Context: The Shirui Lily Festival commenced in Shirui Village, Ukhrul district, Manipur after a two-years pause due to the long-drawn ethnic conflict in the state.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Shirui Lily Festival.
About Shirui Lily Festival
- Annual cultural state festival of Manipur organised by the Manipur Tourism Department.
- Initially, the festival was celebrated by the locals of Shirui village to pay tribute to the state flower Shirui Lily. Since 2017, it has been declared as a state festival by the state government of Manipur.
- It is designed as an eco-tourism festival to raise awareness about the Shirui Lily and to promote tourism to the hills of Ukhrul.
- The festival includes cultural performances, music concerts, beauty pageant, trash collection marathon etc.
Shirui Lily
- The Shirui Lily is a rare endemic species found only on the upper reaches of the Shirui Hill range in Manipur.
- IUCN status: Endangered.
- Threats: Changing climatic conditions, human encroachment and exploitation of natural resources, habitat invasion by the dense root system of a wild dwarf bamboo species.
Also Read: What Manipur Needs?