Assam: Ambubachi Mela ends; temple gates to open today

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The annual Ambubachi Mela celebrated at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati comes to an end tonight with the 'nribritti' of the event at 9.07 p.m. The temple doors, which had been closed since the start of the event on June 22, will be opened on Wednesday for the devotees. But a protest by the sadhus at the temple turned out to be a major setback on the final day of this year's Ambubachi Mela.

A large number of sadhus, sanyasis, and kinnars who have visited the temple of the annual festival staged a protest on the premises of the Kamakhya temple on Tuesday, which is also the last day of this year's festival. Thousands of protesting devotees sat by the main gate of the temple, thereby, blocking entry and exit of all people into the temple complex.

The devotees mentioned the lack of proper amenities for them as the root cause of this protest. They mentioned that proper arrangements have not been made for the sanitation and medical needs of the sadhus who have come for the festival. Some mentioned that ambulances and medical facilities were not made available for them. They also mentioned that people were being blocked from coming into the temple complex, and sadhus, including senior citizens, were facing severe atrocities from the authorities, while some mentioned that people were hit by the police.

Some protesting kinnars mentioned that some members of NGOs had prevented them from entering toilets at the premises, adding that they had also snatched away identity cards issued to some of the devotees. They also engaged in sloganeering against the administration and police regarding the strictness of the rules and regulations and preventing their movement as per their wishes. They also alleged that the administration prevented the Naga Sadhus from exercising their free movement in and around places of religious importance.

Several senior police officials later arrived at the location and engaged in discussions with the protesting devotees at the temple premises. But the protests of the devotees visiting the temple presented severe problems for both the temple authorities and those engaged in various duties for the Ambubachi Mela. Even general people, other than the sadhus and kinnars, who were visiting the temple on the last day, faced problems because of this protest in the afternoon.

The ambubachi mela comes to an end later at night. It must be noted that multiple rituals will be carried out after the 'nribritti' of the event, including a ritualistic bath and puja. Only after the completion of these activities will devotees be allowed inside the temple for darshan. It must be noted that, as per a previous announcement, no VIP or VVIP passes will be issued for darshan in the temple until June 30.

Also Read: Assam: Ambubachi Mela begins at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati city (sentinelassam.com)

Also Watch: