"Poubi Lai-The story of a Giant Python", a single object exhibition, was today opened for public today at National Museum here.
Mounted by Indira Gandhi Manav Sanghralaya (IGRMS), Bhopal in collaboration with National Museum, the pioneering sculpture of Manipur's Poubi Lai, a mythical reptile, will be exhibited for next 42 days.
"In the recent past, the government has been placing an emphasis on promoting the cultural heritage of the North East. With this exhibition, both IGRMS and National Museum have taken a step forward to support this cultural awareness in Delhi," Additional Secretary of Culture Ministry KK Mittal said after inaugurating the exhibition.
The major wooden artwork is only 12 years old but has earned a special place in the history of beliefs related to the 'horned python' that is integral to the age-old tradition of hilly Kangleipak region's Meitei-an ethnic group who speak a Sino-Tibetan language.
Conceived and chiseled by (late) wood-carver Karam Dineshwar Singh, who was one of the successors of the royal family-associated Karigar craftspeople, the 21-foot-long artwork found expression in 2002 from a dream he had of Poubi Lai one night. Completed in six months, the sculpture had its inaugural exhibition the same year at Manipur State Museum in the state capital of Imphal.
The work has also been exhibited in France earlier also.
