Ambubachi: The two faces of Mother Earth

-

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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Visiting Mother on her Death Anniversary

-
Dear Ma, It’s been 8 long years without you, No matter how much I try, I know you still won’t come back. I still remember the day you left, I didn’t know how to react. You died on a Friday evening, we had you placed under a tree in that graveyard. I still remember you saying “Dying is part of life." I miss you. I wish you were here. I can tell you a mom is irreplaceable for a child. When a mom dies, her child is no longer whole. The loss makes it hard to breathe. That child flails in the wind like a cottonwood seed. A piece of fluff that gets knocked about the world by the wind. Sometimes I landed on solid ground, sometimes I landed in a pond and almost drowned. But I’m still here. I survived. In the year after your death my dreams plagued me whether they were about your death or when they fooled me into thinking you were still alive. The waking up and again remembering you were dead was the hardest point of each day. I searched for many things to fill mysel...
Read more

I've Learned to Live Without YOU

-
Image
I've learned to live without you, though the scars remain, each mark is a testament, not to loss, but to gain. For in the silent expanse of my heart's lonely shore, I've found the strength to stand, to ache, to adore. The tears that fell like autumn rain, Nurtured a garden where hope would regain. Through the fractures of a love that once was true, I've blossomed, I've grown, I've learned No bitterness lingers, just a soft, healing rain, Washing away the echoes of lingering pain. For in the tapestry of healing, that time will weave I've learned to live, to hope, to believe. In the quietude, I've found a newfound song A melody of resilience, where I belong. So, farewell, with a heart that's renewed I've learned to live without you, and in that, I've been imbued.
Read more

The 6th Dalai Lama: A Journey of Poetry, Rebellion, and Tragedy

-
Image
  Image courtesy-  Rediff.com The life story of the 6th Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso, was ordained by many as the most powerful lama in Tibet, who eventually abandoned monastic life. In his early adulthood, he frequented taverns with friends and engaged in romantic relationships with women, earning him the nickname of the " playboy " Dalai Lama. However, a deeper examination reveals a young, sensitive, and intelligent man lacking discipline. After spending his childhood confined in a remote monastery with carefully selected tutors, his desire for independence is understandable. The violent conclusion to his life transforms his narrative from a mere jest into a poignant tragedy. Introduction The story of the 6th Dalai Lama begins with his predecessor, His Holiness Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the 5th Dalai Lama. Known as the " Great Fifth ," he navigated a period of significant political turmoil and succeeded in unifying Tibet, becoming the first Dalai Lama to hold both...
Read more