Hordes of devotees arrive for Guwahati temple mela

The mela, held to mark the 8220;annual menstruation8221; of mother goddess Kamakhya, began on Wednesday evening. The temple authorities find themselves facing an uphill task in accommodating the devotees due to the inclement weather.

While the fair goes on for five days, the temple door remains closed and reopens only on June 26 morning when the yonipeeth, situated in the sanctum sanctorum of Kamakhya temple atop the Nilachal Hills here, is formally bathed for the darshan of the devotees.

The Kamakhya Temple being the principal seat of tantricism in the entire sub-continent, scholars and practitioners of the ancient science are also drawn to the AmbubachiMela during this time of the year.

Tantriks have come from places as far as Tamil Nadu, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and even Bangladesh and Nepal, taking the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas on tantricism practised in their respective areas.

None would, however, talk to non-trantiks about their science, emphasising that tantricism is considered 8220;a secret affair8221; between gurus and disciples and is thus restricted to themselves.

The Kamakhya Temple, it may be recalled, is an ancient seat of shakti

worship, dating back to the mythological era. Said to have been built by the asura king Narakusura, it was destroyed by Muslim invaders in the Middle Ages. The temple was rebuilt in 1665 by the Koch-Rajbangshi King Naranarayana and has withstood earthquakes, minor repairs having been carried out by several Ahom kings.

Temple authorities, who are coordinating with the Guwahati city police and the State Tourism Department in organising the Ambubachi Mela, have put the number ofpilgrims arriving in the temple town at around 50,000, likely to swell to one lakh by Saturday.