In
Meitei mythology
Meitei mythology (or Manipuri mythology) () is a collection of myths, belonging to the religious and cultural traditions of the Meitei people, the predominant ethnic group of Manipur. It is associated with traditional Meitei religion of Sanam ...
and
Sanamahism
Sanamahism , also known as Meiteism , or Lainingthouism is an ethnic religion of the Meitei people of Manipur, in Northeast India. It is a polytheistic religion and is named after Lainingthou Sanamahi, one of the most important deities of ...
, the indigenous religion of
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
, Kanglā shā is a sacred guardian beast with a lion's body and a two-horned dragon's head.
It is a royal symbol of the
Meitei royalties (
Ningthouja dynasty
The Ningthouja dynasty, also known as Mangang dynasty, comprises the descendants of the kings of Manipur. Ningthouja literally means progeny of King (''Ningthou'' means king and ''cha'' or ''macha'' means progeny in which ''ja'' is a corrupted ...
).
The most remarkable statues dedicated to "Kangla Sa" stand inside the
Kangla.
In Meitei traditional race competitions, winners of the race are declared only after symbolically touching the statue of the dragon "Kangla Sha".
History

In the year 1804,
Meitei king Chourjit Singh
Chourjit Singh, also known as Charajit Singh, was a Meitei King and a Maharaja of , who ruled between 1806 and 1812.
See also
*List of Manipuri kings
*Manipur (princely state)
The Manipur Kingdom, also known as Meckley,
was a ...
()(1803-1813 AD) constructed two huge structures of the "Kangla Sha" dragon lions in front of the Kangla Uttra Shanglen (or simply called the "Uttra") inside the present day
Kangla Fort. These two statues were demolished by the Burmese forces during the (1819-1826).

During the months of June and July in the year 1844,
Meitei king Raja Nara Singh
Nara Singh (1792 – 11 April 1850) also known as Chingthanglen Pamheiba and Meetingu Lairen Nonglen Sendreng Manik Khomba, was a ruler of the Kingdom of Manipur. He ruled first as regent from 1834 to 1844 and then as king for a period of s ...
() reconstructed the two statues of the Kangla Sha dragons once again.
During the British conquest of the
Anglo Manipur War of 1891, the British forces led by Captain Allen demolished the two statues of the Kangla Sha dragons by blasting them by artillery fire into pieces on 20 July 1891.
Later, in the year 2006, the statues of the "Kangla Sa" ("Kangla Sha") were reconstructed by the
Government of Manipur
The Government of Manipur (; /mə.ni.pur lə́i.ŋak/), also known as the State Government of Manipur, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Manipur and its 16 districts. It consists of an ex ...
. Each statue is 19.30 feet in height, 15.30 feet in length and 6 feet in breadth. The weight of each statue is 36.50 metric tonne. The statues of the Kangla-Sha were sculpted based on the photographs published in the books including "The Lost Kingdom" and "
The Meitheis" written by
Thomas Callan Hodson
Thomas Callan Hodson (1871–1953) was the first William Wyse Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge, where he was a Fellow of St Catharine's College, notable for his writings on Indian anthropology and for coining the ...
. 4 kinds of bricks, found in the ruins of the Old Palace at
Canchipur, were used during the construction of the sculptures. It took the craftsmen and sculptors 2 years to complete the construction works.

