Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya is organising ‘Lai Haraoba festival’ at its premises. Ritual artists came from Manipur they performed last day’s pooja in the Umang Lai Sacred Grove open-air exhibition. According to N Sakamacha Singh (Museum Associate, IGRMS) said that the morning ritual commence as usual by the awakening of the deity by singing Yakairol.

Offerings are made for the Lairoi (farewell ritual).

This includes offering of Shareng (a species of sacred white fish) to the deity. Saroi Khangba ritual is then performed to give share of offering to the spirits responsible for ill ailments and it is followed by an invocation ritual by the Amaibi (Laimang Phamba) in which the priestess as a medium conveys the messages of the deity to the people.

The day of farewell commences with important ceremonies in the evening which includes Jagoi Okpa (offering of dance), Laibou Chongba (appeasement ritual), Thang Thaba (sword dance) in which one maibi (priest) holds two swords and another use the two flags. Fire is kept burning in four directions to invoke the four guardian deities. In this ritual, Lairel Mathek (serpentine moves) and Hakchang saba (creation of human anatomy) through the medium of dance gesture is presented.

The last day Lai Haraoba is believed to be incomplete without Tangkhul Thokpa (appearance of the Tangkhul tribe). It is a form of dance drama which describes the about an important deity Nongpok Ningthou (the deity of the eastern hills). It portrays the reconciliation of a quarrel over a piece of land through exchanges of romantic words with goddess Panthoibi and her inmates.