As millions of devotees converge at the sacred Kamakhya Temple for the annual Ambubachi Mahayog 2026, the Voice of Environment (VoE), a scientific and environmental research organization, has intensified its decade-long campaign to promote a clean, plastic-free, and eco-friendly pilgrimage experience at one of India’s most revered heritage sites.
Under its flagship initiatives, Mission Clean Green and the Eco-Friendly Heritage Iconic Sites Programme, VoE launched a large-scale awareness and cleanliness drive at the Kamakhya Temple premises on Nilachal Hill. The campaign aims to encourage responsible waste management, discourage the use of single-use plastics, promote recycling, and foster sustainable practices among devotees, vendors, priests, and local stakeholders.
VoE’s association with the Kamakhya Temple dates back to December 22, 2016, when it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kamakhya Devalaya Temple Authority. Since then, the organization has been working continuously to transform the temple premises into a model of environmental sustainability and cleanliness.
The awareness programme began with an orientation led by noted environmentalist Moharana Choudhury, who highlighted the ecological significance of Nilachal Hill and the need for collective action to preserve its biodiversity. Teams of volunteers conducted signature campaigns, interacted with pilgrims and shopkeepers, and spread awareness about sanitation, hygiene, plastic waste reduction, and environmental conservation.
Volunteers including Bhaskar Hazarika, Dr. Hari Prasad Agarwal, Sashi Prabha Roy, Marine Basumutari, Sabita Dutta, Monalisha Sarkar, Archana Dahal, Partha Sarathi Dhar, and others actively engaged with visitors and local stakeholders. They encouraged proper disposal of waste and educated people on the harmful effects of single-use plastics and thermocol products.
The team also met with officials from the district administration, Assam Police, Guwahati Municipal Corporation, and the Kamakhya Temple Authority. During the visit, Bor Doloi Kabindra Prasad Sarma, Head Priest of Kamakhya Temple, felicitated the VoE members and appreciated their sustained commitment over the past ten years towards making the temple premises cleaner and environmentally responsible.
A major cleanliness drive was undertaken within the temple complex, where volunteers collected discarded plastic bottles, packets, and other waste materials and disposed of them through designated waste management systems in coordination with temple authorities.
Throughout the day, VoE volunteers conducted one-to-one interactions with devotees, sadhus, security personnel, and visitors, emphasizing cleanliness, hygiene, biodiversity conservation, and responsible waste disposal. The campaign also focused on building mass citizen awareness and encouraging sustainable habits that can significantly reduce environmental pressure during large religious gatherings.
Supported this year by Supreme Petrochem Ltd. and backed by the Kamakhya Devalaya Authority, the initiative seeks to establish Kamakhya Temple as a global example of a clean, sustainable, and environmentally responsible heritage destination.
With Ambubachi Mahayog often referred to as the “Kumbh Mela of Northeast India,” the campaign carries a powerful message that environmental stewardship and spiritual devotion can go hand in hand.
VoE has appealed to citizens, youth groups, civil society organizations, media houses, and all stakeholders to actively participate in the mission.
As the campaign’s central message echoes across Nilachal Hill: “Together we can make a difference.”
