Today is the second day of the three-day-long Deodhani festival celebrating in honour of the Serpent Goddess at the revered shrine of Kamakhya temple of Guwahati.
The gates to the sanctum sanctorum were opened to devotees on the auspicious day of Deodhani after three months. As per the government of Assam’s standard operating protocol for the Covid-19 announced on August 17, 20 devotees per hour is allowed in the highest seat of Shakti worship and tantrism.
“Main gates of the temple were closed on the 13th May as per government orders. Today, we have opened the doors for visitors. All standard Covid protocols are in place. We have a visitor’s waiting room where the devotees need to rest and wait for their turn. All the visitors need to have the double vaccination certificate,” says Kabindra Sharma of Kamakhya Devaloy Committee.
Deodhani Nritya is a traditional dance of Assam. It is associated with the worship of the snake goddess Manasa. The word “Deodhani” is derived from two words, i.e. Deo meaning God and Dhani meaning woman. Deodhani is performed both in solo and group.
During the festival, devotees dress up in bright costumes, adorn themselves with flower garlands and vermillion, and dance in a state of trance before the image of the goddess. The traditional dance known as the Deodhani, begins in the evening and continues until dawn, and is a ritualistic offering of the devotees’ lives to the goddess. As they dance, the devotees hold pigeons and goats that will later be used as sacrificial offerings to the goddess.
“Last year too Deodhani festival was celebrated under the Covid regulations and this year, there’s no difference. The ardent devotees have been asking about the opening and some even had booked their dates. The opening of the temple is good news for all,” says Kabindra Sharma.
Devotees participating in the festival go through a month-long preparatory phase, during which they are not permitted to meet their families and have to stay in the temple premises.
“I had booked my tickets a week back and then I got to know that the temple is closed. However, I decided to go ahead and arrived in Guwahati this morning. It’s the god’s wish that the door of the temple has opened from today. I offered my prayers. It gives a different level of bliss being here. I prayed for universal peace,” says Ashok Singh Chuhan, BJP MLA, Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh.
Representing The female power of shakti and celebrating a woman’s ability to conceive, this temple doesn’t have an idol of Kamakhya to worship but a yoni. According to a legend, it marks the site where Sati’s womb fell. It’s the oldest of the 51 Shakti Pithas that still stands today and sees thousands of tourists, visitors and spiritual pilgrims each year.
Meanwhile, as of August 17, the overall positivity percentage of Corona in the State was down to 0.73%. The Kamrup Metro district recorded 153 cases where there were 11 Covid deaths in the State. The recovery rate is 97.54%.
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