Shirui Lily Festival 2027 – Manipur's Flower & Culture Festival

A flower found only here

The Shirui Lily grows in the wild only on the Shirui Kashong hills in Ukhrul, at roughly 1,700 to 2,600 metres. Nowhere else on Earth does it bloom naturally. The festival puts that rarity at the centre of the celebration and draws visitors up to see the flower in season.

Conservation and awareness

The lily is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List and features in the Red Data Book of Indian Plants. A core aim of the festival is to warn against picking the flowers and to fund and publicise efforts to save the species from habitat loss and over-collection.

Tangkhul Naga pride

Ukhrul is the homeland of the Tangkhul Naga people. The festival is a stage for their music, dance, weaving, crafts and cuisine, giving a community that sits far from India’s tourist trail a chance to share its heritage on its own terms.

Tourism for the hills

Declared a state festival in 2017, the event is part of Manipur Tourism’s push for responsible, sustainable travel to the eastern hills. It supports local homestays, guides, artisans and food vendors around Ukhrul.

Shirui Lily (Lilium mackliniae)

A nodding, bell-shaped lily with an ivory-to-pale-pink interior and a soft reddish-violet blush on the outside. It was collected in 1946 by the English botanist Frank Kingdon-Ward and formally described in 1949. He named it after his wife, Jean Macklin, who was with him in the field. It became Manipur’s state flower in 1989.

Shirui Kashong peak

Shirui Kashong is the high ridge above Shirui village, near Ukhrul town. The lily carpets its upper slopes for a few weeks each year at the start of the monsoon. The trek up to see it in flower is, for many visitors, the whole point of coming.

The 1948 London prize

In 1948 the flower won a Merit Award at a Royal Horticultural Society show in London, which brought it international attention. That recognition is part of why locals take such pride in it and why the festival treats the bloom as a point of honour for Manipur.

Smoked pork

Slow-smoked pork, often cooked with fermented bamboo shoot or dried chillies, is the signature dish of the hills and a fixture at every food stall.

Akhuni dishes

Akhuni, a pungent fermented soybean paste, flavours stews and side dishes. It gives Naga cooking its distinctive deep, savoury character.

Bamboo shoot curries

Fresh and fermented bamboo shoot appears in curries and chutneys, adding a sharp, sour note that balances the smoky meats.

Smoked and dried fish

Dried and smoked river fish, cooked simply with chillies and herbs, is another everyday hill dish you will find at the stalls.

Sticky rice & local greens

Steamed rice, foraged wild greens and boiled vegetables with a fiery chilli chutney round out most plates, eaten the plain, unfussy way of the hills.

Ukhrul town

Manipur’s highest hill station, about 83 km east of Imphal. It is the base town for the festival and for treks to the lily, with homestays and guesthouses that fill up during the event.

Shirui village

The village at the foot of Shirui Kashong, where the opening ceremony is often held. It is the starting point for the walk up to the flowering slopes.

Hungpung and festival grounds

Cultural events, competitions and stalls are spread across grounds near Ukhrul such as Hungpung and Phangrei, so plan for some travel between venues.

Reaching Ukhrul

Most visitors fly into Imphal, then drive roughly three to four hours up into the hills to Ukhrul. Some areas need an Inner Line Permit for non-Manipuri Indian travellers, so check the current rules before you go.