Ambubachi: The two faces of Mother Earth

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Talking about Ambubachi, it is a celebration of the annual Mensuration of Mother Earth. Since mensuration is a natural part of the reproductive cycle, it is a phenomenon unique to girls. However, it has always been surrounded by taboos and myths that exclude women from many aspects of socio-cultural life. In India, even a mention of this topic has been taboo in the past and even to this date.

Culturally in many parts of India, mensuration is still considered to be dirty and impure. Further, in the Hindu faith, women are prohibited from participating in normal life while menstruating.

This year, The Ambubachi Mela started on June 22nd in Kamakhya temple, Guwahati. Almost 10 lakh devotees are expected to visit the temple during this atmosphere time when the Goddess is said to be going through her yearly menstrual cycle.

The festival of Ambubachi seems to eulogise womanhood. It is meant to redefine female strength. But to what extent is it true, is something debatable.

The paradoxical thing is that the temple breaches the menstrual taboo of our society but prohibits the entry of menstruating women inside the temple. During the Ambubachi days, many people from nearby places wash their clothes and clean their houses as they believe Mother Earth is menstruating. Being clean and hygienic is not an issue, but the thought process behind that cleaning is questionable. There is consensus on the concept of menstrual blood being impure and barring women from holy places just because they are going through a natural process.

Although the mythology seems substantial, the actual history of the temple has a dark spot in it. Prominent Assamese writer and intellect Lakshminath Bezbarua wrote in one of his books (Mahapurush Sri Sankardev Aru Madhabdev) that, during the re-establishment of the temple by Naranarayan 140 men were sacrificed in front of the Goddess.

The present scenario of the temple is quite different from the past in the sense that human sacrifice has been now replaced with animal sacrifice.

Recently, one famous Bollywood superstar offered one buffalo in the temple against which well-known singer and socialist Zubeen Garg raised his voice and appealed for a ban on animal sacrifice in the name of God. He also commented on the Varna system which is quite prevalent on the temple premises. The priests of the temple slammed Zubeen Garg for his remark and told him not to comment on the age-old traditional beliefs.

There is no doubt that Kamakhya temple is an architectural wonder and the natural beauty surrounding it is jaw-dropping. Ambubachi Mela is a festival that attracts lots of tourists and devotees find an oasis of serenity around it. It is just that every coin has two sides of it just like every rose has its thorn.
Photo via Instagram

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