Phungcham is a village located north of

Ukhrul Ukhrul/Hunphun ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˈuːkˌɹəl or ˈuːkˌɹʊl/) is a town in the state of Manipur, India. Ukhrul is the home of the Tangkhul Nagas. It is the administrative headquarter of the Ukhrul district Ukhrul district ( Meitei ...

Ukhrul district Ukhrul district ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˈuːkˌɹəl or ˈuːkˌɹʊl/) is an administrative district of the state of Manipur in India with its headquarters at Ukhrul, that is Hunphun. The district occupies the north-eastern corner of the sta ...

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of ...

state, India. The village is approximately 28 kilometers from Ukhrul and is connected by inter village road constructed under

PMGSY The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) () is a nationwide plan in India to provide good all-weather road connectivity to unconnected villages. Of 178,000 (1.7 lakh) habitations with a population of above 500 in the plains and above 250 i ...

. Phungcham is flanked by

Longpi Longpi (pronounced "long-pee") is a general reference to two villages (Longpi Kajui and Longpi Khullen) in the Ukhrul District of the Indian state of Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of ...

and

Lunghar Lunghar village is located north of Ukhrul in Ukhrul district, Manipur state, India. Lunghar villagers call Lunghar as Lunghir, Lunghar village is very fertile and rich in vegetation and fruits. People all around the Manipur are enchanted by the ...

in the east, Peh in the north, Ukhrul and Halang in the south and Talui in the west. Phungcham

Population

As per 2011 census, the village has a total of 762 houses with 4041 persons of which 2022 are male while 2019 are female. Of the total population, 753 are in the age group of 0–6 years. The average sex ratio of the village is 814 female per 1000 male which is lower than the state's average of 930. The literacy rate of the village is 85.81%. Male literacy rate stands at 85.81% and female literacy rate was 75.01%.

Origin

The term ''Phungcham'' means old settlement in Tangkhul dialect. It is evident in the name of the village (Phungcham, meaning old settlement) itself and various historical places like 'Long-Ngathan' and 'Long-Ngasam' that the Tangkhul people dispersed from this village to their present settlements. It is considered as one of the oldest villages in

. The village has places called ''Longathan'' (group dispersement spot), ''Longngasam'' (group resting spot), etc., to substantiate this claim. The people of Phungcham speaks local dialect called 'Phungchamtui' which many believed is the origin of many of the commonly spoken language among the Tangkhuls called 'Tangkhultui'. Shimreishang and Maitonphi, the protagonists in the famous Tangkhul romantic folk tale were from this village. The epic love story of Shimreishang and Maitonphi has a typical tragic ending with Maitonphi being married off to Pansa (Falingwo) Vasah, Faling village chief in secret. Shimreishang was grief-stricken and died after getting the chance to bid goodbye to Maitonphi. Maitonphi also died shortly after. However, substantiating the Tangkhuls belief of life after death; the two lovers are believed to be re-united in the after life called as ''Kazeiram'' in Tangkhul dialect. Lengthui, a legendary prankster whose adventures exist as folk tales among the Tangkhuls also hails from Phungcham.

People

The village is home to people of Tangkhul Naga tribe. The inhabitants are 100% Christians. Agriculture is the primary occupation of the inhabitants. The village is well known in the district for its scenic beauty and the significance of its contribution to the history and

folk culture Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...

of the Tangkhuls.

References

{{Ukhrul district Villages in Ukhrul district