Devotees from different parts of the country have started arriving in Guwahati ahead of the four-day-long annual Ambubachi Mela that will commence on June 22 at the Kamakhya temple.
The Ambubachi Mela is an annual Hindu fair held at the historic Kamakhya Temple, and it is the celebration of the yearly menstruation course of goddess Maa Kamakhya. Kamakhya Temple is located atop the Nilachal Hills in Assam and is one of 51 Shaktipeeths in the country.
The Assam government and Kamakhya Temple management committee have made all arrangements for this year’s Ambubachi Mela. The state government has made all arrangements for food, drinking water facilities, and toilet facilities and has set up several tent houses for the devotees.
The devotees have come from all over the country and even outside it. However, this year, they told media, that the turnout may be lesser compared to previous years, due to the current rainfall conditions in Assam; it has been raining heavily with the onset of monsoon in the northeast.
Himadri Sarma, a priest at the Kamakhya temple said that this year’s Ambubachi Mela’s Pravritti will be performed at 2:30 am on June 22.
“The Pravritti will be performed and for three days and three nights from June 22 to June 25, the Nivritti will be performed. On June 26 morning, after sunrise, Nivritti will conclude. After the Pravritti, the main door of the temple will be closed and it will be reopened after the performance of Nivritti. The special VIP Darshan will be stopped on June 26 and 27, and the general devotees will be given preference. People can perform puja, and visit the Goddess Kamakhya in the general line,” he said.
He further said that security deployment will be increased during the period of Ambubachi Mela.
“We will deploy about 900 cadets of NCC, Scout and Guide, and 100 temporary security personnel for the Ambubachi Mela. We have installed 400 more CCTV cameras for security purposes. The administration will also install more CCTV cameras in other locations,” he added.
