Sangai festival ( mni, Sangai Kumhei) is an annual cultural festival organised by

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 ...

Tourism Department every year from 21 to 30 November. Even though many editions of this Festival has been celebrated over the past few years with the name of ''Tourism Festival'', since 2010 this has been renamed as the ''Sangai Festival'' to stage the uniqueness of the shy and gentle brow-antlered deer popularly known as the

Sangai The sangai ( Meitei pronunciation: /sə.ŋai/) is an endemic and endangered subspecies of Eld's deer found only in Manipur, India. It is also the state animal of Manipur. Its common English name is Manipur brow-antlered deer or Eld's deer and the ...

, a regional name given to this rare species of deer. It is the state animal of

. As this festival is being celebrated to promote Manipur as a world class tourism destination, it showcases the states contributions to art and culture,

handloom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but t ...

handicraft A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

s, fine arts, indigenous sports, cuisine, music and adventure sports, as well as the natural environment. it is celebrated in different parts mainly in the valley areas of imphal. Many tourists come from all over the world and represent their craft making. Many people have also started to talk about the way Sangai festival is celebrated. They say that it should be celebrated only in one place with a proper arrangement and with big budget so that this festival grows more bigger and unique and spread all over the world.

Festival locations

Since 2017 onwards Sangai Festival events have been held at several different places: * Mao *

Ukhrul Ukhrul/Hunphun ( Meitei pronunciation:/ˈuːkˌɹəl or ˈuːkˌɹʊl/) is a town in the state of Manipur, India. Ukhrul is the home of the Tangkhul Nagas. It is the administrative headquarter of the Ukhrul district. There are also four sub-div ...

* Lamboikhongnangkhong, Uripok * Keibul Lamjao * Khuman Lampak * Hapta Kangjeibung.

Hapta Kangjeibung and Bhagyachandra Open Air Theatre (BOAT)

* Main venue of the 10 day long extravaganza. * Cultural Programmes are presented at (BOAT). * Food Court * Heritage Park * Closing ceremony

Loktak Lake

The principal attraction of the state is the

Loktak Lake , image = , caption = Different scenes of the Loktak lake of Manipur , alt = View of Loktak Lake and Phumdis , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Manipur , coords ...

in Bishnupur District which is 48 km from Imphal City and it is the largest fresh water lake in the North–East India. It is a stretch of water resembling a miniature inland sea. Visitors can catch a bird's eye view of the lake from Sendra. Fishermen living in floating islands called Phumdis in floating huts known as Phumsangs are sights of this lake. The Sendra Tourist Home with an attached cafeteria is a tourist spot. Boating and other water sports are organised here at Takmu Water Sports Complex.

Keibul Lamjao National Park

The only floating National Park in the world, the

Keibul Lamjao National Park The Keibul Lamjao National Park ( mni, Keibul Lamjao Leipakki Lampak) is a national park in the Bishnupur district of the state of Manipur in India. It is in area, the only floating park in the world, located in North East India, and an integ ...

located on the Loktak Lake is the last natural habitat of the "Sangai" (''Rucervus'' ''eldii'' ''eldii''), the dancing deer of Manipur. Other wildlife to be seen include: hog deer, otter, water fowl and migratory birds, the latter usually sighted during November to March. The Forest Department of Manipur maintains watch towers and two rest houses within the park. '' The Return of Sangai'', the documentary on

, endemic to

was released by the forest department of Manipur during the Sangai Festival 2017.

INA Martyrs' Memorial

This town in Bishnupur District of Moirang has a place in the history of India's Freedom Struggle. It was at Moirang that the flag of the Indian National Army was first unfurled on 14 April 1944. The INA Museum which has a collection of letters, photographs, badges of ranks and other war memorabilia reminds the visitors of the sacrifices made by the INA soldiers under the leadership of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.{{citation needed, date=December 2018

References

Cultural festivals in India Entertainment events in India Festivals in Manipur Meitei folklore in popular culture