The Imphal Peace Museum (IPM) (, ) is a World War II museum at the foothills of the Red Hills ( Maibam Lotpa Ching) in

Manipur Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...

, India. It is a living memory of the

Battle of Imphal The Battle of Imphal () took place in the region around the city of Imphal, the capital of the state of Manipur in Northeast India from March until July 1944. Empire of Japan, Japanese armies attempted to destroy the Allied forces at Imphal and ...

(Anglo-Japanese war) and other World War II battles (March–July 1944) fought in Manipur. It is supported by the non profit grant making

Nippon Foundation of Tokyo, Japan, is a private, non-profit grant-making organization. It was established in 1962 by Ryōichi Sasakawa. The foundation's mission is to direct Japanese motorboat racing revenue into philanthropic activities, it uses this money t ...

(TNF), collaborating with the 2nd World War Imphal Campaign Foundation, Manipur Tourism Forum and the

Government of Manipur The Government of Manipur (; /mə.ni.pur lə́i.ŋak/), also known as the State Government of Manipur, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Manipur and its 16 districts. It consists of an ex ...

. Notably, in a poll conducted by the British

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bod ...

, the

and

Kohima Kohima (; Tenyidie: Kewhira ()) is the capital of the North East Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Kohima constitutes both a district and a municipality. The m ...

was bestowed as Britain's Greatest Battle. Imphal Peace Museum is the winner of India's Best Design Award in the year 2019. One of the main attractions to the museum is the display of the

Japanese calligraphy , also called , is a form of calligraphy, or artistic writing, of the Japanese language. Japanese writing system, Written Japanese was originally based on Man'yōgana, Chinese characters only, but the advent of the hiragana and katakana Japane ...

of the word "平和" ("Heiwa") () by

Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...

, the then

prime minister of Japan The is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self-Defense Force ...

History

The Imphal Peace Museum (IPM) () was founded in the year 2019 on the 75th anniversary of the

. Former British and Japanese adversaries were present in the inaugural event of the museum.

Dominic Asquith Sir Dominic Anthony Gerard Asquith (born 7 February 1957) is a British career diplomat and former Ambassador to Iraq, Egypt, and Libya. He was First Secretary at the British Embassy in Washington DC. He was most recently the British High Com ...

, the British High Commissioner to India, and Kenji Hiramatsu, Japanese ambassador to India, attended the opening of the museum. Imphal Peace Museum interior and exhibitions designs are one of the best works done by International Award-winning designer Suresh Huidrom (Principal Designer - Huidrom Design Studio). In 2019, the Imphal Peace Museum won India's Best Design Award for the Creativity and Innovative Interior Design. In 2021, the museum represented India at the Muse Design Awards 2021,

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In the event, the museum won Silver Medal in the field of Interior Design. In the same year, the museum was nominated finalist at the Society of British International Interior Design Award 2021 for the Best Interior Design in Public Space. It also got Honorary Mention at Singapore Interior Design Award 2021, Singapore and the Most Creative Interior Design of the Year 2021 by the Global Architect and Builder Awards 2021.

Exhibitions

The Imphal Peace Museum has three sections.

First Section

The first section exhibits a timeline of the

. The names of the casualties in the war are also shown. The names of the people of Manipur who joined the

Indian National Army The Indian National Army (INA, sometimes Second INA; ''Azad Hind Fauj'' ; 'Free Indian Army') was a Empire of Japan, Japanese-allied and -supported armed force constituted in Southeast Asia during World War II and led by Indian Nationalism#An ...

(INA) are also featured. The displaying war artefacts include

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

shells collected by the local people. There are also photographs of personal notes and the uniform of a Japanese soldier shown.

Second section

The second section shows the scenarios after the

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It highlights the impact of the war and the process of recovery. Early television sets, photographs and cameras are also displayed.

Third section

The third section displays the art and culture of Manipur. These are shown in the forms of photographs, audiovisual features and still models.

Accolades

References

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