Annual Ambubachi Mela:
Guwahati’s Kamakhya temple started annual Ambubachi Mela, with festivities underway.
- The Ambubachi Mela is an annual Hindu fair held at the historic Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati.
- It takes place during the monsoon season, specifically in the Assamese month of Ahaar, around the middle of June.
- The festival celebrates the yearly menstruation course of goddess Maa Kamakhya and is also known as Ameti or Tantric fertility festival due to its association with the Tantric Shakti cult prevalent in eastern India. It is managed jointly by the Assam government and the Kamakhya Temple Management Committee
Kamakhya temple:
- It is situated on Nilachal hills (or Kamagiri), and was reconstructed in the mid-16th century by the Koch dynasty after being destroyed by Kala Pahar.
- It is revered as one of the 52 Shakti shrines, where the reproductive organ of Goddess Sati is believed to have fallen.
- The temple is also a significant centre for Tantrik worship, symbolizing the convergence of beliefs and practices between Aryan and non-Aryan communities.
