Ukhrul - the Land of The Tangkhuls and Shirui Lilies

Ukhrul - is a town located in the Ukhrul District, in Manipur, India. Ukhrul is also known as the highest hill-station of Manipur. The people of the district belong to a sect called Tangkhul Nagas.

Ukhrul is about 83kms from the capital of Manipur, Imphal, and is linked by national highway 150. Dimapur is the nearest railway station from Ukhrul and Imphal airport is the nearest airport. During the reign of the most powerful Meitei King Pamheiba a.k.a. Garib Nawaz (1709–1748) for the first time, the heartland area of the Tangkhul country was brought under the suzerainty of Manipur.

The Tangkhul Nagas form the majority ethnic group in Ukhrul district. The Tangkhuls are known for their appealing and attractive attire. The women are generally dressed in traditional raiment called ‘kashan’ and the men wear a shawl called ‘howrah’. The earliest home of the Tangkhuls was the upper reaches of Huang heo and Yangtze Rivers which lies in the Zinjiang province of China. The name Tangkhul was given to them by their neighbours, the Meiteis. The name Naga was given to them by the Burmese ( Myanmar ), which, in Myanmar means people with pierced earlobes. Piercing of the earlobes is widespread practice among the Tangkhuls.

There are various waterfalls and caves in Ukhrul. Ukhrul is famous for the beautiful Shirui Lily grown only on the peak of Shirui Kashung or the Shiroi Peak. The Khayang Peak and Ango Ching are prominent attractions that are inhabited by tigers, leopards, pangolins, elephants and others.

The Khangkhui Cave, also known as the Khangkhui Mangsor Cave, is one of the oldest archeological cave of India. The cave has a huge hall, royal bedroom and two separate chambers built by a devil king.

The Kachouphung Lake and Khayang Falls on the Achuwa Magi Hills, along with the Azoa Jenephiu Magi Lake are very famous tourist spots.

Some other attractive spots are Hundung Mangva Cave, Cold Water Fishery Project near Phangrei, Nillai Tea Estate on the way to Tolloi, Duncan Park, Elshadai Park, Dilily Waterfall near Khayang Phungtha, Saline Springs, Chingjui Matza, The Kalhang Village, Japanese Pond, Longpi Pottery in Longpi and the MATA Industrial Complex.

{Photo Courtesy - 1. http://cweo.org; 2. http://www.e-pao.net}