Panam Ningthou Temple
Andro, Manipur · Panam Ningthou (sacred flame) · Heritage Temple
Andro village shrine with continuously burning sacred flame on Manipur Tourism Culture and Heritage.
At Andro village about 26 km from Imphal, Panam Ningthou Temple houses what Manipur Tourism describes as a continuously burning sacred flame — a centuries-old tradition maintained by temple authorities and presented as among the oldest man-made fires in India on official Culture and Heritage pages. The village’s distinctive architecture and religious significance draw heritage tourists to this Imphal East cultural site.
History
State tourism notes an inscribed stone erected by a Manipuri king during the Seven Years Devastation period within the temple compound, preserved by the Andro community alongside the eternal flame.
The same listing groups Panam Ningthou with Mutua Museum at Andro, positioning the temple as a window into Manipur’s diverse indigenous heritage rather than a large urban pilgrimage centre.
Stories
The Fire of Andro
At Andro village, about 26 km from Imphal, the shrine of Panam Ningthou keeps a sacred fire in a special hearth. Manipur Tourism presents it as a continuously burning flame maintained for centuries by the temple's custodians.
Tradition holds that the fire has burned since the time of Poireiton Khunthok, the legendary arrival of the Meitei ancestor, placed by tradition around the last decades BCE. It is described as the oldest man-made fire in India, a claim that rests on belief and not on any dated record.
The God Who Struck the First Fire
In Meitei belief, Panam Ningthou is a god of Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur, who guards crops, especially rice, from hail and thunder. Legends say he was the one who ignited the first fire with flint.
The people of Andro say that two days before the annual festival the deity comes flying from the east as a ball of light, and some claim to have glimpsed that light at other times of the year too.
Chakpa Haraoba in the Month of Lamta
The deity is honoured each year with Chakpa Haraoba, one of the four kinds of Lai Haraoba, the ritual festival of Manipur's traditional gods. It is held in the Meitei lunar month of Lamta, around March to April, beginning on the first Sunday of that month.
During the nine-day festival the village is closed to outsiders, who are asked in advance to stay away, and villagers dress in black. Visitors are welcomed at Andro's other festivals.
Good to know
Continuously burning sacred flame per Manipur Tourism
Historic inscribed stone in the compound noted officially
Andro village heritage context ~26 km from Imphal
Getting there
Nearest airport: Imphal. Nearest railhead: Dimapur. Andro village ~26 km from Imphal (Culture and Heritage / district listings).
Best time to visit: Oct – Mar