Bleeding Goddess
The Kamakhaya Temple’s Folklore and Literary Reverberations in Assam
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70042/eroth/1001249Keywords:
Menstruation, Kamakhya, Myth, RitualAbstract
The Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam, uniquely sacralizes menstruation through the goddess's annual "bleeding" during Ambubachi Mela, transforming cultural taboos into symbols of fertility and renewal. This paper applies ecofeminist and ecocritical theories to analyze how this Tantric narrative reclaims feminine corporeality and ecological cycles against patriarchal and colonial erasures, drawing parallels in Assamese literary texts. The Kamakhya Temple venerates Goddess Kamakhya's yoni through her monsoon-aligned menstruation, celebrated in Ambubachi Mela, subverting menstrual stigma as cosmic Shakti. Rooted in Yogini Tantra and Kalika Purana myths of Sati's dismemberment, this folklore influences Assamese literature like Indira Goswami's works, framing blood as regenerative power. Employing Vandana Shiva's ecofeminism, which links women's marginalization to biodiversity loss—and ecocriticism's challenge to anthropocentrism, the paper argues Kamakhya resists dualisms of pure/impure, embodying earth-women unity. Ritual analysis reveals implications for gender justice amid climate disruptions, countering colonial demonization of Tantra.
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