The Shirui Lily Festival, named after a rare flower that grows on one hill, is an annual festival of which state?

The Shirui Lily Festival is an annual state festival of Manipur, held in the Ukhrul district, in the north-east of the state. It is organised by the Manipur Tourism Department, usually in May, when the Shirui lily is in bloom.

The festival is named after the Shirui lily (Lilium mackliniae), a rare and beautiful flower with pale pink or bell-shaped white petals. It is found naturally only on the slopes of the Shirui Kashung (Shirui hill) in the Ukhrul district, at a height of about 1,700 to 2,500 metres. It blooms during the monsoon months of May and June. The flower was discovered by the British botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward in 1946 and named after his wife, Jean Macklin. It is the state flower of Manipur. The Shirui lily is an endangered species, and attempts to grow it elsewhere have generally failed. The festival aims to raise awareness about its conservation and to promote tourism in the region.

The Ukhrul district is the homeland of the Tangkhul Naga tribe, and the festival showcases their culture. It includes performances of traditional Tangkhul dances and music, displays of handloom and handicrafts, local food, adventure sports, music concerts, beauty pageants and trekking to the Shirui hill to see the lilies. Among the Tangkhuls, there is a tradition that the Shirui lily is protected by a goddess, and the flower is greatly respected.

Other festivals of Manipur include the Sangai Festival (named after the brow-antlered deer, in November), Lai Haraoba, Yaoshang, Cheiraoba, Kut and Lui-Ngai-Ni. Manipur's state animal is the Sangai, and its state bird is the Nongin (Mrs. Hume's pheasant).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Nagaland holds the Hornbill Festival.
• ✗Meghalaya holds festivals such as Wangala and Shad Suk Mynsiem.
• ✗Arunachal Pradesh holds festivals such as the Siang River Festival.