After 2-yr Cov gap, Ambubachi Mela set to return from June 22

Guwahati: After a gap of two years because of the pandemic, the annual Ambubachi Mela, the biggest congregation of devotees in the northeast, is set to return from June 22 to June 26 as all Covid-related restrictions have been withdrawn from the state. But the biggest worry for the priests at the temple is a possible catastrophic situation if the gatherings go unrestricted.
A meeting was held between the representatives of the Kamakhya Devalaya and Kamrup (Metropolitan) district administration here on Thursday, where the former urged the administration to restrict accommodations in mega camps, free food distribution and government sponsored travel for devotees in trains to minimize the number of visitors.
“Ambubachi should not become a Covid hotspot and cause infection again in a state where there are almost no Covid cases now. If the administration decides to build mega accommodation camps like previous years, it may have a catastrophic impact because hundreds of devotees from different states stay here,” Kabindra Sarma, doloi (head priest) of the Kamakhya Devalaya told TOI. Free distribution of food, organised by various trusts, is another concern for the temple authority.
In 2019, about 25 lakh people attended the Ambubachi mela, which was the highest in the history of the festival. Even as large crowds thronged temples in the city in recent weeks during various festivals, the devotees were mostly from Assam. Pilgrims from several north Indian states, where the Covid situation is still a concern, throng the city during Ambubachi.
The priests said the devotees can pray from their homes as prasad and raktabastra will be sent through courier service to them. Sources in the district administration said a decision on restricting the movement of devotees was not taken at Thursday’s meeting and another meeting is likely to be held soon.
Last year during Ambubachi, the state government had mulled over imposing lockdown-like restrictions in several districts to bring the second wave under control. Despite strict vigil by security personnel around the Nilachal hills, many sadhus and devotees had camped at the foothills of Kamakhya.