Kang (Rath Yatra) : A Festival of Manipuri.

Manipur is a land of festival and there is no end to the festive seasons in Manipur. Then and there, with a lot of merriment and rejoicing is a part and parcel of the life of every one living in and traveling to Manipur. From all the festivals in Manipur, the Kang Festival in Manipur deserves a special place as it is one of the most important festivals of the people living in Manipur.

It can be rightly called as the "Rathayatra" of Manipur which mainly takes place in the Shree Shree Govindaji Temple. The Hindu Festival of Rata Jatra is celebrated in Manipur as the Kang Festival.

During the Kang festival, Lord Jagannath leaves his abode at the temple and travels in a chariot which is pulled by the devotees and the pilgrims. This chariot in which the Lord travels is called ‘Kang’ in Manipur. Pulling the ‘Kang’ of the Lord is considered to be of great honor and respect and thus the devotees and pilgrims compete with each other for the opportunity. 

The procession is accompanied with music of bells, gongs, drums,nahal and conch. There are offerings of barti,(which are short cotton wrapped cotton balls soaked in ghee), flowers and fruits which are arranged at the different localities. The devotees perform Kirtan ‘Khubakisei’ and there are community feasts arranged in the evenings. The celebrations for the Kang festival continue for 10 days with a lot of enthusiasm and fervor.

This hugely popular festival is celebrated by the people of Manipur for a span of ten days on the month of Ingen or in the months of June/July. It is believed by the locals that Lord Jagannath leaves his temple in a `rath` known as `kang` locally, which is pulled by pilgrims who view with another for this honor.