Guwahati's Kamakhya temple closes for 4 days as Ambubachi Mela begins

Guwahati: The famed Kamakhya Temple atop the Nilachal Hills here would be closed for four days from today on the occasion of the annual Ambubachi Mela.

The doors of the temple, one of the 52 Shakti peeths, are closed after routine rituals and prayers this morning and would reopen on the morning of June 26, Kamakhya Debottur Trust's Doloi (priest) Kabindra Sarmah said.

The Ambubachi Mela, which also begins today, symbolises the fertility cult of Goddess Kamakhya, and the state government has made elaborate plans to make it a part of the country's spiritual and religious tourism circuit.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the state government has launched publicity and awareness campaigns in both national and international media and this has led to increased tourist inflow to the city for the Ambubachi Mela.

"Kamakhya Temple should be the source of light and enlightenment for the world and our government is going to make all efforts in this regard," he said.
He appealed to all the visitors to help the authorities in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene during and after the Mela in the temple premises.

The Kamrup (Metro) district administration has made elaborate accommodation facilities for the pilgrims at eight venues, Deputy Commissioner M Angamuthu said.

A detailed plan for security and crowd management has also been put in place with CCTVs placed at important spots.

Following the direction of the Chief Minister, use of non-biodegradable plastic will be restricted in and around Nilachal Hill and "we will promote biodegradable and eco-friendly materials", he added.

The entire Nilachal Hill would be treated as a 'No-tobacco zone', the deputy commissioner said.

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) along with NDRF and SDRF has formulated an emergency disaster response and rescue plan to deal with any contingency.

A team of about 100 doctors and paramedical staff, apart from hospitals of the government and the railways, have been also pooled in to meet any exigency.

The Northeast Frontier Railway has also put extra coaches in all trains running between Guwahati and various places in Tripura, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.