Kamakhya Temple, the holiest Shakti-Peetha in the country, is located in Nilachal Hill in the capital city of Assam, Guwahati. The place has excellent mythological importance in the country. Its significance as a heritage site shouldn’t be missed out either.
Ambubachi Mela, held annually at Kamakhya Temple, is considered the most auspicious religious gathering in the region and state, as millions of devotees and visitors gather on this august occasion. It is also considered as Kumbh Mela of Northeast India.
Voice of Environment (A Scientific and Environmental Research Organization) is working to meet the targets of the Mission Clean Green Assam initiative. In this regard, a mission was launched as a clean and single-use plastic-free premise vision started from Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati. To that end, VoE signed an MOU with Kamakhya (Devalaya) Temple Authority on December 22, 2016.
In continuation to the previous mission, a joint initiative conducted by Voice of Environment in association with Kamakhya Temple Authority to create awareness among Devotees, Visitors, Sadhus, Saints to celebrate a clean, eco-friendly Ambubachi Mela 2023. The drive was conducted at the Temple premises.
Team VoE, led by environmentalist Moharana Choudhury, kicked off the awareness drive on a clean, eco-friendly by delivering the significance of ecological aspects & the environmental importance of Nilachal Hills during the mega event. A signature campaign and one-to-one interaction with the devotees and visitors led by Bhaskar Hazarika. An interview and exchange of thoughts on sanitation, cleanliness, health-hygiene and eco-friendly premises were conducted by Anjana Gogoi, Sunny Gogoi and Dhanjit Gogoi.
The team VoE has previously worked on an awareness drive and signature campaign to create mass sensitization among coming Devotees, Visitors, Sadhus, Saints at the Kamakhya Railway Station on the occasion of Ambubachi Mela 2023 to keep the temple premises clean, eco-friendly and avoiding single-use plastic. The team has also interacted one to one with the devotees,Sadhus, Saints during the campaign and recorded several interviews cum interactive sessions to understand the views of people who have arrived from different parts of the country regarding this mega event. It is also noticed that most Devotees and Visitors supported this initiative as cleanliness, beat single-plastic pollution and proper waste disposal aspect in such heritage place.Kabindra Sarma, the head priest (The Doloi) Kamakhya temple authority and Bholanath Sarma, Secretary Ambubachi Mela, 2023 appreciated the campaign initiated by VoE. Jnan Nath Sarma, Secretary Kamakhya Devalaya, also encourages the awareness drive and signature campaign for the eco-friendly environment in temple premises.
VoE is trying to create mass awareness and environmental education regarding the overall cleanliness, sanitation, health & hygiene of Nilachal Hill and surroundings by avoiding using single-waste plastic. VoE also highlights the temple premise, a clean, eco-friendly and plastic-free tourist destination cum heritage site and a rich biodiversity spot to set an example in the country towards sustainability. Furthermore, Despite having millions of gatherings and lots of challenges and difficulties for such mega events, VoE is working spontaneously to create ‘Mass citizen consciousness’ that will build the habit of sustainable practices to counter the use of plastic items regularly and also will send a strong message about the eco-friendly and cleanliness mission in the region and globe.