Rods between jaws of Kangla Sha was to support the structure from future damages

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Removal of Kaba Khanba from mouth of Kanglasha inside Kangla on June 18 2021 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

Source: Sanaleibak Daily

Experts are of the view that the prop in the mouth of the statue of Kangla Sha installed inside the historic Kangla Fort, the state emblem of Manipur was constructed to support its mouth. It may be said that Meiteis believed Kangla Sha as a sacred god. Even if there are different views regarding the rods between the mouth of the structure, authorities viewed that the rods gave suffering to the animal and this may be the main reason behind the downfall and sufferings of the people of the state.

After Manipur attained statehood, the then state government declared Kangla Sha as the state emblem on 18 December 1980. Even though the present generation could not provide a detailed information of the lion like animal, the Kangla Sha is heavily regarded as a sacred god by the then kings and occupy an important place in the history of the state. The Manipur government on June 18 removed the rods supporting the jaws of the Kangla Sha after local shamans(Amaiba-Amaibi) performed ritualistic worship inside the Kangla Fort.

Regarding the matter, noted historian Wangam Somorjit said, the installation of Kangla Sha inside the Kangla Fort was found at two instances in historical books. First, it was during the reign of Meidingu Chourajit in 1804 ans secondly, it was during the reign of Meidingu Narsingh in 1844.

He further stated that in these historical books, the animal is mentioned as a lion and the name Kangla Sha is used after the 1891 Anglo Manipuri War. During the reign of King Chourajit, the installation of Kangla Sha before the sacred Kangla Uttra is thereby mentioned in the Royal Chronicle or Cheitharol Kumbaba as,
"irom koibagi kumdi sok 1726, inga gi 25, ningthoukabada Uttra mamangda nongsha saiye."

But the exact information of the animal was not given though. Later the animal was destroyed during the seven years devastation of Manipur by the Awas.

Removal of Kaba Khanba from mouth of Kanglasha inside Kangla on June 18 2021 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

The Kangla Sha was later again constructed at Kangla after King Narsingh made his palace at Kangla in the year 1844. The incident was mentioned at Cheitharol Kumbaba as,
"Uttra mamangda nongsha ani saba houwee, uttra mamanggi nongsha bu Shri Panchajut Maharaj na Shri Govindji da katle."

The second Kangla Sha was later destroyed by the British. Wangam Somorjit stated that, the image of the Kangla Sha was again created from the images captured by the British before the damage. Later, under the guidance of Kangla Fort Board in 2006-2007, two replicas of the animal was again constructed inside the Kangla Fort.

The structure of Kangla Sha was very similar to Burmese mythical beast called Chinthe which guard the entrance of the Pagodas of Burma but Chinthe did not have any horns. Here, it may be worth mentioning that the sons of King Bheigyachandra,namely Labanyachandra, Madhuchandra, Chourajit and Marjit all grew up as royal ward in the palace of King Alungpaya of Konbaung Dynasty (present day Burma).

The image of the animal was also clearly engraved on a stone erected at Thibomei of Kohima by the then king Gambhir Singh in 1833 before the construction of Kangla Sha by King Narsingh in 1844 but the image was closely similar to "Chinthe" of Burma other than the present Kangla Sha.

Maichou Purel of Sana Konung, Professor Ngariyanbam Kangjiya Mangang said, Kangla Sha has been the symbol of freedom since time immemorial. It was believed that the animal which Khamba and Nongban in the Moirang Kangleirol claimed to have touched first during their race was Kangla Sha.

The animal has two horns and it is totally wrong that the animal got only one horn, he said. People falsely believed that the animal has got only one horn after seeing the image captured during the destruction of the British. The opening of the jaw of Kangla Sha symbolises the power and bravery of the animal. The rod was put to prevent any future damages, he added.

Removal of Kaba Khanba from mouth of Kanglasha inside Kangla on June 18 2021 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

Noted historian, Naoroibam Indramani said, the Kangla Sha was installed as a gift at Kangla Sanathong by Khagi king Piyangoi during the reign of King Mongyamba after a monster was killed by fire. The animal was later constructed by following kings Bheigyachandra, Chourajit, Narsingh, and Chandrakirti.

After the British destroyed the animal during their colonial rule, two different pictures of the animal were found. In one picture, the animal stick out its tongue and another picture is the present image of the animal.

He added that the present structure of the animal was built by Department of Archaeology according to the picture captured by the British. The prop in the mouth of Kangla Sha is not Kaba Khanba but to support the jaws from any future damages. The animal was known as Lion. Later it was called Kangla Sha as the animal was built inside the Kangla. He stated that the animal was not real, it was first built by the Khagis.

Many historians and experts are of the view that the animal was not really present in the land. It was found in historical books that the lion-like structure signifying the quality, bravery and power of the people of the land was built by King Chourajit in 1804 and again built by King Narsingh after the seven years devastation.

Rajya Sabha member Leisemba Sanajaoba, who was present during the ceremony, said that it is believed that the mythical creature protects the land and people have been worshipping it since time immemorial.

Because of the two rods, Kanglasha's mouth remained open as if it could not be closed. And people worried and felt sad about it. Many approached the state government for the last few years and it has been consulting with experts, he added.

MP Leisemba Sanajaoba also said that the two rods were originally placed due to lack of strong materials or techniques to support the opening of the mouth. So it was decided that there was no harm in removing it, he added. He believed, the Kangla Sha will protect the people from any unforeseen danger.

See a photo gallery of Kanglasha Kaba Khanba here