AMBUBACHI MELA

About:

• Where: Ambubachi Mela is held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam.
  
  
• When: It is an annual Hindu mela celebrated during the monsoon season that happens to fall during the Assamese month Ahaar, around the middle of June.
  
  
• Occasion: It is the celebration of the yearly menstruation course of goddess Kamakhya. 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.
  
  
• Other names: This mela is also known as Ameti or Tantric fertility festival since it is closely associated with Tantric Shakti cult prevalent in eastern parts of India.
  
  
• Social Significance:
  • The ritualistic fair celebrating the goddess’ period is one of the reasons why the taboo associated with menstruation is less in Assam compared to other parts of India.
    
    
  • The attainment of womanhood of girls in Assam is celebrated with a ritual called ‘Tuloni Biya’, meaning small wedding.