More than 1,500 Meitei devotees from across Manipur gathered at Selloi Langmaiching in Imphal East on Saturday, September 26, for the 32nd Langban Thanil Ipa Ipu Purol Taret-ki Looklen Katpa, an ancestral observance honouring and gratifying departed ancestors. Held at Divine Panthou’s Ishaikol Nung and organised by Ima Leishem Inat Loishang, the programme offered fruits and flowers to Purol Taret, the seven ancestral progenitors. Divine Panthou linked the ritual to Manipur’s Meitei identity, called for the preservation of Meiteilon and urged religious coexistence amid violence between Meiteis and Kukis.
During his address, Panthou said Langban connects the living with those who have departed and that ancestral souls are believed to return to the human world during the festival. Looklen Katpa, he explained, is more than a ritual offering: it allows descendants to remember their origins and resist the fading of names, memories and family connections. “Without Purol Taret, there can be no Sagei and Salai,” he said, referring to the ancestral lineages from which Meitei communities trace their identity.
The seven Salais are Mangang, Luwang, Khuman, Angom, Moirang, Khaba-Nganba and Sarang-Leishangthem. Panthou said offerings may be made for ancestors when families know their lineage, but the emphasis should be on sincere remembrance rather than an empty performance. He also stressed the preservation of Meiteilon because indigenous words carry the memory of indigenous religious practices. He distinguished Meitei ancestral offerings, including Hei-Soi and Lei-Soi, from tarpan, a Hindu practice.
Panthou maintained that preserving one tradition did not require denying another. Referring to the tradition that Lord Rama performed tarpan for King Dasharatha at the Falgu River in Gaya, he said each community should be free to honour its ancestors in its own language and tradition. Meiteis should likewise be free to observe practices associated with Ikon, the sacred pond at Selloi Langmaiching.
The address carried an urgent appeal for peace in Manipur. Panthou asked why people who profess faith should kill one another and said religious belief must restrain violence. “Do not kill people. Love people,” he told the gathering. He also said faith should not be used to destroy sacred spaces, suppress communities or force people to abandon their identities, declaring that one religion should not obstruct another.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/opinion/story/langban-and-the-memory-of-our-ancestors-divine-panthous-message-from-selloi-langmaiching-1455884-2026-09-27?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-09-27 15:51:00
