Celebrating the goddess who bleeds Four-day Ambubachi Mela begins in Guwahati after the Kamakhya temple doors are closed Rahul Karmakar da Sonowal inspected the ar- Guwahati rangements for pilgrims as Ambubachi Mela, a four-day well as security in the com- fair to mark the annual men- plex before the fair began. struation of the goddess at Devotees make a beeline Kamakhya temple in Guwa- for Kamakhya during Ambu- hati, began on Friday. bachi Mela. The only ones Kamakhya, atop Nilachal that avoid the temple are the Hills in Guwahati, is one of 51 descendants of the medieval shaktipeeths or seat of Shakti Koch royalty, who had re- followers, each representing constructed the Kamakhya a body part of Sati, Lord Shi- temple in 1565. va’s companion. The tem- Pranab Narayan Deb, a ple’s sanctum sanctorum descendant of Koch king Na- houses the yoni — female ranarayan, said this is be- genital — symbolised by a cause the goddess is believed rock. to have cursed the royalty af- Priests at the temple said ter the king and his brother doors of the temple were Chilarai — one of Assam’s re- shut for visitors at 4 p.m. on vered generals — had secretly Friday to let the goddess go watched her dance. through her period. Researchers at the Guwa- “The temple doors will be hati-based Centre for Koch- reopened at 4.30 p.m. from Devotees at the Ambubachi festival at Kamakhya temple in Guwahati. * RITU RAJ KONWAR Rajbongshi Studies and De- Tuesday ( June 26). All Hindu velopment said there are le- temples across the region tualistic fair celebrating the other parts of India. The at- ding. Officials said Ambuba- gends about the goddess will remain closed during goddess’ period is one of the tainment of womanhood of chi Mela is also an occasion dancing when Kendukoli, a this period,” Kabindra Sar- reasons why the taboo asso- girls in Assam is celebrated to promote awareness on priest during Naranarayan’s ma, a senior priest, said. ciated with menstruation is with a ritual called ‘Tuloni menstrual hygiene. reign, performed puja with Temple priests said the ri- less in Assam compared with Biya’, meaning small wed- Chief Minister Sarbanan- his eyes shut..