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About Kang

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About Kang

Kang is the Rath Yatra of Manipur. Kang means the chariot, and Kang Chingba means pulling the chariot. It begins on the same day as the Rath Yatra of Puri, in June or July, and has been kept by the Meitei people since the early 1800s.

The biggest Kang starts at the Shree Govindajee temple in Imphal. Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra ride a tall decorated chariot, and devotees pull it with ropes through the streets. Women in white and men in traditional dress walk with it, singing hymns and Jayadeva songs to the beat of drums and cymbals.

Every neighbourhood also builds its own small Kang. People line the road with lamps, flowers, fruits and offerings, and the deities stay in a Kang shrine for about nine days. Each night, devotees gather for prayers and a vegetarian feast.

The Kang days are also the season of Thabal Chongba, the moonlit dance in which young people hold hands and dance in a circle. The festival ends when the deities return to the temple, carried back with the same songs and joy.

How people celebrate Kang

  • Pulling the Kang chariot with ropes
  • Lamps, flowers and fruits along the way
  • Neighbourhood Kang shrines for nine days
  • Jayadeva songs and hymns with drums and cymbals
  • Evening prayers and shared vegetarian feasts
  • Thabal Chongba dances on moonlit nights

How to wish well

  • Wish Meitei friends on the first day, when the chariot rolls out, or during the nine days.
  • Mention the chariot, the lamps or the Kang feast to make it personal.
  • Keep wishes devout but warm; it is a joyful festival of faith.

Questions about Kang

When is Kang?

It begins on the day of Rath Yatra, Ashadha shukla dwitiya, in June or July, and lasts about nine days. The date for each year is shown on this page.

What does Kang Chingba mean?

Kang means chariot and chingba means pulling. Kang Chingba is the pulling of the chariot of Lord Jagannath.

Where is Kang celebrated?

Across the Imphal valley of Manipur, with the main chariot at the Shree Govindajee temple in Imphal and smaller Kangs in every locality.

How is Kang different from the Puri Rath Yatra?

It honours the same deities on the same day, but in Manipuri style, with neighbourhood chariots, Meitei hymns and Thabal Chongba dances at night.

What is Thabal Chongba?

A Manipuri folk dance in which young people hold hands and dance in a circle under the moon. It is popular during Kang and Yaosang.

What do you say on Kang?

Say "Happy Kang" or "Happy Kang Chingba", and wish someone the blessings of Lord Jagannath.

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