Valley yet to be Discovered

Mother nature has been extra generous in her bounty creating a paradise on earth. I am talking about Manipur also known as the, " Switzerland of the east". It is an oval shaped valley surrounded by blue green hills. For nature lovers Manipur would turnout to be a great discovery promising tourist attraction of the 21st century. It cascades large carpets of flowers with exotic blooms, tripling rivers and lazy lakes.

Manipur has a colorful variety of cultural pattern and traditions. The state is best represented by its classical and folk dance forms. There is a spring festival 'The Lai Haroaba', held in April/May. This is symbolized by a traditional, stylish and ritualistic dance performed for peace and prosperity.

The major tourist attraction of Manipur includes, fascinating lakes, breathtaking green hills and landscapes, historic monuments, unique art forms of various culture and traditions, and the indigenous sports of the land. There is a World War II cemetery marked with stone and bronze plates in Imphal, the capital city of the state. The Loktak lake is the largest fresh water lake in northeast India and is situated in a place called Moirang, 45km from Imphal. There is also the floating national park, only one of its kinds in the world, which is also the last habitat of Sangal-the dancing deer.

The Indian National Army formed under the leadership of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had first hoisted the tricolour at Moirang and there is a museum housing letters, photographs, badges of ranks and memorabilia of the sacrifices made by the INA. Few other significant tourist centers are Shree Shree Govindaji temple near the old palace of the maharaja of Manipur, the state museum and the khonghampat orchiderium with about 150 varieties of rare orchids. The orchid Vanila planifolia, from which vanila essence is extracted, grows here.

You may consult travel guide to reach Imphal. The city is well connected to kolkata, New Delhi, and Guwahati by air. Also railways can take you to Dimapur in Nagaland, 250 km to the north. From here you can take the NH 53, which links Imphal. Hotel rooms and resorts are available which provides comfortable stay and you can gorge on local, Indian, and Chinese cusine.

At the start of my trip I never thought Manipur would have so much to offer. But it really did and proved me wrong. All you nature lovers must make it a point to visit this eternal paradise.