that are so close to their roots and were interested in not letting the fire die down. The traditional games start at around 3.30 pm every day.

A section was dedicated to a heritage park where the tribal lifestyle of Manipuri people was portrayed in the best way possible. Different styles of huts that were completely made of natural material gave a total tribal tour. It also showcased how the indigenous people successfully used all natural material to go on with their daily activities. One particular tribe used crushed black stone to make utensils and other home needs.

Well renowned sand artist and Padma Shri Award recipient Sudarsan Pattnaik from Orissa had graced the festival with his presence and also left his mark with a sand art promoting a very important message- "Go Green."

Other highlights of the festival were Asian theater festival and the Maha Raas or Raas Leela that was performed on full moon day at Gobindaa Ji Temple. The city was beautifully lit up for the festival and all the lanes leading to the convention centre were decked up and were free of vehicular movement. Entry tickets were priced at Rs.20 per day and the festival was very efficiently organized. Also, do carry warm clothes as it gets cold post sunset.

The Government of Manipur also organizes an 8 day international polo tournament during the Sangai festival and teams from US, Australia, Thailand and England were the other participants. The first game of the tournament was played between India and USA. We are not going to pretend like we know or understand the game, all we knew about polo before entering the stadium was that horses were involved. We got to know later that the game played in Manipur is a little different as there are ponies involved and not horses.

It was so awesome to see the stadium packed and a jubilant crowd encouraging both teams and enjoying a good game. It was a neck to neck game between both teams. For majority of the game, US was leading by one goal but the table turned and with just minutes left on the clock our lads scored two quick goals to finish one up and won the game to the delight of the crowd.

One very surprising aspect about the game was that we did not have to purchase tickets. It was free for all. It was really nice to see Manipur carry on the legacy of Polo and host international tournaments and look beyond cricket. Almost all the matches were played in the afternoon between 1 to 4.30 pm.

Since we had arrived in Imphal way ahead of Sangai, we decided to visit Keibul Lamjao and Loktak Lake and come back to Imphal for Sangai. We were very keen to attend the festival on its inauguration. While we were at Loktak, we decided to leave for Imphal on November 21st to be able to attend the festival. We were not prepared for what was in store for us. Our journey of 50 km from Loktak to Imphal on the inaugural day of Sangai festival turned out to be a slightly risky but nonetheless a very exciting one.

We were unaware that a total bandh was called by a banned outfit 'United Revolutionary Front' boycotting Sangai festival. Businesses small and big were shut, state transport bus, private taxis and autos were completely off the road. The roads were deserted and gave us an eerie feel. We were still determined to reach Imphal to experience the inauguration of Sangai festival and the cultural events and therefore we took a chance.

After waiting for more than half an hour, one auto showed up and charged Rs.100 for a 3 km ride to Moirang. Normally the bustling Moirang market was totally deserted. The ever busy area with buses and shared taxis that are usually in abundance were missing with just one lone auto that was willing to drop us at Imphal at a premium price of Rs.700 whereas to reach Loktak, we spent only Rs.120 in total. However, it was worth the premium as we reached Imphal safely and were able to attend the festival. Some experiences surely are no match to any amount of money we spend.

During our stay we checked into Classic Grande a 4 star hotel. Generally our budget never permits us to stay in high end places but non availability of budget rooms put us in the lap of luxury. The hotel has a spa, swimming pool, fitness centre and all the bells and whistles. It is also conveniently located near all the attractions. Their restaurant serves excellent food and needless to say their service was extraordinary.

Moirang First Headquarter Of Indian National Army

Moirang, a small town in Manipur, a place that hardly rings a bell to many has in fact monumental importance in India's struggle for freedom. Moirang was the headquarters of Azad Hind Fauz and it was here that the Indian Tricolor was hoisted for the very first time on the sacred soil of India by the Indian National Army(INA) on the 14th of April 1944 by Col. Shaukat Malik. INA war memorial now stands here paying respect to several martyrs who laid down their lives fighting for our Independence.

The INA war museum in the memorial complex is dedicated to World War II and also concentrates on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's efforts with the aid of Japanese Government to free India from British colonialism. Contrary to popular belief it was Captain Mohan Singh who founded the INA in 1942 and not Mr. Bose. However, it was under Mr. Bose's able leadership that the Indian National Army became a formidable and professional fighting force.

