When Mother Earth menstruates

For millions of Sanatani tourists, not to speak of pilgrims, who visit Guwahati in northeast India, Kamrup remains synonymous with Mother Goddess Kamakhya. Most of them usually pay a visit to the Kamakhya temple nestled atop Nilachal hills in the heart of Guwahati on the southern bank of the mighty river Brahmaputra. Now a district covering the pre-historic city, Kamrup was once a gigantic empire covering all eastern Bharat provinces and parts of northern Bangladesh in the ancient days.

One of the major religious festivals, organised annually in the picturesque Kameshwari temple is the Ambubachi Mela that attracts hundreds of  thousands of Hindu pilgrims from various parts of the globe. During the revered festival, the temple’s primary door gets closed for four days (this year it was done at 2.56 pm on 22 June 2025  with the beginning of Prabritti and it will open at 3.19 am on 26 June after Nribritti). The religious belief narrates that during the period Mother Earth experiences the annual cycle of menstruation and it is reflected in Devi Kamakhya’s genital organ (Yoni). No religious performances are organised during this period. The farmers across the Hindu world avoid cultivating works during the period so that the Earth can get an undisturbed ambience. The temple door is reopened after Devi’s ritual-bathing and devotees throng in for Darshan and worshipping Maa Kamakhya. Devotees expect a small piece of red silk cloth, which Devi uses during the period. One can witness a sea of humans with a large number of Hindu saints in the temple premises during the festival.

Kamakhya temple, which is recognised as one of the sacred 51 Shakti Peeths of Goddess Durga was built by Kamdev with the help of God Vishwakarma. According to the Hindu mythology, the demon king Narakasura constructed a stiff-stone Mekhela Ujowa path connecting the temple from the foothills with an intention to marry Devi Kamakhya. The Muslim convert Kalapahar, the king of Coach Behar in western Assam destroyed the temple in 1553 AD. Maharaja Biswa Singh later repaired it in the seventeenth century. King Nar Narayan, who ascended to the throne of Coach Behar after his father’s demise, constructed the upper portion of the temple with the help of his brother Mahabir Chilarai. The present form of the main temple and its surrounding was shaped during the time of Nar Narayan, one of the greatest kings of ancient Assam.

As the legend goes, Sati  was one of the incarnations of Goddess Shakti and she sacrificed her life protesting the behaviour of her father Dakshya Nripati. The wife of Maheswar (one of the holy Hindu Trinities after Lord Brahma and Lord Bishnu), Sati took her life at a Yagna, a sacrificial rite organized by her father Dakshya. The son of Brahma was not happy with his son-in-law Shiva and Maheswar was even not invited for the ceremony. Sati arrived at Yagna Bhumi, but she was also not welcomed by Dakshya. The king  also made some unpleasant comments on Shiva. Annoyed, Sati sacrificed her life at the location of Yagna. Listening to the death of Sati, Shiva got angry and appeared at Yagna Bhumi. After pronouncing punishment to Dakshya, a furious Shiva started Tandav Nritya  with the corpse of his beloved wife Sati on his shoulder. Tandav Nritya continued for several days and the universe was on the brink of being destroyed. Then all the gods and goddesses appealed to Lord Bishnu to pave the way for bringing an end to Maheshwar’s dance of destruction. The caretaker of the universe chopped-off the corpse of Sati with his Sudarshan Chakra to bring back Shiva to sanity. Her lifeless body was made into 51 pieces, which fell in different parts of Bharatbarsha and each location later emerged as a sacred Peeth. The Yoni of Sati fell on the spot at Nilachal hills, where the temple was erected. Kalika Purana, an ancient work in Sanskrit describes Kamakhya as the deity to fulfil the desires of devotees and gives salvation. The temple does not contain any image or statue of Kamakhya. There is only a sculptured image of the Yoni of the Goddess in a cave inside the main temple.

When the word communities today make voluminous speeches to protect the globe, it’s amazing how ancient Bharat realized the importance of the green planet worshiping as Mother Earth.

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