AGARTALA, Jan 11 (TIWN): With the joint initiatives of the Puthiba Lai Haraoba Committee and the Information and Cultural Affairs Department on Sunday five days long ‘Lai Haraoba’ festival has been organized at Puthiba Temple.

The programme has been inaugurated by Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Bhanu Lal Saha, in the presence of MP Sankar Prasad Datta and others.

It is to be mentioned here that Lai Haraoba is a Manipuri festival, and is associated with Meiteis, celebrated to please traditional deities. Celebrated in honour of the sylvan deities known as Umang Lai, the festival represents the worship of traditional deities and ancestors.

However, Lai Haraoba means "merry making of the Gods.

The festival is in part a recollection of the creation stories played the deities with the first origin of this universe and evolution of the plants and animals through the will of Atiya Shidaba.

However, the origin of the festival is that the gods held the first Lai Haraoba on the Koubru hill, so that their descendants should imitate them and perform the same as it had been done by the deities so that they will never forget the secret and sacred story of the creation of this universe and the birth of the different lives on this earth.

However, the festival observes various cultural programme. Religion and cultural practices are closely linked with forests, and this helps in conservation.