The war museum has a nice collection of pictures and portraits of INA soldiers and a large section is dedicated to the Patriot of Patriots and the Supreme Commander of INA- Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. It concentrates on the early days of INA- how it was formed, Netaji's role and all their allies. It displays some interesting letters and messages sent across during the struggle for India's freedom. It also houses some rare pictures clicked during the fight for freedom and also some important events in history.

The INA had an exclusive 'All Women Combat' Regiment 'Rani Of Jhansi Regiment led by Captain Lakshmi Sahgal, a very rare feat even today.

One of the best artifacts in the museum is a map displaying the route and mode of transport taken by Mr. Bose during his grand escape right under the nose of colonial forces. Mr. Bose wanted to reach Tokyo from Calcutta. Despite being under house arrest by the colonial forces he opted for the most complex and hard journey. From his home in Calcutta he headed to Peshawar- Kabul- Moscow- Berlin- Singapore. From Berlin, he was ferried on a German submarine until Madagascar and from there he hopped onto a Japanese submarine to Malaysia and finally to Tokyo. This audacious journey took a heavy toll on Mr.Bose's health.

Apart from the fascinating route map, other interesting memorabilia in the museum are the Indian currency notes issued by the Japanese and the Azad Hind Government prior to our freedom recognizing our sovereignty.

Jai Hind!

Photo Blog Loktak Lake

Paradise may not exist, Loktak does. 

Loktak Lake! Magical Floating Paradise

Loktak, a natural wonder of Manipur should definitely be on the bucket list of any traveler. The fresh water lake is filled with phumdis, a cluster of vegetation that are at different levels of decaying. This amazing natural vegetation runs deep underwater and only 20% of it is seen above water level. The amazing aspect of these floating islands is that when the water levels goes down they absorb the nutrients from the lake bed. The vegetation is so thick and durable that the locals have built their homes on them.

This beautiful wonder surprisingly was devoid of any tourists. Only locals tend to visit this place and it is more like a day trip. The natural beauty of this place definitely requires a stay of minimum 2-3 days for perfect relaxation. 'Sendra Park and Resort' run by the Classic group of hotels is the only stay option here. The resort offers 4 stunning cottages and a couple of deluxe rooms. Undoubtedly, the cottages offer the best of the view and the aesthetics are simply amazing. The charming rooms are very romantic and a fleet of wooden stairs led us to the best part of the cottage- the attic. It offers a beautiful sit out with unending views of the amazing Loktak lake, her vegetation and the mountains in the backdrop.

Apart from the attic, we spent hours sitting outside our cottage looking at the blue mountains, red tall grass, amazing loktak lake and lone fishermen on their tiny boats. No amount of modern engineering structures can even remotely come close to natural beauty.

The price at which the cottages are let out is unbelievably reasonable. The resort also has a view point and cafe. To be honest, the views from the cafe are even more mesmerizing than the view point. We spent hours sitting on the wodden benches sipping hot cup of chai, munching hot pakodas and soaking in breathtaking views.

The food served in the cafe is really good. Their service is also pretty commendable. If the fresh water fish in Nagaland tasted amazing the fresh water fish of Manipur showed us a glimpse of paradise. The fish served at Sendra resort was tender, juicy and melted in our mouth. Do try out the water chestnut fruit which is available in abundance right outside the resort.

While at Loktak, post sunset you might feel locals are bursting crackers but it is actually soldiers of Assam Rifles practicing in their shooting range. The shooting range is right next to the resort entrance and one can see the soldiers practicing. Clicking pics might not be the brightest of ideas.

Sendra is also a bird watchers paradise and in under two hours in the afternoon we spotted several different species of birds. Spotting a common hoopoe right outside the cottage was a beautiful moment. Growing up as a child we used to see several sparrows. Thanks to urbanization we have chased them away from our streets. Looking at the sparrows at Loktak we were reminded of our childhood. Amur falcons tend to hover around in Manipur as well and you catch a glimpse of them at close quarters.

Very close to Loktak is the mesmerizing Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating National Park in the world and is also the last natural adobe of the indigenous Sangai deer aka dancing deer.

Due to infrastructure development around Loktak lake the natural habitat around are disturbed and the vegetation is highly threatened and are decreasing at a very rapid rate. Some of the larger sections of the phumdis have broken down into several parts and have drifted away. It is such a shame that the human race is destroying natural wonders at a extremely alarming pace.

Loktak is just 45 km away from the capital of Manipur, Imphal and frequent buses ply from 'Keishampat Bridge' in Imphal to Churchandapur via Moirang. We got down at Moirang and a short ride of 4 to 5 km in a jam packed share auto took us to Sendra resort.