Imphal City is the capital of the Indian state of Manipur.
In the heart of the town and surrounded by a moat, are the ruins of the old Palace of Kangla. Kangla Fort used to be the home of the paramilitary force, the Assam Rifles, until November 2004 when it was handed over to the state of Manipur by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Another place of historical interest is the Polo Ground, which is the oldest existing polo ground in the world. Near the Polo Ground is the Manipur State Museum, which has a collection of old artifacts and pictures depicting the history of Manipur. 'Ima Keithel' at Khwairamband Bazar is the only market in the world where, as the name suggests (Ima-Mother, Keithel-Market), all the stalls are run by women.
In 1944 during World War II the Battle of Imphal, along with the simultaneous Battle of Kohima, was the turning point in the Burma Campaign. For the first time in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II the Japanese lost the initiative to the Allies, who retained it until the end of the war.
On 18 June 1997, the Imphal district was split into Imphal East and Imphal West
