When Is The Deodhani Festival In 2026? Here's The Ultimate Kamakhya Temple Festival Guide
· Free Press Journal
The Deodhani Festival, one of Assam's most vibrant and spiritually significant celebrations, will be observed in August 2026 at the revered Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati. The annual festival is celebrated during the Shukla Paksha Navami and Dashami of the Assamese month of Bhado, following the Ambubachi Mela. The three-day festival will begin on August 17 and continue until August 19, 2026, at the Kamakhya Temple.
View this post on Instagram
What is the Deodhani Festival?
Visit livefromquarantine.club for more information.
The Deodhani Festival is a traditional religious event dedicated to Goddess Manasa, the Hindu deity associated with snakes, fertility, and prosperity. The festival is famous for its Deodhas—male devotees believed to enter a divine trance under the blessings of the goddess. During the celebrations, they perform energetic ritual dances accompanied by the rhythmic beats of traditional drums and cymbals.
The festival is also linked to the recitation of the Manasa Kavya, a medieval Assamese literary work narrating the legends of Goddess Manasa and the tale of Behula and Lakhindar. During the festival, it is believed that deities including Manasa, Jaydurga, Bhadra Durga, Shiva, and Ganesha possess the Deodhani dancers. These dancers, known as Deodhas, perform in a trance-like state, carrying weapons and dancing to the rhythm of drums and cymbals.
Why is Kamakhya Temple special?
Located atop the Nilachal Hills in Guwahati, the Kamakhya Temple is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas and among India's most revered pilgrimage sites. Dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya, an embodiment of Shakti, the temple is renowned for its Tantric traditions and unique rituals. Unlike most Hindu temples, it does not house an idol but worships a naturally formed yoni-shaped stone, which symbolises feminine power and creation.
Watch: Randeep Hooda Distributes Ration Kits, Serves Langar In Assam's Sivasagar To Support Flood VictimsDevadhwani Nritya to the beat of Dhol (Drum) during the #Deodhani_Mahotsav at the KAMAKHYA TEMPLE from August 17 to 19, 2023
— Satyamshakti/Annant Drishti Adhyatam Peetham (@Satyamshakti9) August 20, 2023
The Deodhani Festival is dedicated to Serpent Goddess Kamakhya#SanatanaDharma #Hinduism @TourismAssam @KamakhyaTemple1 pic.twitter.com/gUeObRzPUb
Significance of the festival
The Deodhani Festival represents faith, devotion, and Assam's rich cultural heritage. The trance dances performed by the Deodhas are considered acts of divine possession and are believed to convey the blessings of the goddess to devotees. Along with religious rituals, the festival showcases Assam's folk traditions, music, and spiritual practices.
Thousands of pilgrims and tourists visit the Kamakhya Temple every year to witness the colourful celebrations, making the Deodhani Festival one of the state's most distinctive religious and cultural events.