| Ambubachi Mela | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Official name | Assamese — অম্বুবাচী মেলা |
| Observed by | Hindus |
| Type | Religious, folk |
| Date | Middle of June |
| Frequency | annual |
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Assam |
|---|
 |
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The Ambubachi Mela (/ˈæmbʊˌbɑ:ʧɪ,ˌ æmbʊˈbɑ:ʧɪ ˈmeɪlə, mi:lə/) is an annual Hindu mela (gathering) held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam.[4] This yearly mela is celebrated during the monsoon season that happens to fall during the Assamese month Ahaar, around the middle of June when the sun transits to the zodiac of Mithuna, when the Brahmaputra River is in spate. During this time Brahmaputra River near the temple turns Red for three days. [5][6][7]
Ambubachi Mela is the celebration of the yearly menstruation course of goddess Kamakhya.[5] It is believed that the presiding goddess of the temple, Devi Kamakhya, the Mother Shakti, goes through her annual cycle of menstruation during this time stretch.[6] It is also believed that during the monsoon rains, the creative and nurturing power of the 'menses' of Mother Earth becomes accessible to devotees at this site during the mela. There is no idol of the presiding deity but she is worshipped in the form of a yoni-like stone instead over which a natural spring flows.[5][6]
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Ahom [aho]
- ^ "Population by Religious Communities". Census India – 2001. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
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2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01 MDDS.XLS
- ^ "Ambubachi Puja and Mela 2015 at Kamakhya Temple". 19 June 2015. Archived from the original on 19 June 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- ^ a b c Chawla, Janet (16 September 2002). "Celebrating The Divine Female Principle". Boloji.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
- ^ a b c "Ambubachi Fair". Bharatonline.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
- ^ Admin (17 September 2009). "A Mystic Festival To Draw Thousands". 360degreeworld.com. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 24 December 2009.