The Kamakhya Temple is an ancient Shakti Peeth temple situated on the Nilachal Hill at about 800 feet above the sea level in western part of Guwahati city in Assam, India. It is the main temple, dedicated to Kamakhya, in a complex of individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas: Bhuvaneshvari, Bagalamukhi, Chinnamasta, Tripura Sundari and Tara, Kali, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Matangi and Kamala. Among these Tripurasundari, Matangi and Kamala reside inside the main temple whereas the other seven reside in individual temples. The complex also contains three temples of Lord Visnu. They are as the Kedara (Kamalesvara), situated near the northern side of the main temple, as the Gadadhara, situated in the north-western direction of the Kamakhya temple, and as Pandunath, which is situated in the eastern foothills of Nilachal also known as Pandu. It is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus and especially for Tantric worshipers. 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 is the most important part of the temple which leads to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in the form of a cave below ground level, which consists of no image but a natural underground spring that flows through a yoni-shaped cleft in the bedrock 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 current structure has been built during the Ahom times, with remnants of the earlier Koch temple carefully preserved. The first tantric Kamakhya Temple was destroyed during the Mongol invasion in the 12 BC & 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. During the Ambubachi festival each summer, the menstruation of the Goddess Kamakhya is celebrated & being the centre for Tantra worship this temple attracts thousands of tantra devotees. This five-day festival attracts several thousand visitors. During this time, the water in the main shrine runs red with iron oxide resembling menstrual fluid. This is a very ancient Khasi sacrificial site, and worshiping here still includes sacrifices. Devotees come every morning with goats to offer to Shakti. Legend: Regarding the many origins of this pith, the most popular is the version found in the Kalika Puran, a Sashtra of the 10th century AD. A legend connected with its origin is the famous love tryst with Narakasur and how Goddess Kamakhya finally slays him. Mention is made of this in the two sashtras, the Kalika Puran and the Yogini Tantra(of the 16th century AD). Legends and myths have multiplied through the ages, they have overlapped in such a manner that it is not possible to place them chronologically as characters have mingled, events mixed. The one that has come down the ages and is most popularly accepted is this—Lord Shiva's spouse Sati could not resist the temptation of going to her father's place to attend Rajasuya yajna though she was prohibited from attending. She was unwelcome at her father Daksha's house. Shiva was insulted in strong terms. The humiliation being too strong, she swooned and breathed her last at the very site. Informed of this tragedy, Shiva was enraged; with his third eye opened in extreme rage, he destroyed the yajna. Overwhelmed by grief, he picked up the dead body of Sati and wandered throughout the World in extreme grief. Lord Vishnu was awe struck, recognizing the risk of doom to the World, he decided to lighten Shiva's burden by severing the corpse with his discus, pieces fell to earth in different places and later came to be known as 'Pithas'. The genital part fell on Nilachala, a hillock about 5 km from the heart of Guwahati city. The name of this hillock derives from this legend. It is said to have gone blue when the severed part of the Sati's body fell on it and hence the term "Nila'(meaning blue) was affixed to the term 'Parbat' or hill. The unique feature of the Kamakhya temple, however, is that while all other Shakti temples of house images of the Goddess in some form, this is probably the only Devi shrine where no image is found inside the main sanctum. Within the temple structure is a cave where on a block of stone the symbol of the yoni is carved, a kunda or natural spring always keeps the yoni moist. http://www.amarujala.com/news/spirituality/religion-festivals/kamakhya-mandir-ambubachi-mela/

• published: 03 Oct 2013
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