Ambubachi Mela a celebration of femininity
The Kamakhya temple at Guwahati has a history that dates back to time immemorial. The site at which the temple exists is supposed to be the place where the yoni of the goddess Sati is supposed to have fallen when Shiva carried her incinerated body around the cosmos in anguish. It is one of the major Shakti shrines in India where the worship of the female component, i.e. energy takes place.
The three days during the monsoon season when the festival takes places are supposed to symbolise the yearly menstruation of the Goddess. She is worshipped in the form of a yoni-like stone over which a natural spring flows in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple (there is no statue).
What is worshipped at Kamakhya during the mela is the process of menstruation, for it is believed that during the monsoon rains, the creative and nurturing power of the ‘menses’ of Mother Earth becomes accessible to devotees at this site during Ambubachi.
At the end of the three days of the festival, the sari that covered the Stone is shred to pieces and distributed amongst the faithful and the water that flowed over it is offered to the devotees as amrit.
India is a place where time stands still and festivals such as the Ambubachi Mela have continued to provide spiritual salvation to the seekers and believers for untold ages.
We try to bring you the essence of the spiritual and festive fervour of the mela in the form of a photo collage.
Related Articles
