'the one who knows his father') is a primordial deity, often represented in the form of a dragon, in Meitei mythology and Sanamahism, the indigenous religion of Manipur.

He is depicted in the heraldry of Manipur kingdom, which originated in paphal (Meitei: ꯄꯥꯐꯜ), mythical illustrations of the deity.

For the inauguration of a royal boat of a Luwang king, the preserved horned head was decoratively installed on the stern.

Simultaneously, the sides of the boat are decorated to resemble the body of serpentine dragon, thereby looking like the features of deity Pakhangba.

[8]: 85 In the post-Khagemba era, representations of Pakhangba in the form of a paphal (a coiled serpent or dragon biting its own tail, similar to an oubouros became prominent.

[9] In relation to Pakhangba, Meitei language has two commonly used words to refer to the snakes or serpents.

According to their beliefs, Pakhangba will re-unite the people of the plains and the hills of Manipur, both politically and religiously, ending decades of tension and violent insurgency.

The Tangkhul deities were given a prominent position in the Umang Lai pantheon of the Meitei people.

[16] Keiyen is an ancient Meitei language song describing the conflict between Pakhangba (Apanba) and his elder brother Sanamahi (Asheeba), as a conflict between a tiger and a cock respectively, having mythological and symbolic importance to the Meitei culture.

One of the most notable celebrations is organised by the Utra Shanglen Sana Konung and the Pacha Loishang by offering flowers to Nongshaba, Pakhangba and Yumjao Lairembi.

This festival is celebrated on regular basis in the Sana Konung, widely believed to be organised since the era of King Nongda Lairen Pakhangba.

In 2020, Leisemba Sanajaoba, the son of the former king Okendrajit, took oath of joining as an MP inside the Rajya Sabha on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), mentioning the name of deity Pakhangba, besides Sanamahi and Govindajee (Krishna).

The state administrative office of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Imphal houses a shrine dedicated to the deity Pakhangba.

The BJP-ruled state government of Manipur developed the sacred sites of Pakhangba and performed rituals in the Kangla.

[10]: 218 A temple dedicated to Pakhangba was constructed during the time of Maharaja Gambhir Singh, in the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh.

It has a steep conical roof and is decorated with bas relief carvings of a peacock, moon and sun on the upper part of its entrance door.

[22] A temple dedicated to deity Pakhangba was built during the coronation of Tripuri King Radha Kishore Manikya, highlighting the influence of Meitei queens, including both the mother and the wife of King Radha, on the Kingdom of Tripura.

[11]: 357 During the reign of the Meitei king Marjit Singh, Raja Borothakur Krishna Kishore ruled in Tripura.

[11]: 6 In the 2018 edition of the Sangai festival held in Manipur, twenty artistes, standing and dancing in the form of a human chain, presented a lively 30 metres long image of deity Pakhangba, dancing on the stage for 45 minutes, depicting the origin of the human beings, as adapted from the Lai Haraoba festival performances, while presenting a theatrical show titled Laigi Machasing (Meitei for 'Children of God'), choreographed by Sangeet Natak Akademi's Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar Awardee Sinam Basu.