The Sirui Lily is Manipur's
unique gift to the floral wealth of the world. This delicate and lovely flower
has been growing since time immemorial on the high altitude of Shirui Hills in
Ukhrul district and is locally known as Kashong
Timrawon in the tangkhul dialect. this lovely flower was first discovered
by F. Kingdon Ward in the 1940s. it was througt his efforts that the world at
large came to know about the unique flower.
Shirui Lily Photo
The
Shirui Lily Uniqueness lies in the fact that it refuses to grow and flourish
anywhere except in its native habitat the Shirui Hills. it is mystery, as well
as a challenge, to the scientists and horticulturists, why this flower cannot
be grown outside the climate and ecosystem of the shirui Hills. Attempts to
plant it elswhere, even within Manipur, have been made, but the flower seems to
refuse to grow and live for any length of time away of its original habitat.
And so, to the world at large the Shirui Lily exists only in picture ad
records. If anyone wish to see it in all its glory and serence beauty, one has
to climb the high altitude of the Shirui Hills.
The
native habitate of the Shirui Lily is the high, lofty peaks of the Shirui hills
(at an altitude of about 8,500ft). The temperate forests at that altitude seem
to provide the ideal ecosystem for the shirui Lily which grow for about six
weeks each year, from the first week of May to the middle of June. the Lilly is
not the only flower that grow there. As a matter of fact, The Shirui Hills
constitute a home for a variety of lovely flower that grow there during
different parsts of the year. The flowering of the Shirui Lily, forexample, is
followed by the white summer flowers which bloom between June and August each
year and on the rocky slopes one can see flowering orchids. But it is the
Shirui Lily that, because of its beauty and unigueness, has caught the
imagination of people and special expeditions are organised to visit the shirui
Hills to see this rare lily. A member of one such expedition, when asked why he
decided to face all the hardship and rigour of climbing the shirui Hills,
"Because there is the Shirui Lily!"
Unfortunately,
like so much else that is beautiful in nature, the Shirui Lily has also been a
victim of human greed. A flower that once grew in hundreds and thousands in the
cool, serene temperature forests of the Shirui Hillshas now been reducd to a
mere few hundreds plants. Ironically, the destruction of this rare species of
the flowers was started by the habitants of Shirui Village. Little knowing of
the value and significance of the Lily, and spurred by the popularity of the
flower the tourists and visitors, out of ignorance or curiosity or sheer
mindlessness,plucked the lilies or uprooted its plants.
Mercifully,
all this has stoped now. In the last Ten years or so, the villagers have become
acutely aware of the value of the lily and have taken several measures to
safeguard this rare flower. they now zealously guard their floral wealth and
organise themselves into vigiland groups that patrol the Shirui Hills from May
to July to see to it that tourists or vandals do not pluck the flowers or
uproot the lily plants. heavy fines are imposed on those who are found trying
to destroy the Shirui lily. this is a fine example of people's action for
protection of nature in all its pristine beauty and the right step for the
preservation of this rare flower. Since the Shirui Lily grows and flowers only
in an ecosystem peculiar to the Shirui Hills, it is duty of the people of
Manipur and of Shirui in particular to protect and preserve the Shirui Lily.