Kangla fort

The Kangla, officially known as the Kangla Fort, is an old fortified palace at Imphal in the Manipur state of India. It was formerly situated on both sides (western and eastern) of the bank of the Imphal River, now remaining only on the western side in ruined conditions. Kangla means "the prominent part of the dry land" in old Meetei. It was the traditional seat of the past Meetei rulers of Manipur. Kangla (Imphal) was the ancient capital of pre-modern Manipur. The Kangla is a revered spot for the people of Manipur, reminding them of the days of their independence. It is a sacred place to the Meiteis. The Kangla is being proposed to be declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for which there are discussions ongoing in the Indian Parliament. The Kangla was the seat of administration of the Meitei rulers of the Ningthouja dynasty (33 CE to 1891 CE). The Kangla possesses a sobriquet, "Lungs of Imphal" as it is heavily forested, providing oxygen at a massive level in the heart of the metropolis of Manipur. Unfortunately, due to some developmental construction activities in the last few years, some minor but significant deforestation occurred inside the Kangla. In the year 2009, the Kangla Herbal Garden was set up by the Kangla Fort Board, in order to carry out the plan of planting medicinal plants inside the Kangla into action. The responsibility for bringing up the botanical garden was held by the Lamphel based sub-branch of the North East Institute of Science and Technology, Jorhat (NEIST). In the year 2010, the Government of Manipur financed out of to the NEIST to carry out the task. It planted around 131 different plants, (including around 20 medicinal plant species) in the garden. Notable plant species nurtured in the Kangla Herbal Garden include "heigru" (Phyllanthus emblica Linn), "kihori" (Phyllanthus acidus Linn), agar (Aquilaria agallocha Lamp), neem (Azadirachta indica A Zuss), tera (Mobax malabathricum Linn), singairei (Nyctanthes arbotristis Linn) and leihao (Michelia champaca Linn). An area covering 3.