The famed Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhya temple in Guwahati is set to begin, with the administration expecting around eight lakh devotees over the next four days. The temple doors will close on Monday night for the 'prabritti' period, symbolising the annual menstrual cycle of Goddess Kamakhya, and reopen on June 26.
Draped in red and saffron robes, flaunting long untidy hair, beard and some long nails too, these tantriks (magicians) are standing out among the teeming devotees.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed that Sonia Gandhi had asked him to decide on his swearing-in date as CM in 2014, but the situation changed after Rahul Gandhi intervened. Sarma, who later joined the BJP, believes the events led him to a better position to serve Assam and Sanatan dharma.
We journey to 10 famous Maa temples, each devoted to a different form of Devi or the female force...
Giving the chilling details of the incident, Guwahati Police Commissioner Diganta Bora said the beheaded body of a 64-year-old woman was found covered with a blanket on the staircase of the Joy Durga Mandir in the precincts of the Kamakhya Temple on June 19, 2019 hours after she was killed.
Seventy-two closed circuit cameras, over 300 volunteers of the National Cadet Corps and Scouts and Guides in addition to police and paramilitary personnel speaks volumes about the elaborate security arrangements that have been put in place in and around the temple -- seat of the Shakti cult -- for the safety of lakhs of devotees and pilgrims.
"We are expecting about three lakh pilgrims this time, but we are equally worried about the security as the terrorists could do anything. They would love to take this oppurtunity. But I believe in Goddess Kamakhya; she will protect us," said Navakanta Sarma, the temple trust president.
Go firefly spotting, enjoy a beach vacation or pay a visit to the menstruating goddess in Assam this month.
