Kamakhya Temple

 Kamakhya Temple located at Guwahati, Assam is a Hindu temple dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya. It is considered most sacred and oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas on earth.

Kamakhya Temple is located on Nilachal Hills in western part of Guwahati on adjoining banks of Brahmaputra river. There is a complex consisting of several temples around Maa Kamakhya Temple. Apart from this, there are also the temples of 10 Mahavidyas in and around temple. These include Bhuvaneshvari, Bagalamukhi, Chinnamasta,Tripura Sundari, Tara, Kali, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Matangi and Kamala Temples. Among these, Tripurasundari, Matangi and Kamala reside inside the main temple whereas the other seven are individual temples located on Nilachal Hills.

Kamakhya Temple is an important pilgrimage destination for all sects of Hindus and especially for Tantric worshipers.

The earliest historical dynasty of Kamarupa, the Varmans (350-650), as well as Xuanzang, a 7th-century Chinese traveler ignore the Kamakhya, when it is assumed that the worship was Kirata-based beyond the brahminical ambit.The first epigraphic notice of Kamakhya is found in the 9th-century Tezpur plates of Vanamalavarmadeva of the Mlechchha dynasty. There is enough archaeological evidence of a massive 8th-9th century temple. There is a tradition that the temple was destroyed by Kalapahar, a general of Sulaiman Karrani (1566–1572), though the latest historical findings favor instead an earlier destruction during Hussein Shah’s invasion of the Kamata kingdom(1498) then under Nilambar. The ruins of the temple was said to have been discovered by Vishwasingha, the founder of the Koch dynasty, who revived worship at the site; but it was during the reign of his son, Naranarayan, that the temple reconstruction was completed in 1565. The reconstruction used material from the original temples that was lying scattered about. Banerji (1925) records that this structure was further built over by the rulers of the Ahom kingdom. Many other structures are yet later additions.

According to a legend the Koch Bihar royal family was banned by Devi herself from offering puja at the temple. In fear of this curse, to this day no descendants of that family dares to even look upward towards the Kamakhya hill while passing by.

Without the support of the Koch royal family the temple faced lot of hardship. By the end of 1658, the Ahoms under king Jayadhvaj Singha had conquered the Lower Assam and their interests in the temple grew. In the decades that followed the Ahom kings, all who were either devout Shaivite or Shakta continued to support the temple by rebuilding and renovating it.

Rudra Singha (reign 1696 to 1714) was a devout Hindu and as he grew older he decided to formally embrace the religion and become an orthodox Hindu by being initiated or taking sharan of a Guru, who would teach him the mantras and become his spiritual guide. But, he could not bear the thought of humbling himself in front of a Brahmin who is his subject. He therefore sent envoys to Bengal and summoned Krishnaram Bhattacharyya, a famous mahant of Shakta sect who lived in Malipota, near Santipur in Nadia district. The mahant was unwilling to come, but consented on being promised to be given the care of the Kamakhya temple to him. Though the king did not take sharan, he satisfied the mahant by ordering his sons and the Brahmins in his entourage to accept him as their spiritual guru.

When Rudra Singha died, his eldest son Siba Singha (reign 1714 to 1744), who became the king, gave the management of the Kamakhya temple and along with it large areas of land (Debottar land) to Mahant Krishnaram Bhattacharyya. The Mahant and his successors came to be known as Parbatiya Gosains, as they resided on top of the Nilachal hill. Many Kamakhya priests and modern Saktas of Assam are either disciples or descendants of the Parbatiya Gosains.The temple consists of four chambers: garbhagriha and three mandapas locally called calanta, pancaratna and natamandira. The garbhagriha has a pancharathaplan and rests on plinth moldings that are similar to the Surya Temple at Tezpur, above which are dados from a later period of the Khajuraho or the Central Indian type, consisting of sunken panels alternating with pilasters.  The sikhara in the shape of a bee-hive, which is characteristic of temples in Lower Assam. The inner sanctum, the garbhagriha, is a cave below ground level and consists of no image but a rock fissure:

The garbhagriha is small, dark and reached by narrow steep stone steps. Inside the cave there is a sheet of stone that slopes downwards from both sides meeting in a yoni-like depression some 10 inches deep. This hallow is constantly filled with water from an underground perennial spring. It is the vulva-shaped depression that is worshiped as the goddess Kamakhya herself and considered as most important pitha (abode) of the Devi.

