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Assam decks up to celebrate Goddess Kamakhya’s annual menstruation
Kamakhya, atop Nilachal Hills, is one of 51 Shaktipeeths or seats of Shakti followers, each representing a body parts of the Goddess. The temple’s sanctum sanctorum houses the yoni – female genital – symbolised by a rock.
The four-day Ambubachi Mela to mark the annual menstruation of a goddess in Guwahati’s Kamakhya Temple, starts from Wednesday.
Priests said all Hindu temples in the region will remain closed during these four days as Mother Goddess Kamakhya will menstruate in June.
Kamakhya, atop Nilachal Hills, is one of 51 Shaktipeeths or seats of Shakti followers, each representing a body parts of the Goddess. The temple’s sanctum sanctorum houses the yoni – female genital – symbolised by a rock.
“We are expecting more than 2.5 million pilgrims during the fair, and we have drawn up a security and crowd-management plan to ensure it is conducted smoothly,” Kamrup deputy commissioner M Angamuthu said.
Members of Kamakhya Debuttar Board, the temple management body, said the temple doors will be opened on the fifth day of the fair. Devotees seeking a piece of red cloth – believed to be soaked with the divine menstrual blood – will be let into the sanctum only for a minute.
Local authorities, meanwhile, have geared up for a hygiene challenge that the Ambubachi Mela poses. “We have assigned sanitation officers to ensure the temple complex remains clean despite the crowd,” CM Sarbananda Sonowal said.
