The Enigma Called the Ambubashi Mela

By : Sneha Das

Page No: 15-25

Abstract
The Ambubashi mela is the celebration of the menstruating goddess in the Kāmākhyā temple on the Nilachala hills. Along with its ethnological importance in the contemporary times, the mela plays an instrumental role in understanding the history of Kāmākhyā tradition, its myths and its institutionalisation. Characterised by an intricate web of yoni worship, vrata and the concept of tirtha, an in-depth analysis of this mela shows the dynamics and the stimuli that lead to the evolution of a tradition. This article aims to analysing these dynamic historical strains both in terms of the scared and the secular paradigm.

Author :
Sneha Das : Independent Researcher, Kharghuli, Barowari, Guwahati, Assam
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/SEAR.2023.48.2