The garbhaghrihas of the other temples in the Kamakhya complex follow the same structure—a yoni-shaped stone, filled with water and below ground level.

The current structure has been built during the Ahom times,with remnants of the earlier Koch temple carefully preserved. Temple was destroyed during the middle of second millennium and revised temple structure was constructed in 1565 by Chilarai of the Koch dynasty in the style of medieval temples. The current structure has a beehive-like shikhara characteristic of lower Assam with delightful sculptured panels and images of Ganesha and other Hindu gods and goddesses on the outside. The temple consists of three major chambers. The western chamber is large and rectangular and is not used by the general pilgrims for worship. The middle chamber is a square, with a small idol of the Goddess, a later addition. The walls of this chamber contain sculpted images of Naranarayana, related inscriptions and other gods. The middle chamber leads to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in the form of a cave, which consists of no image but a natural underground spring that flows through a yoni-shaped cleft in the bedrock.The temple of Kamakhya has a very interesting story of its origin. It is one of the 108 Shakti peeths. The story of the Shakti peeths goes like this; once Sati fought with her husband Shiva to attend her father's great yagna. At the grand yagna, Sati's father Daksha insulted her husband. Sati was angered and in her shame, she jumped into the fire and killed herself. When Shiva came to know that his beloved wife had committed suicide, he went insane with rage. He placed Sati's dead body on his shoulders and did the tandav or dance of destruction.The God of love, Kamadeva had lost his virility due to a curse. He sought out the Shakti's womb and genitals and was freed from the curse. This is where 'love' gained his potency and thus, the deity 'Kamakhya' devi was installed and worshipped here. Some people also believe that the Kamakhya temple is a place where Shiva and devi Sati had their romantic encounters. As the Sanskrit word for lovemaking is 'kama', the place was named Kamakhya.The Kamakhya temple is dedicated to the tantric goddesses. Apart from the deity Kamakhya Devi, compound of the temple houses 10 other avatars of Kali namely Dhumavati, Matangi, Bagola, Tara, Kamala, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Bhuvaneshwari and Tripuara Sundari. There is no statue, idol or image of Devi in the temple, but in the corner of the cave in the temple, there is sculptured image of the yoni or Vagina of the goddess, which is the object of worship and reverence.Vatsyayana, a Vedic Sage in Varanasi during the later first Century was approached by the King in the Himalayan region (now Nepal) to find a solution to convert the tribals and their rituals of human sacrifice to a more socially accepted worship.The Sage suggested the worship of a tantric goddess Tara that spread towards the eastern Himalayan beltThe worship of all female deity in Assam symbolizes the "fusion of faiths and practices" of Aryan and non-Aryan elements in AssamWhen Rudra Singha died, his eldest son siba singha(reign 1714 to 1744), who became the king, gave the management of the Kamakhya temple and along with it large areas of land (Debottar land) to Mahant Krishnaram Bhattacharyya. The Mahant and his successors came to be known as Parbatiya Gosains, as they resided on top of the Nilachal hill. Many Kamakhya priests and modern Saktas of Assam are either disciples or descendants of the Parbatiya Gosains, or of the Nati and Na Gosains

The origin of the temple is full of interesting stories. According to the mythological stories affiliated with Kamakhya Devi temple history, once Sati’s father invited him to a grand yagna program. Sati (another name of Goddess shakti) wanted to go to that yagna program but her husband Lord Shiva denied her to go there. Then, Sati fought with her husband to attend her father’s great yagna. When sati visited there, her father insulted her husband because of which Sati became so angry and she jumped into the holy fire of the Yagna and killed herself.

Shiva was very insane with rage when he came to know that his beloved wife has killed herself. He carried the dead body of Sati on his shoulders and ran here and there in a madness of losing his love. He did tandava dance which is known as the dance of destruction. When Lord Vishnu saw Lord Shiva this much disturbed, he cut down the body of Sati with his chakra into 108 parts and those body parts get scattered in different areas of the earth. The Kamakhya temple is supposed to be the place where Sati’s womb and vagina part fell down. And that’s why; the temple set up there is taken as a symbol of fertility and strength of the woman.

