The Kangla Fort is one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in Manipur. A long line of Manipuri kings, starting from the mythical God-king Nongda Lairen Pakhangba in 33 A. D. to Maharaj Kulachandra in 1891 A. D. ruled Manipur from Kangla.
Consequent to the defeat of the Manipuris in the Anglo-Manipur War of 1891, The Kangla Fort was occupied by the British imperialist forces for more than a century. After independence the Assam Rifles occupied it until 2004.
In recent years the entire area of the Kangla, including the outer moat and Kekrupat, measuring 236.84 acres was declared as a protected area by the Government of Manipur in 1992 under the provision of “The Manipur Ancient and Historical Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1976”. The area as a whole is generally referred as the Kangla Fort.
