Rengkai

Rengkai is one of the constituent "villages" of what is normally called the "Churachandpur town" in Manipur, India. The Census of India tabulates Rengkai as a "town" based on its clear urban characteristics. It is also the largest such town with a population of over 8,000 people.

Geography

Rengkai is to the southeast of the town centre of Churachandpur, spanning both the banks of the Khuga River. The town centre being the junction of Tedim Road and Tipaimukh Road, a road to the east leading to Sugnu also emanates from the same junction. The Sugnu Road is also called Rengkai Road within the Churachandpur town. It crosses the Khuga River inside Rengkai via the "Rengkai Bridge".

To the west of Rengkai is Simveng, to the northeast is Muol-Vaiphei, and to the south is New Lamka. The town is nestled alongside the Khuga River, characterized by a generally flat terrain with hills in the vicinity. Sitting at an elevation of 914 meters (2,999 feet) above sea level, the Muolhlum Hill stands as the principal elevation within the town. The topography gradually slopes downward towards Zote Veng in the eastern part of the town.

The Khuga River is locally known as "Tuithapui".

Localities

Rengkai is divided into 18 localities constituting a group of houses. Some of these localities vary in size and population. The 18 divisions of Rengkai based on localities are:

History

The Rengkai village is said to have been founded in 1938 by the Hmar community. The first village chief was Kailien.
It was listed among the hill villages of the Churachandpur Circle in the schedule to the Hill Peoples (Administration) Regulation, 1947.

In 1956, the village came under a Village Authority, with the village chief acting as its chairman.

Schools

* Rengkai Higher Secondary School
* The Pathway School
* Douglas Memorial High School

Churches

Rengkai being a Christian-dominant town, there is division based on the denomination of the Church. Classification of the Church is based on their beliefs. The different denominations present within the town are:
* Independent Church of India
The Independent Church of India, or the ICI, is an evangelical church, headquartered in Sielmat, Churachandpur, Manipur, with a mission to 'propagate the Gospel across the Indian sub-continent with a major emphasis on the North Eastern states of India'. It was founded by Watkin Roberts, a Welsh missionary on 5 February 1910 at Senvon village in the southern part of Manipur state, India and is an indigenous, self-supporting, self-propagating and self-governing evangelical church.

The ICI church in Rengkai promulgated at the time of the village's inception, where its initial church members consisted of 10 households with a total strength of 63. The church has now grown to more than 2000 members."Kohran Chanchin", ''A Souvernir of the Rengkai Platinum Jubilee 2013'', p-64

* United Pentecostal Church
* Wesleyan Methodist Church of East India
WMCEI in Rengkai was founded on 6 February 1989 with an initial 63 members from 10 households. The church has now grown to more than 500 members.
* Evangelical Assembly Church
Originally called North East India General Mission, the EAC at Rengkai was established on 1982. The total church members currently exceeds 700 in number.
* Evangelical Free Church of India
The EFCI in Rengkai was established on 3 June 1972. The number of members at present exceeds 1700.
* Rengkai Local Church
Housing more than 250 members, the church settled its name on 10 May 1998 after being previously known as AGMM.
* Assemblies of God Church
The AG Church was established in 1962 at Churachandpur, Manipur.
* Lalsungkuo Unity Church
Established on 29 September 1998, the church is located at Muolhlum, Rengkai with total members greater than 200.
* Reformed Presbyterian Church
RPC church was established at Edenthar, Rengkai by Rev. K. Sanga on 23 April 2003. Now the church houses more than 400 members.
* World Missionary Evangelism
WME church was established on 15 February 1985 with 50 members at the time. Now it holds more than 100 members.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* {{citation , title=Churachandpur District Census Handbook , publisher=Directorate of Census Operations, Manipur , year=2011 , url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/846/download/36252/DH_2011_1403_PART_A_DCHB_CHURACHANDPUR.pdf , ref={{sfnref, Churachandpur District Census Handbook, 2011

External links

Map of Lamka Block
Manipur Remote Sensing Applications Centre, retrieved 8 November 2024.

Cities and towns in Churachandpur district