Vegetation in the sacred groves is protected and conserved because of religious beliefs and cultural practices of local people. Regeneration of species in the groves is largely influenced by micro-climatic conditions. Differences in growth response of nine tree species in terms of relative growth rate for height (RGRH) and relative total leaf area (RGRA) were studied in the gaps and understorey of the four selected sacred groves of Manipur, Northeast India. Seedling survival, RGRH and RGRA were higher in the gaps than in the understorey. This clearly indicates that tree species differ in their response to light environment and the growth of seedlings was influenced by canopy openness. Seedling mortality was greater during February and lower during June, which is a wet month in Manipur. RGRH and RGRA revealed interaction of season and attained the higher relative growth rates during the wet and moist season (summer season) and lower rates during the cool and dry period (winter season), while temporal changes are caused by physiological parameters. Progressive increase in growth rates during the wet season may be attributed to the increased availability of nutrients due to rapid decomposition of litter on the forest floor and also to higher moisture content of the soil during the summer season experiencing rainfall. Peak seedling growth during the rainy season in all the species could be attributed to favourable temperature and soil moisture conditions. Results of the study indicate better growth and survival of species in the gaps than the understorey. Variation in height growth and leaf area of the seedlings of different species may be partly responsible for the difference in growth behaviour and species-specific attributes for efficient utilization of resources under a given set of environmental conditions.