Guwahati: The annual Ambubachi Mahayog at the Kamakhya Temple draws lakhs of pilgrims, and for many traders it is also a crucial source of income sustained over generations.Among them is 34-year-old Heena from Rajasthan, part of a family that has travelled to religious fairs across India for decades selling rudraksh products. Her family follows a yearly circuit of pilgrimage sites and festivals including Ambubachi, Khatu Shyam, Ambarnath, the Kumbh Mela and Jagannath Puri.At a temporary stall near the temple, Heena displays rudraksh beads carved into Hindu deity figures and religious symbols, including Lord Ganesh and Shiva. “My father and grandfather also used to come to Ambubachi to sell rudraksh,” she said. Like many vendors, she spends nights in temporary camps around the Nilachal Hills set up for devotees.Another trader, Sajjan from Kolkata, has been attending the mela for the past five years. He travels with his son and sells spinal discs and oils derived from cod fish sourced from Odisha, offering them at melas across Assam, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. Sajjan claims wearing the discs as rings and rubbing the oil helps relieve body aches.Staying at a relative’s home in Jalukbari during the mela, Sajjan said his earnings have varied sharply. “In 2023, I sold products worth around Rs one and half lakh. Last year it dropped to around Rs 55,000,” he said.Each year, Ambubachi draws hundreds of itinerant traders from across the country, many of whom depend on religious gatherings like the mela for a substantial share of their annual income.
