| Kanglā shā | |
|---|---|
God of defense, guardianship and protection | |
| Member ofMeitei dragons | |
 | |
| Other names | Kanglasha |
| Affiliation | Sanamahism |
| Major cult center | Kangla |
| Abode | Kangla |
| Region | Manipur |
| Ethnic group | Meitei |
InMeitei mythology andSanamahism, the indigenous religion ofManipur,Kanglā shā (Meitei: ꯀꯡꯂꯥ ꯁꯥ,lit. 'beast of theKangla') is a sacred guardian beast with a lion's body and a two-horned dragon's head.[1][2]It is a royal symbol of theMeitei royalties (Ningthouja dynasty).[3]The most remarkable statues dedicated to "Kangla Sa" stand inside theKangla.[4]
In Meitei traditional race competitions, winners of the race are declared only after symbolically touching the statue of the dragon "Kangla Sha".[5]
In the year 1804,Meitei kingChourjit Singh (Meitei:ꯅꯤꯡꯊꯧ ꯆꯧꯔꯖꯤꯠ ꯁꯤꯡꯍ)(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 dayKangla Fort. These two statues were demolished by the Burmese forces during theChahi Taret Khuntakpa (Meitei for 'Seven Years Devastation') (1819-1826).[6][7][8][9]
During the months of June and July in the year 1844,Meitei kingRaja Nara Singh (Meitei:ꯅꯤꯡꯊꯧ ꯅꯔꯁꯤꯡꯍ) reconstructed the two statues of the Kangla Sha dragons once again.[10][11][12][13][14]
During the British conquest of theAnglo 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.[15][16][17][18][19]
Later, in the year 2006, the statues of the "Kangla Sa" ("Kangla Sha") were reconstructed by theGovernment of Manipur.[20][21] 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 byThomas Callan Hodson. 4 kinds of bricks, found in the ruins of the Old Palace atCanchipur, were used during the construction of the sculptures. It took the craftsmen and sculptors 2 years to complete the construction works.[22]
Before the construction of the real sculptures, to take the comments, feedbacks, opinions and suggestions of the people, Sculptor B Mohendro Sharma presented theprototypes of the Kangla-Sha, made ofmud, displayed on the public.[23]
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 theprototypes of Kangla Sha with the powerful crackers on 9 December, between 2 PM and 4 PM inside theKangla.[24][25][26]
On 18 June 2021, the "Kaba Khanba" (Meitei:ꯀꯕꯥ ꯈꯟꯕ,romanized: ka-bā khan-ba,lit. 'rods between jaws'[27]) of the Kangla Sha statues were removed by theGovernment of Manipur, along with the performances of religious rites and rituals byAmaibas (Meitei for 'priests') andAmaibis (Meitei for 'priestesses'), 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.[28][29] It was done after a unanimous joint decision by the Kangla Board, theSanamahi Temple Board, the Uttra Shanglen, women's organisations of theIma Keithel (Meitei for 'Ima Market') and the general public ofManipur.[30]
The action of the removal of rods taken up by theGovernment of Manipur led byNongthombam Biren Singh, theChief Minister of Manipur, andLeishemba Sanajaoba, theRajya SabhaMember of Parliament, was given positive reactions by the"Lamlai Mapari Thougal Lup" and the"All India Kangla Pakhangba Temple Development Society".[31]
However, this event of the removal of rods drew criticism by RK Nimai, a retiredIAS officer,[32][33] as
“The removal of kabak of the two kanglashas at Kangla which was shown in the local TV channels indicates the utter lack of knowledge of the so-called experts even in Meitei tradition.”[34]
He wrote an article about its criticism in theImphal Free Press.[35][36] As a result, many social associations and organisations burnt newspaper copies of theImphal Free Press.[37]
In a neutral response to the criticism and its reactions, Ethno Heritage Council (HERICOUN) stated:
“The organisation (Imphal Free Press) is not an expert body on the issue at hand and as such it is not a party in the argument between the supporters and opposers of removing the support rods from the mouths of the twin Kanglasha.”[38]
In reaction to the criticism, there was a strong objection by the"International Sanamahism Students' Association" (ISSA).[39]
On 17 July 2021, two statues dedicated to the "Kangla Sha", made of bricks, were installed by the 109 BNCRPF under the care of theIGP ofManipur andNagaland sectors at the main entrance gate to the 109 BN Mongsangei,Imphal West district,Manipur. It was done to pay respect for theMeitei cultural traditions ofManipur.[40] The twobifurcatedhorns in the heads of each statue, are derived from theSangai (Meitei for 'brow-antlered deer'Cervus eldi eldi), the state animal ofManipur, unlike theEast Asian andSoutheast Asianleogryphs.[41]
Thegovernment of Manipur recognised the illustration ofMeitei mythical animal "Kangla Sha" as thestate emblem in the year 1980.[42]
A music band named "Kanglasha" was organised inImphal in 2007. Its lead singer is Tukun Chongtham, itslead guitarist is Mantosh Thokchom, its bassist is Sen Thokchom, its keyboard player is Surjit Kshetri and its drum player is Chingkhei Nongthonbam.[43][44]
The construction of ' Kangla Sa ' (Lion like animal) at the front of the gate of Kangla was a great achievement of his beautification programme.
