Located on Nilachal Hill in Guwahati, Assam, Kamakhya Temple is one of the most revered shrines. Every year, this temple closes for three days in June during the Ambubachi Mela. It is believed that the main deity, Goddess Kamakhya, an incarnation of Sati, experiences her annual menstrual cycle.
That is why, to give her proper rest and celebrate the natural cycle of divine female fertility, the gates of the temple are closed.
Let's understand the religious belief behind closing the temple gates for three days.
The Legend of Sati And The Sacred Yoni Pitha
The Kamakhya Temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. According to the Kalika Purana and the Yogini Tantra, when Lord Shiva performed the Rudra Tandava by carrying the corpse of Sati, Lord Vishnu, using his Sudarshana Chakra, dismembered her body, and her body parts fell on Earth in different regions.
Her yoni (female genitalia) fell on Nilachal Hill. Unlike most Hindu temples, at Kamakhya you will not find any sculpted idol in the inner sanctum. Instead, devotees worship a natural cleft in bedrock shaped like a yoni, fed by a continuous subterranean natural spring.
Every year in June, monsoon rains trigger the Ambubachi Mela. It marks the moment Mother Earth becomes fertile, experiencing her creative, regenerative cycle through the Goddess.
The Kamakhya Temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas (Image: Facebook/kamakhyadarshan)
What Actually Happens During The 3-Day Closure?
When this event takes place, the temple closes its doors completely and during this time:
1. No pilgrims, dignitaries, or priests enter the temple
2. Daily worship, recitation, and offerings are paused.
3. Locally and across traditional households in Assam, agricultural activities- ploughing, planting, digging are avoided so as not to disturb the resting earth.
4. Before locking the doors, priests cover the natural stone yoni with an unstitched white silk cloth.
What Happens After This Period?
On the fourth day, priests perform a ritual bath (snan) with sacred water, apply fresh vermilion, and perform a purification ceremony.
The white cloth that was placed over the stone yoni is always found deep red. Devotees and believers believe this red colour symbolises the divine fluid of the Goddess.
This cloth is then further cut into small strips called Rakta Bastra or Angodak and distributed to millions of waiting devotees.
In Tantric and Shakta traditions, possessing a Rakta Bastra is believed to bring immense spiritual protection, fertility, and prosperity.
ALSO READ: 5 Temples In India Where Ravana Is Worshipped And Not Burned
Subverting Stigma: A Sacred Normalisation Of Menstruation
In a world where menstruation is frequently treated as impure or taboo, the Ambubachi Mela stands as a powerful symbol contradicting this age-old belief. It conveys the message that menstruation is not impure but an ultimate source of creation, renewal, and universal life force.
The Ambubachi Mela stands as a powerful symbol that contradicts the age-old belief (Image: Facebook/kamakhyadarshan)
ALSO READ: 5 Things You Should Never Do Inside A Temple, Even By Mistake
Today, the Ambubachi Mela is visited by lakhs of devotees, including tantrics, sadhus, householders, and tourists alike. Even the Government of Assam has also started promoting the event as the 'Spiritual Kumbh of the Northeast '.
FAQs
1. Can men visit Kamakhya Temple during Ambubachi Mela?
The temple complex grounds are open to everyone, but the inner sanctum is closed to all devotees (men and women alike) for the first 3 days.
2. Is Kamakhya the only temple celebrating menstruation?
No, there is another temple named Chengannur Mahadeva in Kerala which experiences the same phenomenon.