Durga | ✓

04. Kamakhya Temple

" Sir I have found the newspaper article. " said the man who had been previously taunted for his work.

" Okay you may leave." said Rudra.

" But wouldn't you like to know what happened after that? " asked the man. He wanted to share what had happened. He had done great amount of research.

" I will listen. But I need to read them first. Till then do your work properly. "

The other man left the room, dejected. A knock was heard on the door.

" Rudra sir would you like you check the job advertisement you wanted to be published in the newspaper? " asked a man in his thirties.

" Ramaiah I trust your marketing skills. Just make it sure it is grammatically correct. "

" Yes Sir." said Ramaiah and left. Rudra was alone in his room. He started reading the article.

Worshipping the womb

At a time when any public discussion of genitalia evokes shame, Goddess Kamakhya celebrates a woman's fertility and desire.

Interesting article Durga

The temple at Kamakhya, Assam, was built in the 17th century by the kings of Cooch Behar. But the diety within is an ancient one, a Tantrik goddess predating Vedic culture some say, or even older, a goddess of the local Khasi and Garo tribes. But long before it was identified as a particular goddess, it was simply a natural rock formation, a cleft in a sheet of stone, resembling- at least to human eyes - a yoni, or the vulva, the entrance to the female genitalia, on the shallow bed of a mountain's stream.

Every year, following the first rains, it is said that red fluid gushes out from the cleft : underground soil according to rationalists, vermillion powder sprinkled by local priests say cynics, menstrual blood of the earth, hence the goddess, say the believers. For three days, therefore, as part of Ambubachi festival, the temple doors are shut, to let the goddess rest and regain her fertility.

When you enter the shrine at Kamakhya, you feel as if you are entering the womb of the earth. The steps go down to a subterranean chamber where a spring flows and there you see three crowns, representing three forms of the goddess : Lakshmi, Saraswati and Kamakhya, with third one being the centre of attention, covered with red cloth and flowers. Beneath the crown is the cleft.

Legend has it that when Shiva's consort Sati killed herself following a dispute with her father, Shiva was inconsolable in his grief. He clung to her corpse and wandered the earth until Vishnu cut the body into many pieces, forcing Shiva to let go. The places on earth where the various body parts fell became Shakti peethas, or the seats of the goddess. The number of these shrines varies depending on the scripture one refers to or the tradition one is familiar with. But one thing is clear: the womb fell at Kamakhya.

Belief that the earth is a goddess and like all fertile women she too has periods is a common theme in agricultural communities. In Odisha, there is the famous Rojo festival, during which women are asked to rest, and not step on the earth, as she is also resting. This is a time for playing games all day on the bed, or enjoying on the swing, while celebrating womanhood. In this festival, women are not seen as 'dirty'. Their body is capable of bearing new life, indicated by the monthly flow of blood, is celebrated.

According to Hindu texts, Kama and his daughters become his army of damsels known as apsaras, who distract sages from meditation. Shiva even sets aflame Kama with his third eye. But the eye (aksha) and the desire (kama) merge to create Kamakhya. They transform Shiva from Kamantaka, the killer of desire, to Kameshwara, the lord of desire.

In South India, Kamakhya is called Kamakshi and is visualised with the symbols of Kama: sugarcane, flowers and parrot. Kamakhya is sometimes identified as Kamala (She who sits on lotus) or as Sodasi (She who is sixteen years old). In Assam, she is visualised very differently as a six-headed, twelve-armed goddess seated on a lotus that rises from the navel of Shiva, who rests on the back of a lion. This image popularly reminds one of the more popular Vaishnava image of Brahma seated on the lotus rising from the navel of Vishnu, sleeping on the coils of a serpent. While in Vaishnava traditions, Brahma is visualised as frightened after his birth, Kamakhya of the Shakta traditions is visualised as all powerful, even placing her her foot on Shiva's chest.

Thus, we see there has been fear of menstruation, and the female body, the shunning of fertility. So it has been. So it will always be.

So writing on a sensitive topic might have got Durga into some trouble. I don't think Akshad Sir would've had any problem. It must be that good-for-nothing Indrajeet Rao.

The man who had earlier presented himself with the article came inside. He asked, " Sir have you finished reading it?"

Rudra looked at him. He didn't like when people would come inside the room without his permission. He replied coldly, " Yes I have."

" So now can I tell you what happened next?" asked the man.

" No." said Rudra in a cold tone. He got up and removed a book. He placed the article in the book, where he had kept Durga's photograph.

" Why Sir?" asked the man. He was clearly dejected.

" I want to listen it from Durga."

The man looked at Rudra. He slapped his forehead and said, " Sir, we have received the information that Durga was seen seven days ago, at Jayanagara bus stop, Bengaluru. She was believed to have boarded bus whose last stop was Mysore."

Rudra walked to him. He was few inches taller than the man. He asked, "Really?"

" Yes Sir." said the man and left the room. Rudra sat down on the chair with smile. A smile of hope. A hope of finding Durga in his city.

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This article was published in 'The Times Of India ' under 'Worshipping the womb'. The author of this article is Devdutt Pattanaik. I have edited to suit it according to my book.

Assam : A beautiful state of India

Khasi and Garo : These are names of hills in North East of India and the names of the tribe too.

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How does Rudra know about Akshad?

What was the job advertisement about? Will it lead Durga to Rudra? Or will Rudra have to find Durga in Mysore?

Thank you for reading.