Imphal sits in a wide, green valley surrounded by blue-grey hills on all sides, the capital of Manipur and the gateway to India's far northeast. This is not a city that gets many foreign visitors, and that is part of its appeal. The pace is unhurried, the culture is distinctly different from mainland India, and the landscape is extraordinary.
The city revolves around the Ima Keithel, or Mothers' Market, one of the largest all-women markets in the world. Over three thousand women run stalls selling everything from fresh fish and vegetables to handwoven textiles. It is one of the most remarkable markets in Asia and reason enough to visit.
Manipur has a fierce independent streak. Kangla Fort and the Shree Govindajee Temple next to the old palace ruins speak to the city's pre-colonial grandeur, while the WWII cemeteries on the outskirts are a sobering reminder that some of the war's most brutal fighting took place in these hills. The Imphal War Cemetery holds nearly 1,600 graves from the 1944 battle that turned back the Japanese advance into India.
Beyond the city, Loktak Lake is the real draw. The largest freshwater lake in northeast India, it is home to Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating national park in the world and the last refuge of the endangered sangai deer. The lake, with its floating islands of vegetation called phumdis, is unlike anything you will see elsewhere in India.
Getting here takes some effort. Imphal has a small airport with connections to Delhi and Kolkata via Guwahati, and the nearest railway station is over 200 kilometres away in Dimapur. But that remoteness is precisely what has kept Manipur so distinctive.