Before the construction of the real sculptures, to take the comments, feedbacks, opinions and suggestions of the people, Sculptor B Mohendro Sharma presented the
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
s of the Kangla-Sha, made of
mud
Mud (, or Middle Dutch) is loam, silt or clay mixed with water. Mud is usually formed after rainfall or near water sources. Ancient mud deposits hardened over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone (generally cal ...
, displayed on the public.
Filming of the bombardment
On 9 December 2008, after getting permission from the Kangla Fort Board for shooting a film on the history of Kangla, associated with the demolition of the Kangla Sha statues in front of Kangla Uttra Shanglen, the ''"Manipur Film Development Corporation"'' (MFDC) Ltd. demolished the
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
s of Kangla Sha with the powerful crackers on 9 December, between 2 PM and 4 PM inside the
Kangla.
Removal of rods between jaws
On 18 June 2021, the "Kaba Khanba" () of the Kangla Sha statues were removed by the
Government of Manipur
The Government of Manipur (; /mə.ni.pur lə́i.ŋak/), also known as the State Government of Manipur, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Manipur and its 16 districts. It consists of an ex ...
, along with the performances of religious rites and rituals by and , due to the perception by the authorities concerned that the rods gave pains to Kangla Sha, resulting in the downfall and unhappiness of the people of Manipur. It was done after a unanimous joint decision by the Kangla Board, the
Sanamahi Temple Board, the Uttra Shanglen, women's organisations of the and the general public of
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
.
The action of the removal of rods taken up by the
Government of Manipur
The Government of Manipur (; /mə.ni.pur lə́i.ŋak/), also known as the State Government of Manipur, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Manipur and its 16 districts. It consists of an ex ...
led by
Nongthombam Biren Singh, the
Chief Minister of Manipur
The Chief Minister of Manipur is the head of government, chief executive of the Indian state of Manipur. As per the Constitution of India, the Governors of states of India, governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but ''de facto'' executive auth ...
, and
Leishemba Sanajaoba, the
Rajya Sabha
Rajya Sabha (Council of States) is the upper house of the Parliament of India and functions as the institutional representation of India’s federal units — the states and union territories.https://rajyasabha.nic.in/ It is a key component o ...
Member of Parliament, was given positive reactions by the ''"Lamlai Mapari Thougal Lup"'' and the ''"All India Kangla Pakhangba Temple Development Society"''.
However, this event of the removal of rods drew criticism by RK Nimai, a retired
IAS officer, as
He wrote an article about its criticism in the
Imphal Free Press
''Imphal Free Press'' is an English-language daily published in Manipur, India. Alongside the Sangai Express, it is one of the two most widely read newspapers of Manipur. It is considered as one of the "good quality" newspapers, among approxim ...
. As a result, many social associations and organisations burnt newspaper copies of the
Imphal Free Press
''Imphal Free Press'' is an English-language daily published in Manipur, India. Alongside the Sangai Express, it is one of the two most widely read newspapers of Manipur. It is considered as one of the "good quality" newspapers, among approxim ...
.
In a neutral response to the criticism and its reactions, Ethno Heritage Council (HERICOUN) stated:
In reaction to the criticism, there was a strong objection by the ''"
International Sanamahism Students' Association"'' (ISSA).
Other iconography
On 17 July 2021, two statues dedicated to the "Kangla Sha", made of bricks, were installed by the 109 BN
CRPF under the care of the
IGP of
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
and
Nagaland
Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...
sectors at the main entrance gate to the 109 BN Mongsangei,
Imphal West district
Imphal West district (Meitei language, Meitei pronunciation:/ˈɪmfəl or ɪmˈfɑːl/) is one of the sixteen districts of Manipur state in northeastern India. As of 2011, it is the most populous district in the state.
Geography
Lamphelpat city ...
,
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
. It was done to pay respect for the
Meitei cultural traditions of
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
. The two
bifurcated horns
Horns or The Horns may refer to:
* Plural of Horn (anatomy)
* Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells
* The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain
* Horns (novel), ''Horns'' (novel), a dar ...
in the heads of each statue, are derived from the ), the state animal of
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
, unlike the
East Asia
East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
n and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
n
leogryphs.
Heraldry

The
government of Manipur
The Government of Manipur (; /mə.ni.pur lə́i.ŋak/), also known as the State Government of Manipur, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Manipur and its 16 districts. It consists of an ex ...
recognised the illustration of
Meitei mythical animal "Kangla Sha" as the
state emblem in the year 1980.
Namesakes
A music band named "Kanglasha" was organised in
Imphal
Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...
in 2007. Its lead singer is Tukun Chongtham, its
lead guitarist is Mantosh Thokchom, its bassist is Sen Thokchom, its keyboard player is Surjit Kshetri and its drum player is Chingkhei Nongthonbam.
See also
*
Fu Dog
*
Hiyang Hiren
*
Lamassu
''Lama'', ''Lamma'', or ''Lamassu'' (Cuneiform: , ; Sumerian language, Sumerian: lammař; later in Akkadian language, Akkadian: ''lamassu''; sometimes called a ''lamassuse'') is an Mesopotamia, Assyrian protective deity.
Initially depicted as ...
*
Pakhangba
*
Poubi Lai
Poubi Lai was an ancient dragon python, who dwelled in the Loktak Lake of Manipur, in Meitei mythology and folklore. It is also referred to as ''"Loch Ness Monster of Manipur"''.
Mythology
In the Loktak lake, the spirit of Poubi Lai was aw ...
*
Taoroinai
Taoroinai is a snake-like dragon in Meitei mythology and Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur.History of Modern Manipur, 1826–1949 - Page 190 - Lal Dena · 1991North East India History Association. Session (1989). Proceedings of Nor ...
Notes
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
External links
Kangla Shaat
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
Kangla Shaat E-pao.net
{{Sanamahi1
Abundance gods
Animal gods
Arts gods
Creator gods
Dragon deities
Earth gods
Fortune gods
Health gods
Horned gods
Kings in Meitei mythology
Life-death-rebirth gods
Magic gods
Meitei dragons
Meitei deities
Nature gods
Peace gods
Savior gods
Sky and weather gods
Solar gods
Time and fate gods
Tutelary gods