The Meitei community’s spiritual journey to Thangjing Hill is met with defiance from Kuki-Zo groups, reigniting deep-rooted grievances in Manipur. As protests erupt and buffer zones tighten, religious freedom collides with demands for autonomy.
BY PC Bureau
April 14, 2025: Security was tightened in Manipur’s Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts on Monday as members of the Meitei community gathered in Moirang to begin their annual pilgrimage to the Thangjing foothills—a sacred site in their religious tradition. Meanwhile, Kuki-Zo community leaders urged Meiteis to abandon the journey, citing growing tensions and asserting ancestral claims over the contested region.
To prevent any untoward incidents, officials increased security presence in sensitive areas such as Kwakta and Phougakchai Ikhai in Bishnupur district, through which the pilgrimage route passes.
Thangjing Hill, revered by the Meitei community as the abode of Lord Ibudhou Thangjing, holds deep spiritual and cultural significance. The traditional pilgrimage, usually undertaken in April during Cheiraoba—the Meitei New Year—sees devotees from across the Imphal Valley gather at the hilltop shrine to offer prayers.
On Sunday, a large number of pilgrims prayed at the Thangjing temple in Bishnupur and camped overnight in Moirang and nearby areas in preparation for the onward journey. However, they were met with fierce opposition from Kuki-Zo groups, who staged massive sit-in protests across buffer zones in New Zalenphai, Gothol, and Khousabung. Thousands of Kuki-Zo women led the demonstrations, aiming to block access to Meitei groups attempting to conduct the Cheirao Ching Kaba ritual.
‼️Mass prayers at the Ibudhou Thangjing Laisang/ Temple at Moirang earlier today, seeking blessing from Lord Ibudhou Thangjing , for a safe pilgrimage trip for tomorrow, the 14th April 2025.
This is one of the rituals that the Meiteis have been taking for several centuries.… pic.twitter.com/160xW1tAnc
— TheBlueHills (@TheBlueHills49) April 13, 2025
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The protests, strategically staged along the buffer zones separating the Meitei-dominated valley and the Kuki-controlled hill districts, underscored the entrenched ethnic and religious fault lines that continue to divide Manipur. Protesters, arriving in vehicles from across the hills, made their stance clear: any attempt to cross the buffer zone would be viewed as a direct challenge to the Kuki-Zo community.
“Anyone who tries to cross the buffer zone will bear full responsibility for the consequences,” stated one of the protest organizers.
Security forces have been deployed heavily along the buffer, which has become a volatile frontline since the ethnic clashes of May 2023. The tensions intensified further over the weekend, with several Kuki-Zo civil society organizations issuing stern warnings to the Meitei community. Six prominent Kuki groups publicly declared their opposition to any Meitei presence on Thangjing Hill, pledging to resist such moves “tooth and nail.”
In response, the Meitei Heritage Society released a statement asserting that the “rule of law must prevail” and called for the protection of constitutional rights, including freedom of movement and religious practice.
“Threatening Meiteis to forgo their pilgrimage is unconstitutional and a blatant violation of fundamental rights,” the society stated.
The conflict over Thangjing Hill is emblematic of the broader historical and political discord between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. While Meiteis claim an unbroken spiritual link to the site spanning over 2,000 years, Kuki-Zo leaders argue that the hill range lies within their ancestral territory. They insist that past access granted to Meitei pilgrims was an act of goodwill rather than recognition of a rightful claim.
Tensions surrounding the site have escalated since January 2024, when a large Christian cross was reportedly erected near the shrine. Many Meiteis saw the act as a provocation and a desecration of their sacred space. The controversy was further inflamed by allegations that Kuki-Zo groups were attempting to rename the hill “Thangting,” a move interpreted by Meitei cultural custodians as an erasure of their heritage.
Thousands of women from hill communities staged massive sit-in protests across the buffer zones of New Zalenphai, Gothol, and Khousabung in Manipur today, April 13, stopping valley-based groups entry to the Thangjing hill range for the annual pilgrimage. pic.twitter.com/LuXE57sf0S
— Ravi Kapur (@Kap57608111) April 14, 2025
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The recent standoff at Thangjing is not an isolated event but part of a deeper, unresolved conflict stemming from last year’s ethnic violence. The Kuki-Zo communities continue to demand a separate administrative arrangement, while Meitei groups resist any division of the state’s territorial integrity.
With the Cheiraoba festival approaching and the pilgrimage underway, the state remains on edge, caught in a fragile balancing act between religious devotion, ethnic identity, and unresolved political grievances.
