Guwahati gears up to host Ambubachi Mela from June 22 | Guwahati News - Times of India

Source: The Times of India
Author: Mukut Das

Guwahati: The city is gearing up to celebrate the four-day-long Ambubachi Mela at the Kamakhya temple from June 22 to June 26 to mark the annual menstrual cycle of Goddess Kamakhya.

Kabindra Prasad Sarma, bor doloi (head priest) at Kamakhya Temple, said the doors of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple will remain closed from 8:45 am on June 22 and will be reopened for devotees again on June 26, once the rituals are over.He said a footfall of around 2.5 million was recorded last year during the fair.

Assam govt and Kamakhya Temple Management Committee have made all the arrangements for the fair. The temple management has also formed a special committee to oversee operations.

In the meanwhile, sadhus and tantriks from across the country have already started arriving at the temple.

Recently, Assam cabinet minister Jayanta Mallabaruah held a meeting with the temple committee and said no VIP passes will be issued during the Ambubachi mela.

The district administration has decided to impose restrictions on movement of vehicles inside the city when the fair will be on. Camps will be set up for the devotees at Pandu Ghat and near the Kamakhya railway station. Unauthorised food distribution stalls will not be permitted at the mela.

An official from the district administration said around 500 CCTV cameras will be installed in and around the temple premises to ensure round-the-clock monitoring. Apart from deployment of police personnel, hundreds of volunteers will be engaged to control the crowd.