Ambubachi Mela, History, Significance, Key Facts

Q: Who built the Kamakhya Temple?

The temple was erected by the Koch king Naranarayan in 1565.

Q: Is Kamakhya a tantric temple?

Kamakhya Temples' Complex is widely recognized as the birthplace of a unique stream of Shakta Tantrism, the Kulachara Tantra Marga.

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Ambubachi Mela Latest News

Thousands of devotees have arrived in Assam for the Kamakhya Temple’s annual Ambubachi Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in Northast India.

About Ambubachi Mela

The Ambubachi festival is held during the monsoon, generally in June at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam.
It is a shrine to the Goddess Kamakhya and one of the most important centres of Tantrik Shaktism.
The period of Ambubachi is believed to be the period of the goddess’s annual menstruation, and the shrine is closed for this.
At the end of the period, the shrine’s doors are opened ceremonially and devotees flock for darshan of the deity.
The festival is associated with fertility, with the onset of monsoon, and the common historical association across cultures of the Earth as a fertile woman. The name ‘Ambubachi’ itself translates to water flowing.

Key Facts About the Kamakhya Temple

It is situated on Nilachal Hill and adjoining the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River.
It is one of the most revered centres of Tantric practices. It is regarded as one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India.

Temple Architecture of Kamakhya Temple

It had been modelled out of a combination of two different styles namely, the traditional nagara and Saracenic or Mughal style of architecture.
This unusual combination has been named the Nilachala Style of Architecture.
This is the only temple of Assam having a fully developed ground plan.
It consists of five chambers, garbhagriha, antarala, Jagan Mohan, bhogmandir and natmandir or opera hall for performing traditional dance and music associated with sukti temples.
It is interesting to note that the superstructure of each of the above chambers exhibits different architectural features.
The main temple contains a modified Saracenic dome, the antarala carries a two-roofed design, the bhogmandir with five domes similar in appearance to the main temple and the natmandir having a shell-roof with apsidal end similar to some of the impermanent namghars or prayer halls found in Assam.