LakeThemes:NatureWildlifePhotographyOffbeat
Manipur
Loktak Lake
Floating islands, fishing rings and the last sangai deer
- Ideal stay
- 2 days
- Best time
- October to March
Northeast India · City
Imphal
Kangla's ramparts, a mothers' market and polo's birthplace
- Manipur
- City
- Medieval
Photo: DeepanjanGhosh · CC BY-SA 4.0
- January — a best month
- February — a best month
- March — a best month
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October — a best month
- November — a best month
- December — a best month
Best: Oct–Mar
- State
- Manipur
- Region
- Northeast India
- Kind of place
- City · Medieval
- Ideal stay
- 2 days
- Altitude
- 786 m
- Coordinates
- 24.82° N, 93.94° E
Imphal sits in an oval valley at about 790 metres, ringed by hills, and is built around Kangla, the fort that was the seat of the Meitei kings and the place of their coronations from the reign of Nongda Lairen Pakhangba in 33 CE. The British destroyed much of it after the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891 and the army held the ground until 2004; today you can walk its moats, temples and ceremonial lawns past the white Kangla Sha, the dragon-lions rebuilt at the western gate. A few streets away is Ima Keithel, the mothers' market, where several thousand women and only women sell dried ngari fish, chak-hao black rice, bamboo shoot and hand-woven phanek from tiered halls, a trading right they have defended for centuries and repeatedly taken to the streets to protect.
Shree Govindajee, twin-domed and gold, is the royal Vaishnav temple where Manipuri Ras Leela is danced in white and rose, the softest of India's classical dance forms. The Second World War is everywhere here: the Imphal War Cemetery, the Indian Peace Memorial at Red Hill where the Japanese advance broke in 1944, and the INA sites down the Moirang road. Manipur also gave the world polo, and sagol kangjei is still played on Manipuri ponies at Mapal Kangjeibung, among the oldest polo grounds anywhere.
What not to miss in Imphal
- Kangla Fort, its moats, temples and the white Kangla Sha at the west gate
- Ima Keithel, the all-women market at Khwairamband Bazar
- Shree Govindajee Temple and an evening of Manipuri Ras Leela
- Imphal War Cemetery and the Red Hill Indian Peace Memorial
- Mapal Kangjeibung polo ground and the Manipuri pony
- Manipur State Museum's textiles, weapons and tribal galleries
Best Oct–Mar
Best time to visit Imphal
October to March; the Sangai Festival runs in late November.
Give Imphal 2 days and it repays the time; with fewer you are choosing between Kangla Fort, its moats, temples and the white Kangla Sha at the west gate and Ima Keithel, the all-women market at Khwairamband Bazar. We build the hours around the weather — early starts when it is hot, long afternoons when it is not.
- Ideal stay — 2 days
- Season — Oct–Mar
On the ground
Things to do in Imphal
The days we would actually plan for you, in the order that suits the light.
- Walk Ima Keithel at nine in the morning when the fish and herbs come in
- Watch a thang-ta martial arts practice or a Ras Leela rehearsal
- See sagol kangjei, the ancestor of modern polo, played on local ponies
- Drive out to Moirang for the INA museum and on to Loktak by afternoon
- Eat a full Meitei thali of eromba, kangshoi and ngari on a banana leaf
At the table
What to eat in Imphal
- Eromba, mashed vegetables with fermented fish and chilli
- Kangshoi, a light vegetable stew with ginger and ngari
- Chak-hao kheer made from Manipuri black rice
- Singju, banana flower and herb salad with roasted chickpea flour
- Morok metpa, a fierce green chilli paste
Getting there
How to reach Imphal
Bir Tikendrajit International Airport is 8 km from the centre with daily flights from Kolkata, Delhi and Guwahati; Dimapur, 215 km by road, is the nearest railhead.
Airport pickups, station transfers and the driver for the days here are all part of what we arrange — including the hour you should leave, which is usually earlier than you think.
Travel tips from our trips
- Manipur has seen periods of unrest, curfews and highway blockades: check current advisories, travel by day and book through a registered local operator.
- Indian citizens need a Manipur Inner Line Permit, in force since 2020 and issued online or on arrival at Imphal airport; foreign nationals need a Protected Area Permit and must register with the FRO in Imphal.
- Ima Keithel is busiest and best between 8 and 11 am; ask before photographing individual traders.
- Shoes come off and shoulders and knees stay covered at Shree Govindajee; the temple closes for a long midday break.
- Cash still rules in the markets and card machines are unreliable, so draw money at Imphal before heading out to Loktak or Ukhrul.
Next door
Near Imphal
Places that join Imphal without a long drive — the way a real week is built.
Lake
CityThemes:CultureHeritageFoodOffbeat
Nagaland
Kohima
Naga hills, a war cemetery and December's Hornbill drums
- Ideal stay
- 3 days
- Best time
- October to April
ValleyThemes:AdventureNaturePhotographyOffbeat
Nagaland
Dzukou Valley
Bamboo-grass hills and the Dzukou lily above Kohima
- Ideal stay
- 2 days
- Best time
- June and July for the lilies
CityThemes:CultureNatureFoodOffbeat
Mizoram
Aizawl
Ridge-top city of choirs, Sunday quiet and bamboo dances
- Ideal stay
- 2 days
- Best time
- October to March; Chapchar Kut falls in the first week of March
Before you ask
Questions we are asked about Imphal
When is the best time to visit Imphal?
October to March; the Sangai Festival runs in late November. On the calendar that is Oct–Mar. We build Imphal into a journey inside that window wherever we can; when your dates are fixed outside it, we re-plan the hours of the day around the weather rather than talk you out of the trip.
How many days do you need in Imphal?
We plan 2 days in Imphal. That is enough for Kangla Fort, its moats, temples and the white Kangla Sha at the west gate, Ima Keithel, the all-women market at Khwairamband Bazar and Shree Govindajee Temple and an evening of Manipuri Ras Leela, at a pace that still leaves room for a long lunch. Add a day if you are continuing to Loktak Lake and Kohima.
How do you reach Imphal?
Bir Tikendrajit International Airport is 8 km from the centre with daily flights from Kolkata, Delhi and Guwahati; Dimapur, 215 km by road, is the nearest railhead. We arrange the transfer and the driver as part of the journey, so you are met on arrival instead of negotiating a taxi at the gate, and the timings are set around when Imphal is at its best rather than around the clock.
What is Imphal famous for?
Imphal is a city in Manipur, Northeast India, best known for Kangla Fort, its moats, temples and the white Kangla Sha at the west gate, Ima Keithel, the all-women market at Khwairamband Bazar and Shree Govindajee Temple and an evening of Manipuri Ras Leela. Travellers come for culture, heritage, food and offbeat, and most give it 2 days.
Is Imphal good for families?
Imphal is planned more often for culture, heritage, food and offbeat than as a family stop, but it works well at a slower pace. 2 days, an early start and one unhurried afternoon is the shape we would suggest, inside the Oct–Mar window. Tell us who is travelling and we will pace it around them.
Photograph of Imphal: DeepanjanGhosh · CC BY-SA 4.0
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