File picture of visitors at the Kangla fort

Imphal, Sept. 30: It must have been a sight to behold ? valiant warriors on horseback, their swords drawn, charging at the invading army without any fear of the enemy?s superior weaponry. That was in 1891. Over a century later, Manipur is seeing its glorious history in a new light.

A light and sound spectacle modelled on the one at New Delhi?s Red Fort is expected to become a major attraction for visitors to the historical Kangla Fort, which was ceremonially returned to the people of the state only last year.

An official said the light and sound show would incorporate every aspect of the Anglo-Manipuri War in detail ? from the hoarse war cries and the boom of guns to the screams of the dying and injured. ?It will be close to the real war. Once the project materialises, visitors can get a feel of the war through sound and light effects inside the Kangla Fort. It could be one of our best tourism tools.?

Manipur was annexed by the British in April 1891, when the invading army entered the erstwhile princely state from what was then Burma and vanquished the Meitei king?s army at Khongjom. The Britishers captured the Kangla Fort, which was the seat of power and occupied it till they left Manipur in 1947.

Legend has it that the first Meitei king, Nongada Lairen Pakhangba, was coronated at Kangla.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh handed back the fort to the people of Manipur after nearly six decades of post-Independence occupation by the Assam Rifles.

The proposed light and sound show is part of a Rs 16-crore development plan for the Kangla Fort. The 11th Finance Commission has already sanctioned Rs 5 crore for renovation.

The Kangla Fort Board, which was constituted for the preservation and management of the monument, is scheduled to meet after chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh returns from New Delhi. The board will meet in the first week of October for a review of the renovation project.

Apart from reconstructing the Govindajee temple within the fort and building a new one dedicated to the local deity, Pakhangba, the various departments are engaged in beautifying the sprawling campus. The public health engineering department has been entrusted with the task of maintaining the Kangla moat and the sacred ponds.

Figures of fire-spewing dragons are being sculpted on the gates to the fort, while restoration of the southern wall is nearing completion. A 26-member group of workers from West Bengal has been engaged for the restoration project.

The government is toying with the idea of appointing a full-time director to oversee maintenance of the fort, sources said.