Khangabok is a village located about 25 km south of Imphal

Imphal

Imphal is the capital of the Indian state of Manipur.In the heart of the town and surrounded by a moat, are ruins of the old Palace of Kangla. Kangla Fort used to be the home of the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force and on November 2004 it was handed over to state of Manipur by Prime minister Dr....

, in the state of Manipur

Manipur

Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. Its jurisdiction falls under the Thoubal

Thoubal District

Thoubal district is one of the nine districts of Manipur state in northeastern India. This district is bounded by Senapati district on the north, Ukhrul and Chandel districts on the east, Churchandpur and Bishnupur districts on the south and Imphal West and Imphal East districts on the west. The...

 District Division. Khangabok is one of the largest villages in Manipur in terms of area coverage and total population.

The Meiteis are the only ethnic groups in the village. The language spoken is Meiteilon (also known as Manipuri), which is recognized as one of India's national languages in 1992.

Khangabok Info

District	Thoubal
State	Manipur
Assembly Constituency	Khangabok Assembly
Loksabha Constituency	Outer Manipur
Pin Code	795138
Phone Code	+91-3848
Population	8967 (Adult Population)
Area	NA
Sex Ratio	1146 Females/1000 Males
Literacy Rate	NA

History

Little is known about the history and origin of Khangabok. The excavation found underneath Khangabok Maisnam Leikai Boys' Primary School suggests that there could have been settlement as early as 100 AD. Researchers and scholars are studying into the past remains and artifacts to reveal and throw some lights into the history of Khangabok.

Myth

The myth surrounding the origin of the name "Khangabok" is that a long time ago there existed a (mythical) lake called the Ikop Pat (lake). It was very vast and the banks of this lake spread across acres of land during rainy seasons. Most of the agricultural areas near Ikop Pat were mostly covered under thick forest mainly consisting of a special kind of tree which could stay alive in deep water, and thus the trees were called Khangra (a tree which cannot be washed away by water). Gradually, as population increased in the early settlements around the lake, the Khangra were razed to make way for civilization. People from neighboring villages used to come to Khangabok and collect the fallen Khangra for firewood and building material. Gradually people started calling the place as Khangrapokpi (place where Khangra grows). With time, the word Khangrapokpi was shortened to Khangrabok, later to Khangabok. The name is sometimes misspelt as Khangbok, instead of Khangabok.

Economy

The main economy is the agriculture. The main agricultural products include rice, maize, various other green-leafy vegetables and fruits. Khangabok is also one of the largest producers of sugar crop in Manipur state.

Khangabok is famous for manufacturing and marketing handicrafts. Some of the native exotic handicrafts are bamboo baskets (thumuk) and harvesting mats (yenna phak) made from Arundo Donax (yengtou). Khangabok is famed throughout Manipur for kouna phak too. Kouna is also used to manufacture stool (mora), chair, mattress and various other crafts.

The only sugar factory of Manipur is located at Khangabok. Other economy comes from fishery, trade, handloom products etc.

Population

The detail Population of Khangabok as per the Voter-List available from Thoubal District database is given below. Please note that this figure does not cite the exact population of Khangabok since the voter list is only for age 18 and above.

Name of the Polling Station	Male Voter	Female Voter	Total
Khangabok Mayai Leikai Boys L.P. School	556	667	1223
Khangabok Khundol Primary School	307	344	651
Khangabok Maisnam Balika L.P. School	377	427	804
Monteshwari L.P. School	375	417	792
Khangabok Awang Boys L.P. School	270	343	613
Khangabok Mayai Girls L.P. School	580	704	1284
Khangabok High School	854	962	1816
Khangabok Maisnam Leikai L.P. School	859	925	1784
Total	4178	4789	8967

Geography, Vegetation and Climate

Khangabok is bounded in the north-west by Athokpam village, in the north-east by Charangpat village, in the east by Hayel-Labuk village, in the south by Wanjing village and Tentha village, and in the west by Ikop Pat (Lake). It lies between 24-55 North latitudes and 94-98 East longitudes. Khangabok represents the features of flat plain topography. The soil is of the type alluvium and contains small rock fragments, sand and sandy clay.

The rivers that run through Khangabok are Karong River, Arong River and Nongdambi River. The Ikop Pat, which is situated in the western side of Khangabok, is one of the largest lakes in Manipur.

The vegetation consists of a large variety of plants ranging from short and tall grasses, reeds and bamboos to trees of various species. Arundo Donax (yengtou), Leihao, Bamboo, Cane, Eucalyptus etc. are important forest resources growing in plenty.

The climate of Khangabok is largely influenced by the topography of the hilly region which defines the geography of Manipur. This village is blessed with a generally amiable climate though the winters can be a little chilly. The maximum temperature recorded in the summer months is around 32 degree Celsius. In winter the mercury often falls to sub zero temperature. The coldest month is in January and July experiences the maximum summer temperature. The weather remains bright and sunny without the scorch of the sun during the period from October to March. The village is also drenched in rains from the months of May and continues till the middle of October. The downpour ranges from light drizzles to heavy showers. The normal rainfall enriches the soil and helps in agricultural processes and irrigation.

