Know your state Manipur – Manipur General Knowledge Notes (Part 2)

In our previous blog, we discussed about some vital aspects of Manipur. If you haven’t read that already, click here – Know your State ‘Manipur’ – Part 1. Now in the following write-up, we’ll study other important attributes of the state i.e. history, environment and economic conditions of Manipur.

Which popular folk form of wrestling practiced in Manipur? What is the literacy rate of Manipur? Who is the Iron lady of Manipur?

Manipur truly means ‘the jewelled land’. The exquisite state is well known for its traditions, dance forms, music and deluxe haute cuisine. Most of the part of the state is shielded with forests, which houses some of the rarest species of flora and fauna.

Let’s have a glimpse of the bygone times of Manipur.

HISTORY Manipur General Knowledge Notes:

Manipur is rich in natural beauty and has a magnificent history of its own. History of the state cradled from archaeological research, myths and written history. Manipur’s ancient name is Kanlapaq.

• Nongda Lairen Pakhangba was the first ruler of Manipur. He created the kingdom of Manipur in 33AD.
• The earliest registered history of Manipur dated about 900 CE.
• In 1762, Raja Jai Singh culminated a treaty with the Britishers to repel an invasion of Burmans from Myanmar (Burma). The Britishers were again requested to expel the Burmans.
• The controversial successions were a continual origin of political confusion until Chura Chand was nominated raja in 1891 who was a five-year-old member of the ruling family.
• For the next eight years, the administration was conducted under British supervision; slavery and forced labour were abolished, and roads were constructed.
•  After an uprising of the Kuki hill tribes in 1917, a new system of government was adopted; the region was divided into three subdivisions, each headed by an officer from the neighbouring government of Assam.
• With the elevation of Manipur to India in 1947, the political agency exercised by Assam was abolished.
• Two years later Manipur became a union territory governed by a chief commissioner and an elected territorial council.
• In 1969, the office of chief commissioner was replaced by the lieutenant governor and status was changed to governor when Manipur became a constituent state of the Indian union on July 21, 1972.

Now let’s switch to the environmental aspects of Manipur.

ENVIRONMENT Manipur General Knowledge Notes:

Ecologically, the state has rich and rare fauna and flora, fine scenic beauty and environmental peace that are very hard to find in other places. The state has an abundance of natural resources. There are colorful flowering plants, sacred forests, and ever-flowing rivers, lush green splits on the mountains and hills and crooked waterfalls. Moreover, as the state lies in the monsoonal belt, Manipur receives a good amount of rainfall from the south-west monsoon.

• On a physical basis, the state can be divided into two parts, hills and valleys. There are hills all around and a valley in between. 
• Manipur is also known as the ‘Orchid Basket’ of the country. 500 species of orchid flowers are found in the state. A special type of floral Shiroi lily is found in the Shiroi hills, Manipur situated at an altitude of about 5000 feet above sea level. Shiroi lily is produced only in Manipur all over the world and is the state flower. 
• Within the State of Manipur, there are two major river basins namely the Barak River Basin and the Manipur River Basin. The Manipur river basin has seven major rivers such as Imphal, Iril, Nambul, Sekmai, Chakpi, Thoubal and Khuga. All these rivers originate from the surrounding hills. 
• Loktak Lake is an important lake as almost all the rivers in the valley area are in the mature stage and therefore, deposit the load in the Loktak Lake.
• The Keibul Lamjao National Park in the Bishnupur district of Manipur is the only floating national park in the world and is an integral part of Loktak Lake with an area of 40 km². The national park is characterized by many floating decomposed plant materials locally called Phumdis
• The national park which was initially declared to be a sanctuary in 1966 was subsequently declared to be a national park in 1977 to preserve the natural refuge of the endangered Manipur, Sangai also called the dancing deer.

Let’s talk about the economic status of Manipur.

ECONOMY Manipur General Knowledge Notes:

Agriculture and agro-based industries are the main sources of income and the basis of the economy of the state. Rice is the major crop grown in the state and also supports the production of other crops like maize, sugarcane, mustard, tobacco, orchard fruits, and legumes.

• Terracing is common in the hills of Manipur where the farmers of the state plow the ground with hand hoes.
• Among some of the hill tribes, domestic animals are kept only for meat and are not milked or used for hauling. Teak and bamboo are major forestry products.
• The Nagas are known to use intoxicants to catch fish.
•  The state is a suitable place for information technology-based businesses. 
• There is immense investment potential, especially in the field of agriculture and food processing. 
• There are many possibilities in the field of handloom, handicrafts and tourism to attract investors in the state, the government has formulated several policies as well as several incentives to attract investors have also been announced.

GDP: ₹ 0.231 lakh crore

Rank (as per GDP):  29^th

Growth (as per GDP): 10.63% (2016-17)

Per capita GDP: ₹286,328

Rank (GDP per capita): 31^th

Revenues: ₹ 3.49lakh crore

Unemployment: 11.6%

EDUCATION Manipur General Knowledge Notes:

Literacy rate of Manipur is 79.85% which exceeds the national average literacy rate which stands at 74.04%. The introduction of a separate education department in 1950 was a step forward towards improved educational conditions in Manipur. The education system of the state is adopted by the state government has indeed changed the face of secondary and higher secondary education in Manipur. The number of students who passed with first division has also increased greatly over the years. 

SPORTS Manipur General Knowledge Notes:

The modern-day polo game is said to have its roots in Sagol Kangjei and is the traditional sport of the state. Imphal boasts of Imphal Polo Ground is the oldest one in the world. The Manipuri style of polo is known as the Pana which is different from the polo played in the international style.

Here are some more interesting facts about MANIPUR:

• Mukna is the popular folk form of wrestling that is practiced in Manipur.
• Red Hill –Lokpachig is the place in Manipur where the Japanese and the Britishers fought a memorial war during World War II.
• Meitei Tribe is the primary ethnic group of Manipur which constitutes almost 50% of the population.
• Manipur is a dry state where people relish the country liquor made from Manipuri rice.
• Irom Chanu Sharmila is known as the Iron lady of Manipur. She is a civil activist who started her hunger strike in 2000 against AFSPA and strike lasted till 2016.

Therefore, this was all about the state of Manipur that will help in your preparation for competitive exams like SSC CGL, CDS, Civil Services and NDA etc.

In the next blog, we would be discussing some interesting facts and trivia about the state of Meghalaya. Click here for Know your State – ‘Meghalaya’.

Did you know that the seven states of Northeast India are called sister states? This is because they are all interdependent on one another and are connected to the rest of the country through the Siliguri Corridor. To find out interesting information about each of these states, click on the links given below.

Click on Know your State ‘Arunachal Pradesh’, Know your State ‘Assam’, Know your State ‘Mizoram’, Know your State ‘Nagaland’, and Know your State ‘Tripura’

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