The Hijagang (Meitei pronunciation: hī-ja-gāng) is a boathouse inside the Kangla Fort in Imphal, India. It houses four traditional Meitei watercraft, including two hiyang hirens (Royal racing boats) and two tanna his (commoners' racing boats). According to Meitei religious beliefs, the hiyang hirens are used by the male ancestral deity () and female ancestral deity () and are sacred to the Meiteis, the major ethnic group of Manipur.
Construction and inauguration The construction of the Hijagang watercraft storage building started in the year 2010 and completed in the year 2013.
On 21 August 2013, with the performances of necessary religious rites and rituals by the and the in the early morning, the Hijagang was inaugurated by Okram Ibobi Singh, the then Chief Minister of Manipur, who was also the then President of "Kangla Fort Board".
Featuring watercrafts Crafting processes and inaugural According to RK Nimai, the then Commissioner of the Department of Arts and Culture, Government of Manipur, the two kinds of watercrafts were made from special kind of trees brought from Khamsom village in Senapati district of Manipur. The crafting processes were initiated in Khamsom in the year 2007. Later, the woods for crafting the Hiyang Hirens were brought to the Kangla on 6 June 2007, with the work of sculpturing getting commenced 2 days later. The watercrafts were made by a four-member team under the leadership of craftsman L. Thoiba. Later, the watercrafts were inaugurated on 19 February 2010 (3 years before the completion of the building construction). Crafting materials used The hiyang hiren are made of uningthou and the tanna hi of tairen.
Lengths, widths and heights Types of Watercrafts Length Width Height Reference(s) Hiyang Hiren of Ibudhou 64.2 feet 36 inches 63 inches Hiyang Hiren of Ibendhou 60 feet 35 inches 57 inches 1st "Tanna Hee" 52 feet 31.5 inches 2nd "Tanna Hee" 51 feet 31 inches
See also Hiyang Hiren Hiyang Tannaba Heikru Hidongba Kangla Sanathong Statue of Meidingu Nara Singh Manipur State Museum
Notes
References
External links
Hijagang at e-pao.net Gallery