The Ambubachi Mela will be celebrated on a low key affair due to COVID-19 pandemic. Assam Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah on Thursday took stock of the temporary camp at Sonaram Field and old jail campus at Fancy Bazaar.
Visiting the camps, the minister said that this time the Ambubachi Mela will not be celebrated with much fervor and enthusiasm due to the pandemic.
The minister said that the VIPs and common public could visit Kamakhya Temple together. No pilgrims will be allowed to take vehicles from the main entrance of Kamakhya Temple.
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There won’t be any camp in the temple premises for the pilgrims. Camps will be set up only for police.
No cultural event should be organized during Ambubachi Mela. There won’t be any VIP culture this time and no pass will be provided for the vehicles, said Jayanta Malla Baruah.
The sacred Ambubachi Mela will be held from June 22-26, 2022 at Kamakhya Devalaya after a gap of two years.
The main door of Kamakhya temple will be closed at 8.15 pm on June 22 for the pilgrims and will reopen on June 26.
The temple authorities have issued certain guidelines to follow during the Ambubachi Mela. The temple authorities said that this time there won’t be any provisions of food and lodging for the pilgrims who will come from other states.
It further stated that the temporary stalls will remain closed in the Nilachal Hills during the four days of the Mela.
The Ambubachi festival is celebrated during monsoon in the belief of Goddess Kamakhya going through her annual cycle of menstruation at this time. The temple is closed for three days beginning from the seventh day of the “Ashadh” month of the Hindu calendar until the tenth day as part of traditional seclusion during menstruation. On the twelfth day, the doors are opened ceremonially and a big fair is held at the temple. It is believed that the fertility brought in by the Goddess will bless the devotees and nurture them.
