Sambal-Lei Sekpil is the world's tallest
topiary.
Created by Moirangthem Okendra Kumbi, it is modelled in the shape of a series of open umbrellas and spheres.
Okendra started mending the Sambal-Lei in 1983, originally planted by his sister in a small mustard oil can. Sambal-Lei is a flowering shrub use for fencing gardens in
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...
- ''Sambal'' means fencing and ''Lei'' means flower in
Meitei language
Meitei (), also known as Manipuri (, ), is a Tibeto-Burman language of north-eastern India. It is spoken by around 1.8 million people, predominantly in the state of Manipur, but also by smaller communities in the rest of the country and in pa ...
. ''Sekpil'' indicates the shape of the topiary and is derived from an ancient Meitei word for a decorative
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...
post with rounded structured cloths forming canopy in many stages. The sekpil, at present also called as "Shattra" is generally used in worship and festivals in Manipur.
Facts at a glance
* Botanical name: ''
Duranta repens
''Duranta erecta'' is a species of flowering shrub in the verbena family Verbenaceae, native from Mexico to South America and the Caribbean. It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical gardens throughout the world, ...
'' L.
* Cultivar: 'Variegata'.
* Common name: Sky Flower.
* Hindi name: ''Nilkanta''.
* Meitei name: ''Sambal-lei Mana Arangba''.
* Planting year: 1981.
* Experiment started year: 1983.
* National record (Limca Book of Records): 18 November 1992 (at the height of 6 m (20 ft), with 11 steps).
* World record (Guinness Book of Records): 26 November 1999 (at the height of 15 m (50 ft), with 35 steps).
* Present height: 40 ft., as of March 2014.
* Topiary steps: 44.
References
World's tallest topiary at Guinness Book of Records
{{coord missing, Manipur
Landscape architecture
Tourist attractions in Manipur