Thang ta Manipuri Martial Art displayed at the Nagaland Hornbill festival

Thangta or huyen lallong is a weaponbased Indian martial art created by the Meitei of Manipur. In the Manipuri language, thang means sword and ta means spear. As its name implies, the sword and spear are the primary weapons in thangta. The spear can be used in its nonmissile form while in close or thrown from afar. Other weapons used include the shield and axe. Because of Manipur s cultural similarity, geographic proximity and ethnic ties with Myanmar, thangta is closely related to banshay. Both can be