| Sports Index |
| Traditional Games |
| Martial Arts |
| Popular Sports |
| Federation |
| Development |
| Awards |
| Home |
Hiyang Tannaba ( Boat Race )
Hiyang Tannaba or the boat race is extremely popular amongst the natives of Manipur, and happens to be a vital feature of one of their vibrant festivals, the Lai Haraoba festival. Mythology refers to a boat race between the Lainingthou and the Lairembi. This incident is re - enacted on the last day of the festival. The episode is known as hikaba. It is a seasonal game, and is only played by men. The boat is known as hee in the local language, and the oars are called nou.
Usually only two boats
participate in the contest, which are brilliantly adorned. Their length is
not fixed, and can carry as many sailors as they want, the minimum being 20.
Alongwith the boats, the sailors are also dressed in colourful traditional
garbs for easy identification. The captain positions himself at the bow of
his boat. The contest takes place in a moat, the judges placed at the
starting and finishing points, while groups of exuberant cheer - leaders
race along the banks goading their teams on. These morale - boosters, an
intrinsic part of the game, are known as hiban chenba or khongban
chenba in Manipuri.