The state government of Assam is vying to elevate the Kamakhya temple, its most touted pilgrimage hotspot, as the cleanest pilgrimage site in the country.
The ancient temple has been declared as a Swachh Iconic Place, with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of Kamakhya Development Project on Monday.
“Kamakhya is one of the most important ‘Shakti Peeths’ in the country, and it is our solemn duty to keep the temple premises clean,” Sonowal said during the inauguration, reports NorthEastIndia.com.
The project also aims to make the temple complex resting atop Nilachal hill in Guwahati, more accessible for the elderly and differently-abled and has deployed the tourism department to come up with different strategies.
“Assam has a lot to offer to the tourists from natural beauty to pilgrimage sites and they must be harnessed properly to develop the tourism industry,” Pradhan added.
One among the oldest Shakti Peeths across the country, Kamakhya Temple is a significant pilgrimage centre for Hindus, along with tantric devotees, and has been setting a precedent amidst religious sites since time immemorial with its unconventional reverence of a menstruating goddess as the principal deity.
The initiative will not only help in the upkeep of the sanctum sanctorum of the ancient temple but also pass along a good message that other religious centres across the country can emulate.
Source : Better India
