Assam: At Kamakhya temple, located atop the Nilachal hills in Guwahati, Assam, the yearly Ambubachi Mela begins today, June 22. For the next four days, worshipping the goddess and entering the temple is prohibited in order to follow the ritual of the goddess's menstrual cycle.
Many devotees gather at this temple to pray at this divine occurrence and seek the goddess's blessings.
The ancient shrine at the Kamakhya is one of the four Shakti Pithas and also one of the most powerful tantrikas in India. It is said that the Yoni (female sex part) of Devi Sati fell at this exact spot when her body was being carried by grieving lord shiva and was divided into several parts by lord Vishnu.
Who is worshipped at the Kamakhya Temple?
The Kamakhya Devi temple is unique due to its divine creation and due to cosmic occurrences that take place there to the date. The garbhagriha (or sanctum) of this temple does not have an idol that people worship. There is only Kamakhya cosmic Yoni in the form of a cleft in the rock. It is dressed as goddess Kamakhya and is decorated with silk sarees and flowers.
The Yoni is worshipped as supreme divine feminine appearing in her truest, raw form, displaying her powers that showcase the origin of all human life and the mother all existence.
What happens to the Yoni during Ambubachi?
It is one the most divine temples for a reason. The Yoni of the Kamakhya temple bleeds during the Ambubachi! Yes, it is true! During the Ambubachi festival, the Yoni of the devi is covered in white cloth and the doors of the Kamakhya temple are sealed. The bleeding goddess in not disturbed in her solitary for the next four days.
On the fourth day, when the doors of the temple are opened, the cloth that was covered around The Yoni is literally seen drenched in red menstrual blood. The Brahmaputra river also turns red during this period. There is no science that explains this divine occurrence.
The red cloth is then revered and it given to the devotees as prasadam. The menstrual blood which is still considered impure is considered highly sacred at the Kamakhya Shaktipeetha.
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