CELEBRATING THE GLORY OF THE BLEEDING GODDESS

It is difficult to make your way through the bustling crowd at the normally serene Kamakhya Temple in Assam during the Ambubachi Mela. Almost every square inch of the ground is covered with crimson-clad devotees who sing, chant, meditate and shout their devotion to the Divine Mother.

The Ambubachi Mela, also referred to as the Tantric Fertility Festival, is a yearly four-day festival celebrated during the monsoon season. It is, by far, the most important Hindu religious festival of Assam. It is believed that during these four days, Devi Kamakhya, an incarnate of the Mother Earth (Shakti), goes through her annual cycle of menstruation.

The word ‘Ambubachi’ comes from the Sanskrit word ‘ambuvaci’ which means ‘the issuing forth of water’ referring to the swelling of the Earth’s waters from the onset of monsoon.

As the holy month starts, soon, one by one, they arrive “from the wild forests of Assam, remote wilderness of the Sunderbans, snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas, from places unknown and faraway. For many, such Tantric Babas, these four days are the only times they make public appearances; the rest of the year, they remain in isolation. Some are seen displaying their psychic powers like putting their heads in a pit and stand upright on it while other stands on one leg for hours at a stretch.

The temple gates are closed to the general public, providing the traditional menstrual seclusion, but the premises are crammed with devotees from all over the country. The devotees aren’t allowed to cook, perform puja or read holy books during these three days. They wait for the temple doors to be opened on the fourth day, when the Devi is bathed and given a red silk cloth in consideration of her menstrual flow. It is believed that the Devi thus reclaims her purity.

However, during these days, the regular custom of sacrificing goats and buffaloes doesn’t halt. Irrespective of Goddess’ purdah, the offerings in the form of sacrificial animals increase owing to the unprecedented influx of devotees. The cries of quivering goats and wailing buffaloes echoes against the temple walls.

Arrays of bamboo sticks are joined together for makeshift tents to host the hordes of arriving devotees. Elaborate security arrangements are also put into place. Unlike any other regular day, the Kamakhya Temple atop the Nilachal Hills bubbles with energy, lakhs of devotees from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and some from other countries as well have the premises packed. There are families, black-clad aghoris, sanyasis in orange-robes, and even foreign tourists.

Amidst torrential rain, hash-filled smoke and incessant babble of the lakhs of humans, one can find baul singers, Hatha yogis with long matted hair, chillum-smoking saints and mimics lost in their worlds trying to please the Mother Earth. Between 100,000 to 150,000 devotees reside at the Kamakhya Temple ground and in the adjacent areas and between 50,000 to 100,000 visit the Temple every day during the four-day festival.

This year too, the Probriti (Beginning) of Ambubachi will commence from 2:06 pm of June 22, till the Nibriti (Conclusion) on June 25 at 2.29 am. During this period, the goddess is believed to undergo her menstrual cycle. Due to Covid-19, temple gates are closed for the general public this year. 

According to reports, while in 2015, the pilgrims’ numbers were only five lakhs, it swelled to 15-20 lakhs in 2016. The largest religious congregation of the region, Ambubachi in 2019 witnessed around 19 lakh footfalls. Unofficial estimates put the figure at about 25 lakhs.