AGARTALA: A large number of devotees thronged the Lakshminarayan Bari temple in the capital on Thursday on the occasion of Ambubachi, observed annually during the monsoon month of Ashar according to the Bengali calendar.
Devotees, many of whom had queued up since the morning, gathered at the temple to offer prayers and seek blessings on the occasion, which marks the end of the period traditionally associated with the menstrual cycle of the Divine Mother in Shakta tradition.
Adding colour to the celebrations, women at the temple premises were seen smearing each other with vermillion (sindoor) in a joyous display, a customary practice associated with the occasion symbolising fertility, renewal, and feminine energy.
While Ambubachi is most prominently observed at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, devotees across the region, including in Agartala, mark the occasion at local Shakti temples such as Lakshminarayan Bari, reflecting the festival’s deep resonance within Bengali and wider Northeastern Hindu tradition.
Temple authorities said the crowd swelled through the day as devotees continued to arrive to take part in the celebrations.