Punshilok,an Enchanting place of Manipur

Today, I would like to share to you all about one of my favourite place in Manipur. I have already visited Punshilok twice. Whenever I go there, I am always fascinated and enchanted by its beauty. I have never seen such a beautiful place in my life. The green surrounding, the sound of birds chirping, the fresh wind blowing and the over all environment never stops attracting me. This pulls me more towards nature and I always have this eagerness of visiting this place again and again. 

Spending time in nature could improve one's physical and mental health, ward off illness and actually make one happier. As the Father of Western Medicine, Hippocrates, once said, "Nature itself is the best physician." Spending time in nature could lead to better sleep for people of all ages, the benefits seem to be most notable for men over the age of 65.  Nature relieves stress, anxiety and depression.

Punshilok is a green forest teeming with wildlife in Langol hill range, Imphal. This place is becoming one of tourists' attraction and also it holds some indigenous values. A great contribution could be mentioned about Moirangthem Loya and his friends' efforts to plant 300 acres of the barren area of the land into forest area. Punshilok was developed under an NGO called the Wildlife And Habitat Protection Society (WAHPS),2003.In the early days of its development, the NGO did not receive any kind of cooperation or help from the State Government or the Forest Department but this did not discourage any of its members. They continued developing the forest, planting of trees and providing habitat to a variety of wildlife. It took about 17 years to build up this green forest.

Students of schools and colleges have started to visit this place to learn about the place. Now, it has 200 varieties of plants and 20 varieties of bamboo. It also gives shelter to a variety of birds, snakes and animals. The literal meaning of Punshilok stands as "SPRING OF LIFE", punshi in Manipuri stands for life and lok as spring and so as the name. Before Punshilok became a forest, it was a hunting place for the people nearby. Now, it is under the Central Forest Division and is also considered as one of the reserved forest area in the state. A Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) has been formed which is responsible for selecting the plant species to be planted there and the JFMC also suggests physical and financial targets and also conducts awareness programs.

 Araangbi, my favourite dog is in guard of Punshilok. He seldom barks, he is a kind and loving dog. All visitors of Punshilok will know him. He is always ready to welcome everyone there. Since my childhood days, I have been seeing dogs and cats fighting and snatching over food. They fight and scratch whenever they meet each other. But, Araangbi has two cat buddies, they are much more than friends, they are a part of the Punshilok family. They care much for each other. I remember this saying, " Those who teach us the most about humanity aren't always humans."

Punshilok and its members always welcomes the visitors. They are very kind and are always ready to serve people with tea, snacks and food. I have enjoyed much there. I would highly recommend this place for all the adventurous people and the nature lovers. Nature never fails to fascinate people with its beauty.

I am planning to go there again with my friends and make memories with them. This time I have decided to spend a night there to know much about the place.

I have put some of my photo collections of my visit there.