Under the seventy two series of its online exhibition by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, today presented the ‘Kangla Sanathong’, a model of the Royal Kangla Gate, Manipur situated in the Tribal Habitat open air exhibition of IGRMS has been presented online with its basic information and photographs and videos.
About this exhibition, Praveen Kumar Mishra, Director, IGRMS said that – Kangla is an ancient palace in the heart of Manipur's capital city, Imphal. Local scholars have drawn their opinions on how the name Kangla was derived. Some suggest that 'Kang' is the sky, and 'La' represents the earth. Therefore, Kangla was named the holy place where the celestial Gods and Goddesses had direct contact and controlled the administration with the earth's inhabitants.
Some others believed that Kangla also has the connotation of a sacred site symbolizing the infinite cycle of life and death. However, one of the widely accepted claims is founded on geological formation and its chronological history. It is said that in the primeval period, the valley was surrounded by a vast expanse of water and the present area of the kingdom was a small hillock called Purum Khongnem Ching. When the water receded, it became the first dried landmass that laid the foundation for a prosperous kingdom and civilization. Kangla' was not only the seat of political power but also referred to be a holy place for religious worship and ceremonies. The Meitei people believe that Kangla is highly sacred and it is the seat of the progenitors of all the seven salais (clans) and also enshrined with more than 365 Umang Lais (ancestral gods and goddesses).
The recorded history of Manipur began from the circa 33 CE when Nongda Lairen Pakhangba ascended the throne of Kangla.
