Manipuri style rugby played at Imphal

Manipur Yubi Lakpi has some prominent similarities to the game of rugby.

Yubi lakpi is a seven-a-side traditional football game played in Manipur, India, using a coconut, the game has some notable similarities to rugby. Despite these similarities, the name is not related to the game of rugby or Rugby School in England, it is in fact of Manipuri origin, and means literally "coconut snatching". Emma Levine, an English writer on little known Asian sports, speculates:

"Perhaps this was the root of modern rugby? Most Manipuris are quite adamant that the modern world 'stole' the idea from them and made it into rugby... this game, which has been around for centuries, is so similar to rugby, which evolved a great deal later, that it must be more than a coincidence."

However, traditional football games can be found in many parts of the world, e.g. marn grook in Australia, cuju in China and calcio Fiorentino in Italy and Levine provides no documentary or material evidence of its antiquity.

The Sangai festival is an annual cultural festival organized by Manipur Tourism Department, and is generally held from November 21 to 30 each year. Even though many editions of this Festival have been celebrated over the past few years under the name of Tourism Festival, since 2010 is has been renamed as the Sangai Festival in honour of the shy and gentle Brow-antlered Deer popularly known as the Sangai Deer - the state animal of Manipur.

As this festival is being celebrated to promote Manipur as a world class tourism destination, it showcase the best of what the state has to offer to the world in terms of art and culture, handloom, handicrafts and fine arts, indigenous sports, cuisines, music, eco and adventure sports as well as the scenic natural beauty of the land of Manipur.

Source : Wikipedia

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