(IN): Swami Ramdev on Kamakhya sacrifices (2005- Archive)

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Following is an archive letter to the editor of 'The Sentinel'.

 

 

Link: http://assamnet.org/pipermail/assam_assamnet.org/2005-December/002754.html

 

*Animal Sacrifice at Kamakhya*

 

I was watching the TV channel 'Aastha' last Monday (December 19) when

the ongoing week-long Yoga camp (December 16-22, 2005) organized in Guwahati,

conducted by the renowned yoga guru Swami Ramdev was being aired.

 

During the programme, Swami Ramdev said that the people of Assam have a bad

reputation in other parts of the country for their notorious

practice of sacrificing animals at the temple of Kamakhya in Guwahati.

 

There is no doubt that the irrational, illogical Tantric cult of

animal sacrifice is still prevalent in the Shakti peeth of Kamakhya.

 

But the 'promoters' of such sacrifice are not necessarily " people of

Assam " . Swami Ramdev ought to know that though animal sacrifice in

 

certain temples is still popular among the Brahmans and the Saktas, a

large section of the people of Assam have embraced Vaishnavism where

animal sacrifice is not practised.

 

Moreover, if Swami Ramdev spares some time to carefully look at the

abominable practices in Kamakhya, he would find that the people of

some other parts of India would outnumber the people of Assam when it

comes to offering animal sacrifice out there. A few days back, an

influential minister from his neighbouring state UP sacrificed two

full-grown buffaloes and a number of goats and pigeons as offerings to

the presiding deity (?), seeking the welfare of politician Mulayam

Singh Yadav and film actor Amitabh Bachchan. Even the members of the

'Royal' families from Nepal and Rajasthan land up in Kamakhya to

indulge in such practices from time to time. The irony lies in the

fact that most of these practitioners, otherwise, pose to be in the

shoes of the much glorified lot called 'Vegetarians'!

 

In spite of being so well-travelled, I am somewhat disappointed to

know that Swami Ramdev's notions about the State is no different from

that of any average Indian from other parts of the country.

 

Pallavi Barua,

Guwahati-781 003,

 

 

 

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