The Periods Talk : Total Waste(Edited) - Page 3

Coming to the point - Meet the menstruating Goddess Kamakhya Devi, nestled high up on the Nilachal Hill, in the West of Guwahati, Assam.

One of the many places of pilgrimage in India, what makes Kamakhya Devi different is that it has no sculpture to worship, only Kamakhya's yoni or vagina. What is strange is that a natural spring in Assam keeps the stone moist all the time. But what it most ironic about the temple is that bleeding women are not allowed to enter the temple when they are menstruating.

The temple also has an annual fertility festival calledAmbuwasi Puja in which the goddess is said to be going through her yearly menstrual cycle. The temple remains closed for three days and opens up with great festivities on Day 4. It is also said that the river Brahmaputra turns red during this time. Whether it really is blood, or vermilion put by pandits is a question left unanswered. This is what indicates the temple about the bleeding goddess and the temple remains shut. Later, the holy water is distributed among the devotees.

It is ironic that people visit the temple and some even claim that it is the most auspicious place in the country, but conversations still turn into whispers when we openly talk about menstruation!