Manipur, located in a lush green corner of North East India, is an oval shaped valley surrounded by nine ranges of bluish green hills intertwined with cascading rapids, carpets of flowers and lazy lakes. Blessed with an amazing variety of flora and fauna, over two–thirds of the geographical areas of Manipur are hill tract covered with lush green forests. In addition to vast tracts of bamboo forests, Manipur also has alpine forests dotted with pines, grasslands and meadows at Dzuko. Some of the most beautiful and precious blooms of Siroi and other colourful orchids abound in their natural habitat in these forests. About 500 varieties of orchids grow in Manipur out of which 472 have been identified. The Hoolock Gibbon, Slow Loris, spotted Linshang, Mrs. Hume’s Barbacked pheasant, Blyth’s Tragopan and Hornbills form only a part of the rich natural heritage of Manipur.
In Manipur, all rivers and rivulets, except for a handful converge and meet at the Loktak Lake. Loktak is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India and is home to a diverse range of aquatic plants and animals.
This lake is a unique tourism destination, offering visitors excellent opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the lake and its several islands of floating “phumdis” of different geometrical shapes. Loktak is also called the only floating lake in the world due to these floating phumdis. Phumdis are a mass of vegetation, soil and other organic matter that accumulate over a period of time that resemble a landmass that float freely in the lake. The largest floating island covers an area of 40 sq. km. and constitutes the world’s only floating park, Keibul Lamjao National Park. The Sendra Tourist Home itself is located on a large Phumdi in Loktak Lake.
This ancient lake plays an important role in the economy of Manipur. It is considered to be the lifeline for the people of Manipur due to its importance in their socio-economic and cultural life, besides influencing the climate of the State. It serves as a source of water for hydropower generation, irrigation and drinking water supply. The lake is also a source of livelihood for the rural fisherman who live in the surrounding areas and on phumdis by constructing khangpok (huts).
Loktak lake has a rich biodiversity with 233 species of aquatic plants. More than a hundred species of birds live in the lake, and 425 species of animals including rare animals such as the Indian python, sambhar and barking deer.
Considering the ecological status and its biodiversity values, the lake was initially designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on March 23, 1990 and later in 1993 under the Montreux Record
Over the past years the lake has shrunk considerably because of human encroachment and the Phumdis filling up the lake. An initiative was taken by the government to save the lake and conserve the unique biodiversity. The phumdis is one of the major threats to the lake. The growth of phumdis blocks the sunlight falling on the lake and thus affects the fishes in the wetlands.
The floating park, Keibul Lamjao National Park is home to the Manipur Eld’s Deer or Sangai also called the Dancing Deer, which has been listed as an endangered species by International Union for Consevation of Nature. This park which was initially declared as a Sanctuary in 1966 was subsequently declared as a National Park in 1977. This national park is always worth a visit because of Sangai, which was once thought to be extinct and for which the park was made. The Manipur Tourism Festival has been renamed Manipur Sangai Festival to showcase the uniqueness of the shy and gentle Brow-Antlered Deer popularly known as the Sangai Deer
Manipur is a little paradise on Earth with her rich cultural heritage and sublime natural beauty. Contact Road2Travel for more…..