Every year the Government of Manipur, Spearheaded by the Tourism Department, celebrates the Manipur Sangai Festival from 21st to 30th of November. The ten-day long cultural extravaganza, known earlier as the Manipur Tourism Festival, was renamed Manipur 'Sangai Festival' earlier in 2010 to popularise 'Sangai' - a rare species of deer found in the state. It showcases the uniqueness of the shy and gentle Brow-Antlered Deer popularly known as the Sangai Deer which is found only in Manipur at the floating Keibul Lamjao National Park in Loktak Lake and to further promote Manipur as a world class tourism destination. Akin to a bowl-shaped valley surrounded by hills of the Sub-Himalayan ranges, Manipur has Nagaland in its north, Mizoram in its south and Assam in its West, while sharing common international border with Myanmar in the east.
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Main Entrance- Sangai Festival.[/caption][caption id="attachment_6120" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
Manipuri Dance - Ras Leela[/caption]
The Festival strives to showcase and promote the best of what the state has to offer to the world in terms of art and culture, handloom, handicrafts & fine arts, indigenous sports, cuisines & music, eco & adventure sports as well as the scenic natural beauty of the land. Moreover, the Festival has assumed great significance in recent years. Participation of various Indian States, foreign traders and cultural troupes in the Festival this year made it grander in scale and style. Further many entertaining items like Fashion Shows, Rock Shows, etc., are also held. The Festival is the right venue for innovative people with innovative ideas to meet on a common platform.
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Deep fried King Prawns.[/caption][caption id="attachment_6115" align="aligncenter" width="703"]
Barbecue Chicken and Pork.[/caption]
Participants from neighbouring Thailand and Myanmar also set up their food stalls and had a variety of products such as jewellery and accessories on display. A wide range of adventure activities were a major attraction for the children and adults alike. The visitors also got a chance to savor a variety of indigenous food. In the evening, the Bheigyachandra Open Air Theatre was jam-packed as visitors throng