The National Highway Number 39 which connects Numaligarh, Assam to the end of Indo-Myanmar Border runs through Khangabok.

Ikop Pat

The lake is situated in Khangabok, at a distance of about 40 km in the south-eastern direction of Imphal and is located at an altitude of 772 m above MSL is 7.5 m in length and 1.8 m in breadth during the rainy season. The surface area measures 13.5 sq km while the depths in the different areas range between 0.93 and 1.59 m. The depths have become much shallower currently. The volume of the lake is estimated as 0.013 cu m .The Lake is physiographically characterized by a saucer shaped basin with gentle slope and a much silted bottom.

The lake has been the life line of thousands of people of Khangabok as the source of fish. The Ikop Lake is currently under great human pressure due to heavy encroachments due to the development of farms by a number of fishing co-operative societies.

Physico-chemical analysis of the water samples from the lake reveal highly polluted condition. There occurs rise in the water temperature while the turbidity rate also stands high. The water in many areas is found to be highly acidic (pH-3.6) while in other areas high alkalinity (pH-9.3) has been noticed. Observation of high concentration of dissolved carbon dioxide coupled with lower values of dissolved oxygen in different seasons reveal the deteriorating quality of water.

The Ikop Pat is also a part of the famous epic play based on the legendary lovers-Khamba and Thoibi of Moirang. As the tale goes Ikop Pat is where Khamba nabbed a wild bull and pacified it into submission!

Excavation at Maisnam Leikai

The Department of Archaeology, Government of Manipur, carried out excavation at Khangabok with a view of ascertaining the cultural sequence and studying the ethno-archaeology of the site also called Morali Lampak, in the campus of Khangabok Maisnam Leikai Boys' Primary School.

Worker came across the site while leveling the mould for the school building. Many goods comprising beads, bronze rings and plates, bones, potsherds were recovered from burial graves. The excavation revealed only the secondary pot burials with fragments of skull and bone with one to three pots from each burial. In addition, pot of medium size covered with ring-footed bowls were also unearthed. At least four to six thin bronze plates were found with each burial, perhaps used in ceremonial offerings.

Education

Today Khangabok has become a major destination hub in Manipur for Pre-College Education, thanks to the many prominent schools being established in the village. Some of the schools in Khangabok are:

1. Amuba High School, B.P.O. Khangabok
2. K.M. Blooming English School, Khangabok,
3. Khangabok Cherapur High School, Khangabo Pt-II
4. Khangabok Govt. High School
5. Khangabok Pujari Girls’ High School
6. The New Public English School.
7. Khangabok Maisnam Leikai Boys' Primary School.
8. Kim Higher Secondary School.
9. I.S. English School.

Government

Khangabok houses many important government institutions such as

1. District General and Leprosy Hospital
2. Telephone Exchange
3. District Fishery Office
4. District Superintendent of Police HQ
5. District Civil Court
6. The only Sugar Factory of Manipur

Past and Present MLA

Member of the Legislative Assembly

A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....

s elected from Khangabok.

1. Thokchom Achouba Singh
2. Okram Ibobi Singh
   Okram Ibobi Singh
   Okram Ibobi Singh is the Chief Minister of the state of Manipur, India. He has held that position since 7 March 2002. He is a member of the Indian National Congress.-Early life:...
   
   
3. Laishram Yatra Singh
4. Okram Landoni Devi (Present)

Games and Sports

Main sport of the Khangabok are Football, Cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

, Kho Kho

Kho Kho

Kho Kho is an Indian and Pakistani sport played by teams of twelve players who try to avoid being touched by members of the opposing team, only 9 players of the team enter the field...

, Kabaddi

Kabaddi

Kabaddi is a South Asian team sport...

, Horse Racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

, Boxing

Boxing

Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

, Karate

Karate

is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...

, Tae Kwon Do, Mukna

Mukna

Mukna is a form of folk wrestling from the north-east Indian state of Manipur. It is popular in Imphal, Thoubal and Bishnupur. The game is generally played on the last day of the Lai Haraoba festival and is an intrinsic part of the ceremonial functions....

(indigenous wrestling) etc. Khangabok have produced many national level sportsmen in the field of Kho-Kho and Kabaddi. The Basu Ground is one of the most well-known sporting venues in Manipur. It has hosted Kho-Kho in the 5th National Games. It is also the ground where Devala Memorial Trophy (Cricket Trophy) is hosted annually in the month of January.

Sport and Social Clubs of Khangabok

1. BASU (Blooming Athletic And Sports Union)
2. MYC (Modern Youth Club)
3. SSYC (Seven Star Youth Club)
4. SWC (Social Welfare Club)

Indigenous Games

1. Cheitek Kotpi
2. Ka-chongbi
3. Three Kappi (various games of marbles.)
4. Espait Dampa
5. Jongki Monki Swai
6. Churupu and Meikhetupu
7. Marum Konbi
8. Khullokpi
9. Amangbi
10. Bol Thabi
11. Keku Lotpi
12. Football

External links

1. Subodh Thokchom
2. Khangabok on blog
3. E-pao
4. Thoubal District
5. Photos of Khangabok