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Sangai Festival – The 10 Day Cultural Fest of Manipur

An insight into Sangai Festival of Manipur.

By Siji Ram

Manipur is one of the states in North Eastern India that is known for its culture and tradition. As a part of promoting Manipur as a world class tourist destination, the state celebrates Sangai Festival, which is organised by Manipur Tourism Department.

The rich culture and heritage of the state is exposed during this 10-day long event held in Imphal, making its mark significant on the world tourism map.

sangai

Photo Courtesy: Official site

The festival is conducted from 21st to 30th of November every year. This cultural extravaganza portrays the various forms of art, tradition and culture of Manipur, was earlier named as Manipur Festival. The festival got its new name in 2010, to promote the state animal, Sangai deer.

The events held during the festival is a blend of music, dance and other traditional forms of art that are unique to the state. The events range from dance and music shows held by various organisations within the state, a display of handlooms and handicrafts, a peep into the ethnic sports and the cuisine of the state.

sangai

Photo Courtesy: Official site

Though the main centre of events has been Imphal, the festivities take place all over Manipur. The cultural events in Imphal are held at BOAT, a mini stadium here. During these days, stalls serving Manipuri delicacies are opened at the venue premises.

Some of the main events of the cultural fest include traditional polo that originated here, the traditional boat race, Ras-leela dance, Pung Cholom, Manipuri dance, Nata Sankirtana and adventure sports like power paragliding.

Sangai

Photo Courtesy: Official site

Apart from the performers from Manipur, several artists from other states and even countries like Thailand and Myanmar also take part, making it a great event to be experienced at least once in a lifetime.

The events outside Imphal include trekking, fashion shows and rock shows which make this a globally appealing festival.

sangai

Photo Courtesy: Official site

Reaching Manipur

Imphal is easily connected by road to the neighbouring states like Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh. There is no railway station in Manipur, and the nearest railhead is at Dimapur in Nagaland which is around 215km from Imphal. There are bi-weekly flights from Delhi to Imphal, the airport here being the Imphal International Airport, making it easy for air travel as well.

Travel to the cultural land of Manipur this month to experience one of the grand festivals happening around the world!

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