PM addresses Manipur Sangai Festival via video message

Tags: Festivals State News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Manipur Sangai Festival via video message on 30 November.

Important facts

• Every year the State of Manipur celebrates the “Manipur Sangai Festival” from 21st to 30th November.

• It started in the year 2010 and over the years has grown into a great platform to showcase the rich tradition and culture of Manipur to the world.

• The theme of the festival is “Festival of Oneness”. It promotes a sense of belonging and creates pride in ownership of land among people.

• The festival showcases the glorious cultural heritage of the state and the love for art that is inherent in the various tribes living in the state of Manipur.

• Manipur’s famous martial arts- Thang Ta (a combination Spear and Sword skills), Yubi-Lakpi (a game played with greased coconut like rugby), Mukna Kangjei (a game that combines hockey and wrestling), and Sagol Kangjei- Modern Polo (believed to have evolved in Manipur) were all form part of the festival.

• Celebrated as the grandest festival in the state, the Manipur Sangai Festival helps in promoting Manipur as a world-class tourist destination.

• The festival is named after the state animal, the Sangai, a deer found only in Manipur.

About Sangai Deer

• It is an endemic and endangered subspecies of brow-antlered deer found only in Manipur, India.

• It is found in its natural habitat only in Keibul Lamjao National Park, locally in the south eastern part of Loktak Lake.

• It is the state animal of Manipur. 

• IUCN status : Endangered