Guest guest Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Ambubasi Mela at Kamakhya temple Guwahati June 22nd, 2008 The 16th-century Kamakhya temple in the Nilachal hills, the most important of the 51 Hindu `piths' in India, will keep its doors closed for three days from today, with sadhus, sants and sanyasins from across the country and abroad arriving for the tantric 'Ambubasi Mela'. During the three days no religious rite will be performed in the temple with a beehive-shaped shikhara built by the Koch dynasty king Chilarai in 1565, and priests and devotees will wear red clothes and offer garments of the same hue to Goddess Kamakhya. According to religious belief and mythology, the 'yoni' of Sati, wife of Lord Shiva, fell at the site of the temple when he was carrying her body in anger after she immolated herself. The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is reached by passing through two chambers has no image, but a natural underground stream emanating from a fissure in rock that symbolises the 'yoni'. At this time the water turns red due to iron oxidation and resembles menstrual blood. The Kalika Purana describes Kamakhya as the 'yielder of all desires, the bride of Shiva and bestower of salvation'. The fertility cult associated with the festival is of pre-Aryan origin with the people residing on the Nilachal hill worshipping the earth as 'Mother Shakti' who provided them food. Primarily an agricultural festival, during Ambubasi all agricultural activities are suspended believing that Mother Earth could be hurt. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200806221040. htm or http://tinyurl.com/4y5wek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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