While a large number of people in India remain quiet about menstruation and the issues that are faced by women in India, there is a temple in India that celebrates the process of menstruation.
The Kamakhya Temple in Assam is a pilgrimage site for Hindu worshippers and a unique temple in the country. Goddess Kamakhya is the principal deity of the temple and the most surprising thing is that in the main sanctum of the temple there isn't any idol installed of Goddess Kamakhya.
Kamakhya Temple is located at the top of Nilachal Hills in the city of Guwahati. The deity present in the temple is Goddess Kamakhya and is known as The Bleeding Goddess.
The main sanctum or the Garbha Griha of the temple consists of a mythical womb of Hindu Goddess Sati. This womb of Goddess Sati fell at the spot where now the Kamakhya Temple stands. Sati's body was destroyed into 52 pieces by Lord Vishnu's chakra and there is a temple in every place where the pieces fell is now known as Shakti Peethas.
The Kamakhya Temple Shakti Peeth is one unique temple because of the unnatural phenomenon that happens here. Every year in the month of June, the deity inside the temple Goddess Kamakhya menstruates. Magically, the Brahmaputra River near the Nilachal Hills turns red. The devotees of Maa Kamakhya say that the blood of Goddess Kamakhya mixes up with the waters of Brahmaputra and turns it red. While the other people believe in another theory where they say that the temple priest pours vermillion in the water to make it red.
During the month of June, the temple organizes a festival known as Ambubachi Mela. This festival is organized for seven days. These seven days are the days when the main deity of the temple Goddess Kamakhya menstruates and the temple remains close for worshipping.
At the end of the 7th day, the priests opens the door of the main temple and blessings in the form of Holy Water is distributed among the devotees.
Many people from all around the world visit this temple during these seven days because devotees believe that the time when Goddess menstruates is the time of the year which is very holy. The devotees believe that during this time all their prayers are answered by Goddess and they feel happy and feel close to god when they visit the temple during Ambubachi Mela.
During this festival, the city of Guwahati get filled with devotees, sadhus and tantrics. The festival plays a major role in developing the tourism business of Assam.
This festival is also related to tantric rituals known as the Tantric Fertility Festival. The time when the mother goddess menstruates is the time when it is believed that the tantrics can develop their tantrics powers. That is the reason why the temple gets filled with tantrics who never comes out of their caves can be seen meditating and doing their tantric rituals.
After the festival is completed, the priests and the temple authorities distributes prasad among the devotees. The devotees wait all these days to get the most auspicious prasad in the form of Angodak and Angabastra. Angodak here means the body fuild of mother goddess and Angrabastra means the cloth that is used to cover the body.
The Bleeding Goddess Kamakhya is about women empowerment and celebrating feminism. When rest of the India takes the topic of menstruation and bleeding as a taboo, people in Guwahati celebrates the days like a festival where all their prayers are answered.
Credit of the Article: Biographico
