The Goddess Who Bleeds: Kamakhya

In the Nilchal hills of Assam goddess Kamakhya bleeds once in a year. Despite the prevalent taboo around menstruation in India when it comes to Devi Kamakhya the devotees gather in Guwahati and organise Ambuvachi Mela.

Bleeding Goddess Kamakhya, source-Aastik

The temple of Goddess Kamakhya is located in the vicinity of Nilachal Hills of Assam. The temple is a renowned Shaktipeeth or a seat of worhsip. According to Hindu myhthology a Shaktipeeth is a seat of pilgrimage therefore,  a site of worship for the believers. The devotees conduct pilgrimage every year to the holy temple of Kamakhya for salvation and feritility. She is the goddess who bleeds for three days and devotees flock from all parts of India for the sacred prasad.

One of the mythical origins of the temple as a shaktipeeth can be found in Kalika Purana. The daughter of the puranic king Daksha, Sati was married to Lord Shiva after her long Tapasya. However, King Daksha was not happy with the union. He organised a yajna to appease the deities but did not invite Sati or Shiva which was disrespectful to Shiva. When Sati learnt about what her father had done she paid him a visit at the site of the yajna, where she was humiliated by Daksha. When she could not bear the insults hulled at her husband, Sati leaped in to the holy fire and sacrificed herself. When Shiva realised that Sati was no more he was taken over by rage. The destroyer then killed his father-in-law. The burnt dead body of Sati was then picked up by Shiva and he performed Tandava. A ritualistic dance associated with Shiva for creation and dissolution. He danced till the body of Sati was fragmented and scattered across the world.

The places where the body parts of Sati fell are known as Shaktipeeths. According to the belief, the womb of Sati fell in Nilachal hills. As the goddess resides in the form of the womb the devotees pray to the yoni or the vulva which appears as a creak. The womb had taken form of a woman who was known as Kamakhya. She also finds mentions in the Kalika purana. The tantric worshippers consider Kamakhya as an important site of fertility owing to the womb like structure depicts the goddess.

Ambuvachi Mela, is the fair organized around the month of June-July. It is a three-days long fair during which the temple complex is closed for everyone. The deity who is present in the form of Yoni or a vulva is covered with a red cloth. The temple reopens on the third-day and the goddess is bathed as the part of the ritual. During this period of the menstruation of the goddess, a fair is organised which is attended by a large number of ascetics, monks, and devotees.

The end of menstruation is celebrated with the distribution of Prasad which comes in two forms Angodak and Angavastra. The Angavastra or the Mahaprasada is the most sought-after prasad a devotee can receive, it is the red cloth with which the goddess is covered. Angodak is the water collected from the natural spring. People also believe that the River Brahmaputra turns red, to the colour of blood, for the three days. While others debunk is as a poor act of pouring vermillion in the river to streghten the belief.