Nearly 70% of Manipur’s land area are forested hills. These are a habitat for many rare birds, but also other rare animals and plants. Gibbons, Clouded Leopards and the majestic Hornbill birds roam these forests, and around 500 species of orchids can be found here. On Loktak Lake you can find the only floating National Park in the world, home of the extremely rare Sangai, the dancing deer.

Manipur is home to many tribes with very distinct cultures, traditions and beliefs. The largest ethnic group is the Meitei, who are of neo-Vaishnavite faith. Manipuris claim to have invented Polo, and are also wellknown for traditional dances that hold great significance on the cultural map of India, and delicious, spicy food.

Festivals throughout the year are observed with great zeal, and are characterized by the traditional dances, drinks and merrymaking.

All foreign tourists to Manipur require a Restricted Area permit (RAP) from the Ministry of Home Affairs. These permits are also issued by Indian Missions abroad, Foreign Regional Registration office (FRRO) in Mumbai and Kolkata, Immigration office in Chennai and the Home Commissioner, Govt. of Manipur, Imphal.

Header image taken from Flickr CC, courtesy of fixing-shadows.