Chhath Puja 2026 in Imphal: Events, Puja & Where to Celebrate

TL;DR

• 🕯️ Chhath Puja 2026 arrives in Imphal in mid-November — four days of fasting and outdoor sun worship observed by the city's Bihari and Bhojpuri community
• Thangal Bazar and Paona Bazar are the main residential and commercial hubs of Imphal's Hindi-speaking community
• The Shree Govindajee Temple anchors Imphal's Vaishnava devotional calendar throughout the year
• 🌸 Ima Keithel, the iconic women-run market, is where pre-festival supplies — from sugarcane to seasonal fruit — flow through the city
• Chhath transforms the Imphal River bank into a ghat, connecting the city to a tradition older than its streets

A Festival Carried Across Centuries, Into Manipur's Capital

Chhath Puja has always traveled. What began as a solar festival along the floodplains of the Ganga basin has spread wherever Bihari and Bhojpuri communities have put down roots — across India and far beyond. In Imphal, the capital of Manipur, it has taken hold among the generations of Hindi-speaking families who came as traders, workers, and settlers.

Imphal's character is defined by its Meitei culture and history, its Vaishnavism, its river, and its markets. For most of the year, the religious calendar follows Manipuri traditions. But in the week after Diwali, something shifts in Thangal Bazar and Paona Bazar — the commercial centers where the Bihari and Hindi-speaking community has long been concentrated. The rhythm of chhath geeti, the clay lamps, the smell of thekua baking — these mark a different tradition finding its place in a city that has quietly absorbed generations of internal migration.

The Setting: Imphal's Markets and Ghats

The Imphal River runs through the city like a spine. During Chhath, its banks become temporary ghats — devotees standing in the water, turning their faces toward the sun at dawn and dusk in the two key arghya rituals. The river's accessibility, its openness, is what makes the festival possible in a city that did not build its ghats for Chhath.

Thangal Bazar and Paona Bazar are the commercial and residential anchors of Imphal's Bihari community. These are dense, lively markets where wholesale and retail trade run side by side, where Hindi mixes with Meitei in the daily exchange of goods. In the days before Chhath, the lanes of these markets fill with the particular preparations of the festival: bamboo baskets, sugarcane stalks, seasonal fruits, copper vessels, and stacks of thekua carried from home kitchens.

Ima Keithel, the celebrated women-run market at the center of the city, is where much of the fresh produce flows. Operating for more than five hundred years and run entirely by Meitei women traders, Ima Keithel is the food supply hub of Imphal. For Chhath, its fruit stalls supply the prasad ingredients that devotees offer to the sun: bananas, coconuts, pomelo, sugarcane. The market does not observe Chhath — it is not a Bihari institution — but it serves the festival as it serves every other occasion in the city.

The Shree Govindajee Temple and Imphal's Vaishnava Calendar

The Shree Govindajee Temple, located at the Royal Palace compound, is the most significant Vaishnava temple in Manipur. Dedicated to Radha-Krishna, the temple is built in the Manipuri style of Vaishnava architecture and draws devotees from across the state. Its major festivals — Kang Ratha Yatra in June-July and Janmashtami in August — draw large crowds and involve elaborate Manipuri classical performances including Ras Leela.

Govindajee Temple does not observe Chhath, which is not part of the Manipuri Vaishnava tradition. But for many families in Imphal — including those from the Hindi-speaking community — the temple is a touchstone throughout the year. Many Bihari families visit the temple on Diwali and in the days surrounding Chhath as part of a broader festive rhythm that blurs the boundaries between traditions.

Observing Chhath in Imphal: What Happens Over Four Days

The four-day ritual begins with Nahay Khay, when devotees bathe in the Imphal River and prepare a single simple meal without garlic or onion. Kharna follows on the second day: an extended fast and an evening offering of kheer and roti to the deity, shared among family and neighbors as prasad.

Sandhya Arghya — the sunset arghya on the third day — is the defining image of Chhath. Families gather at the river's edge, some at designated spots, standing in the water and offering arghya as the sun drops below the mountains. The songs of Chhath, known as chhath geeti, are sung through the night between the sunset and sunrise rituals.

Usha Arghya at sunrise the following morning completes the cycle. The fast breaks only after the sun has fully risen and the morning arghya is complete.

Insider Tip: In Imphal, Chhath arghya gatherings tend to concentrate at stretches of the Imphal River accessible from the main road. If you are visiting the city during this period, the mornings around Usha Arghya — the sunrise ritual — offer some of the most photographically striking scenes: mist still on the water, families in bright silk holding baskets of fruit toward a pale November sunrise over the Manipur hills. The gathering typically disperses quickly after the prasad distribution, so arrive before first light.

FAQ

Is Chhath Puja widely celebrated in Imphal? Chhath is primarily observed by the Bihari and Hindi-speaking community in Imphal, centered around Thangal Bazar and Paona Bazar. It is not a mainstream Meitei festival but has been practiced in the city for generations.

Where does arghya take place in Imphal? The Imphal River is the main site for Chhath arghya. Devotees gather at accessible stretches of the riverbank for both the sunset and sunrise rituals.

What is the connection between Chhath Puja and the Sun God? Chhath Puja honors Surya, the Sun God, and his sister Chhathi Maiya. The festival is a form of gratitude for health and prosperity, with devotees fasting for approximately 36 hours before the final arghya.

What is thekua? Thekua is a traditional prasad of Chhath — a baked wheat snack made with jaggery, ghee, and water, pressed into decorative shapes. It is offered to the sun and then distributed as prasad.

When does Chhath Puja fall in 2026? The main arghya day — Sandhya Arghya — falls in mid-November 2026, a few days after Bhai Dooj.

Bottom Line

Imphal observes Chhath quietly, without the mass-scale ghats of Patna or Varanasi, but with no less devotion. The city's Bihari community has carried this solar festival through decades of migration, finding a riverbank that serves, finding a fruit market that supplies, finding a November morning cold enough to feel like home. Chhath in Imphal is a festival of belonging — to a tradition, to a community, and to a river that happens to be seven hundred kilometers from the Ganga.