According to another Kamakhya temple legend, Sati and Lord Shiva had romantic encounters in the place where Kamakhya temple is situated. So, this place is worshiped as the symbol of love and romance. People also say that once Kamadeva, the Lord of Lust and romance was cursed by Lord Shiva that he will not be able to enjoy his romantic powers anymore. When Kamdev sought out Sati’s Vaginal part at the location of Kamakhya temple, his powers came back and he was free from the curse. That’s why the Goddess is named as Kamakhya. These stories are the basis of the history of this wonderful temple.

Architecture Of Kamakhya Temple

The current structure of Kamakhya temple has been built by Ahom kings with remains of the Koch temple. As those remnants were preserved very carefully, they had been used for the construction of this new temple in a beautiful way. The destruction of the temple took place in mid of 2nd millennium and reconstruction of the same took place in 1565 by Chilarai, Koch dynasty. Like all the other medieval temples, the temple was designed in the same style having Shikhar like a beehive. This is the feature of lower Assam; the panels of the temple have been designed with delightful images of Lord Ganesh and other Hindu Gods.

There are three main chambers in the temple with sculptures of Lord Narnarayana in the walls of all the chambers. The western chamber is not opened for common pilgrims. The middle chamber has a small statue of the Goddess. The middle chamber leads the way to a cave-like Sanctorum that bears a vagina-shaped cleft made up of stone. An underground spring flows through this cleft.

The Kamakhya Devi temple architecture is famous for the design of its garbhgraha which bears a pancharatha plan that resembles the Tezpur’s Surya temple. The architectural style of this part of the temple has been adopted from the central Indian temples. This consists of sunken panels designed alternatively with pillars. From inside, the garbhagraha is dark and small that can be reached through narrow steep steps of stone. The vulva shaped depression of stones there is worshiped as the Goddess Kamakhya and reputed as one of the most important 51 shaktipeeths. There are other temples also in the complex having the same idol of the Goddess in the garbhagraha; a vulva shaped stone filled with underground water spring.

The sacred temple has well-organized system inside the structure everywhere. There are separate sites to offer Prasad, lighting diyas and breaking coconuts inside Kamakhya Temple. Shops to buy offerings are available near the temple. The main structure inside the temple is the garbhagraha, which is nothing but a yoni shaped stone supposed to be holy and sacred. There is no image or statue of the Goddess there. It is hard to see anything inside the temple because only 2 or 3 lamps are lighted there. Special poojas and prayers are performed by pandas in the temple.

The Kamakhya temple is seen as the sign of a woman’s strength and natural physiology. The Goddess is called as the bleeding Devi or menstruating Goddess because, in the month of Ashadha (June), the devi starts menstruating automatically. The proof of this menstruation is that the water of the underground spring below the vulva-shaped stone in the garbhagraha turns red. This menstruation process lasts for three days and priests of the temple don’t allow anyone to enter the temple. It means the Goddess is not allowed to be worshiped during those three days. The pilgrims are just allowed to dip their handkerchiefs in the ‘red’ water of the spring that comes out from the garbhagraha through a narrow stream. Worshippers keep those ‘red’ handkerchiefs secured with them as Devi’s offerings for good luck.

There is no scientific proof that the red color of the spring’s water is because of blood. Many people believe that the red color of the water is due to the vermillion which is mixed by the priests. So, there is no evidence of the menstruation of the Goddess but this process is seen with great respect by worshippers of the Goddess. Ultimately, it is the sign of ‘Shakti’ (strength) of every woman of the world.

On this occasion, a grand festival is celebrated in the temple named as Ambhuwasi. During the three days of Goddess’ menstruation, the doors of the temple remain closed and on the fourth day, a big celebration is done when the door is opened.

Kamakhya temple sindoor is supposed to have a blessing of Maa Kamakhya. This vermillion is called Kamiya sindoor which helps in black magic and Vashi Karan pooja. The process can be applied on your enemy or opponent. According to the story sindoor is used for preparing spiritual items which protect you from your enemy as well as resolve the black magic problems.

