Huiyen Langlon consists of two main subforms: Thang-Ta (armed combat) and Sarit Sarak (unarmed fighting).

Because of Manipur's cultural similarity and geographical proximity with Myanmar, huyen langlon is closely related to Burmese bando and banshay.

[6] Before their integration into a single unified Meitei community, these clans each ruled separate principalities over which they fought amongst each other.

The warrior queen Linthoingambi successfully defeated raiding Tangkhul tribesmen while the king was absent.

Her husband Meidingu Ningthou Khomba took advantage of his highly trained warriors and expanded the kingdom's territory.

Their son Meidingu Senbi Kiyamba, an expert with the spear, eventually went on to conquer the Shan kingdom of Kyang.

His warriors fought Tripura and the Burmese kingdom of Awa, expanding Meitei rule as far as Cachar.

As muskets were not widely available, swords and spears remained the primary weapons of both the Burmese and Meitei armies.

From 1891 to 1947 British colonists prohibited martial arts, the possession of weapons, duels to the death, and other violent customs among India's indigenous populations.

In 2009 Gurumayum Gourakishor Sharma, a leading exponent and teacher of huyen langlon, received the high Padma Shri award from the Indian Government for his contributions to the preservation and advancement of the art.

[9][10] The biggest training school is the Huyen Langlon Thang-Ta Academy which holds demonstrations at cultural shows.

As in all Indian martial arts, training begins with stepping patterns and then basic sword strikes.

At higher levels, exponents slice pieces of watermelons on a person's body without causing any injury.

Bare-handed techniques (sarit sarak or sharit sharak) are only taught when a student has gained competence in armed fighting.

In phunaba ama, competitors wield a two-foot leather-encased cheibi (cudgel) paired with a leather chungoi (shield) measuring one feet in diameter.