Loktak Ima


Loktak Ima, also known as Loktak Lairembi, is the personification of the Loktak lake, who is revered by the Meitei people as the mother goddess of the sacred waters of the Loktak lake.
She is highly respected and venerated by the fishermen communities of the Meitei ethnicity living in and around the periphery of the Loktak lake. She is also considered as the fountainhead of Meitei culture.
Her embodiment, the Loktak lake is associated with the epic of Khamba and Thoibi as well as that of Poubi Lai of Meitei mythology and folklore.

Attributes

Loktak goddess is often compared to a lady with heart that is pure and kind. It is said that whenever she passes by, the water birds praise her by singing and the deers bow their heads. She is benevolent to fishes.
The of traditional Meitei religion often sings of the grasslands, food and raw materials derived from the Loktak lake, which is believed to be the body of the Loktak Lairembi herself. Loktak goddess is the symbol of the characters of independence and self-actualization of the women of Manipur.

As a fish goddess

Loktak goddess is believed to be the one who is responsible for the replenishment of the fish population in the Loktak lake. According to traditional beliefs, there is no vanishing of the fish population no matter how much they catch fishes.
The identity of Loktak goddess is also sometimes believed to be associated with Meitei goddess of water, Ereima.

Guardianship

;Meitei language quotation on the Mother Loktak :
;English translation :
The Meiteis acknowledge full reliance on the Loktak lake for their traditional occupations.
The Meitei people consider the Loktak lake as their guardian. They believe the lake as their mother, as it is possible for them to depend upon the lake for their livelihoods, for their children and their family, only because of the grace bestowed upon them by the Mother Loktak.

In literature

; The Lore of Loktak:
; Description in Meitei language literary works :
Description
Description
Meanings/Translations
Loktak Sheitharol, page no. 1 ।Loktak Sheitharol, page no. 1 ।Loktak Sheitharol, page no. 1
In the region of Thangjing Hill range
Goddess of Loktak seek asylum
Narrating the creation myth
It happened on your lap
Immortal tales, seven Epic cycles of incarnations,
Perfect incarnation of divinity
Incarnation of Leimarel

It is an unforgettable story
Perfection of the granary of literature...

In popular culture