The Kamiya sindoor possesses special properties of avoiding witchcraft problems and bhoot prêt badha. It is found in crystallized form and can be received by the priests of the temple.

Using the Kamiya Sindoor is very easy; you need nothing but to mix the sindoor with Ggangajal or water of any other holy river. Now, make religious symbols such as om, the swastika in the front door of your house with this sindoor. Also, use the same for your office, factory and business site. Apply this sindoor in forehead of your family members, relatives, and friends for their goodness. Mix the sindoor in pure water and sprinkle this water all over the home.

Kamakhya Devi is also known well for vashikaran tantra; means a ritual practice to attract someone towards you as per your desire. This practice is done especially when you want to convince someone for being agreed with your thoughts and you know that you want him to agree for the right thing. By using the vashikaran method, you can easily convince a person to agree with your thoughts and help your loved one to come out of the hazard. The kamakhya vashikaran tantra specialists in the temple help devotees to understand the vashikaran tantra and way to use it.

The magical vashikaran tantra helps people to overcome many problems of their life as follows –

• It prevents divorce and makes your relationship healthy.
• It attracts lots of wealth and financial benefit for your life.
• You can get your love back with this vashikaran tantra.
• You can have all materialistic gains through this tantra.
• Your business and career will reach hikes by using it.
• The way of using the tantra and is explained by the tantra pooja specialists of the temple. By following that proper way, you can achieve your target.
• And these are just a few benefits that are observable as blessings of Devi will vary as per the needs of her devotee.

The temple is famous for a special pooja which is done for removal of black magic. Performed by Sadhus  who stay in the temple, this special pooja involves some rituals that cure people who suffer from black magic problems. The sadhus performing the black magic removal worship can be found anywhere inside the temple premise. From the ancient time only, this temple has been dedicated for special Kamakhya black magic removal pooja and known as the place of tantrikism. It is said that this temple is the only place where all 10 mahavidyas stay together.

Pooja of Kamakhya Devi lasts for nine days in navratri and all the important rituals are performed behind the doors. During the Kamakhya Devi pooja, various types of sacrifices are performed such as goats, pigeons, fish, Gourd, pumpkins, buffaloes. A human model made up of flour is also sacrificed to fulfill the ancient times tradition of this pooja.

Another important ritual of the temple is pohan biya. This is nothing but a symbolic marriage of lord kameshwar and kameshwari. This practice is done in the month of Pusa. Four noteworthy poojas of the temple are Durgadeul, vasanti, Mdandeul and Mansa pooja are also there. The first three poojas take place during the month of phalguna and chaitra while the last pooja takes place in Shravan.

You can visit Kamakhya Temple official website to know more about the timetable of pooja and sadhana. The temple is located 6 km from the Guwahati railway station. After reaching the station from the train, you can hire a taxi to reach the temple. while the temple is located 20 km away from the Guwahati airport; you can book a can in advance to visit the temple after reaching the airport.

The best time to visit the Kamakhya temple is June when you can enjoy the famous Ambuwasi festival and get the Kamiya sindoor. Getting the Kamakhya temple VIP pass and kamakhya devi darshan tickets is possible online or from the counters in the temple.

According to the Kamakhya Devi Temple timming, the doors of the temples are opened at 8 AM daily for devotees (except the three days of menstruation during the month of June). The doors are closed at 1 PM for cooked offering to the Goddess which is distributed among devotees later. At 2.30 PM, temple’s doors are opened again for devotees. At 5.30, the aarti of the Goddess takes place after which the doors are closed for the night.

Although, you can visit the temple any weekday whole year but to enjoy the most auspicious celebration; the ambuwashi pooja, you should plan your trip to the Kamakhya Temple during the menstruation period of the Goddess. This occasion takes place in the month of June and lasts for 4 days. After 3 days of the menstruating time of the Goddess, the fourth day is celebrated in the form of a big fair.

Being the perfect destination for those who want to enjoy great time exploring the historical and spiritual wealth of the country, the Kamakhya temple facts attract thousands of tourists every year. An outstanding combination of rejuvenated designs, attractive sculptures, and treasure of adventures make this temple different from others; that’s why even the foreign tourists love to add this place to their list of Indian destinations to visit.