Kamakhya Temple

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Kamakhya Temple (or Maa kamakhya Mandir) is one of the most revered and powerful Shakti Peethas in India, located in Guwahati, Assam, atop the Nilachal Hill. It is an ancient temple dedicated to Maa Kamakhya Devi or Kameswari, a form of Shakti. This temple is unique in many ways, both spiritually and symbolically.

Kamakhya Temple

Significance

Maa Kamakhya or Kameswari is the renowned Goddess of Desire. Maa Kamakhya Devalaya is considered most sacred and oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas on earth. Consequently, it is also called “Adipitha”. It is the centerpiece of widely practiced, powerful Tantric Shaktism cult in India.

Kamakhya Temple is considered the yoni (womb) of Goddess Sati. When Sati’s body was dismembered, her yoni is believed to have fallen at this site, making it a powerful seat of female power. There is no idol of the goddess in the temple. Instead, there is a natural underground rock fissure shaped like a yoni that is constantly kept moist by an underground spring. This is worshipped as the symbol of Shakti.

Connection to Tantra

Kamakhya Temple is also a major center for Tantric worship. It is deeply associated with Tantric Hinduism and mysticism. Practitioners of Tantra believe that the energy of the goddess is particularly powerful here, making it one of the most important centers for Tantric rituals.

Kamakhya Temple Legends

The legends surrounding the Kamakhya Temple are drawn from both oral traditions and ancient scriptures. References to Maa Kamakhya can be found in several revered texts, including the Devi Purana, Devi Bhagavatam, Yogini Tantra, Kalika Purana, and Hevajra Tantra, among others.

Origin of the Shakti Peetha

According to ancient legend, Sati, the consort of Lord Shiva, attended a grand yagna (sacrificial ritual) organized by her father, Prajapati Daksha, despite Shiva’s objections. Daksha had deliberately not invited Shiva and Sati to the ritual. Upon her arrival, Sati was deeply hurt by the insults hurled at Lord Shiva by her father in front of the denizens of the three worlds (Tribhuvana). Unable to bear the humiliation of her beloved, Sati immolated herself at the yagna site.

Devastated and enraged by her death, Lord Shiva carried Sati’s lifeless body on his shoulders and began performing the fearsome Tandava — a cosmic dance of destruction. Despite attempts by the gods to calm him, Shiva remained inconsolable. Finally, Lord Vishnu intervened, using his Sudarshan Chakra to dismember Sati’s body into 51 pieces to pacify Shiva and restore cosmic balance. Each site where a body part fell became a sacred Shakti Peetha.

Kamakhya, also referred to as Kubjika Pitha, is believed to be the spot where the Yoni Mudra (the female genitalia or vulva) of Sati fell, symbolizing feminine power and creation.

The Kamadeva Legend

Another important legend linked to Kamakhya is that of Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love. After Kamadeva was reduced to ashes by the fire of Lord Shiva’s third eye — a result of trying to disturb Shiva’s meditation — his consort Rati pleaded for his resurrection. She explained that Kamadeva was merely fulfilling the will of the gods.

Moved by Rati’s devotion and recognizing the innocence of Kamadeva, Lord Shiva agreed to restore him to life. However, Kamadeva was reborn without his former beauty. In pursuit of regaining his original charm, both Kamadeva and Rati began meditating and praying to Lord Shiva.

Shiva then instructed Kamadeva to seek out the sacred Yoni Mudra at Nilachal Parvat (present-day Kamakhya Hill) and worship the Devi there. After intense penance and devotion, Kamadeva was blessed by the Goddess and regained his beauty. In gratitude, he commissioned the celestial architect Vishwakarma to construct a grand temple over the sacred site.

As Kamadeva (Kama) regained his rupa (form) here, the land came to be known as Kamarupa (or Kamrup), and the goddess was worshipped as Kamakhya — “She who is worshipped by Kama”.

Kalika Purana legend

The Kalika Purana, one of the most sacred scriptures for the Shakta sect, written around the 9th century CE, provides a mythical origin of the Kamakhya Temple. It describes Nilachala in ancient Kamrup as the divine site where Lord Shiva and Shakti united to fulfill their desire (Kama). The text elaborates on the sacredness of the site and its connection to divine union and creation.

Yogini Tantra legend

The Yogini Tantra presents another symbolic origin story that highlights Kamakhya as a center of procreation and feminine energy. According to this version, Lord Brahma, after creating the universe, became arrogant due to his creative powers. To humble him, Goddess Sanatani Kali created a demon named Kesi from Brahma’s own body. The demon immediately turned against Brahma, threatening to devour him. Brahma fled with Vishnu, eventually realizing his error and seeking the Goddess’s help.

The Goddess intervened and destroyed the demon Kesi. She then instructed Brahma and Vishnu to build a mountain over the demon’s corpse — a place rich in grass for cattle — and declared it to be Kamarupa, the most sacred place on Earth. She further commanded them to worship the Yonimandala (symbol of feminine creative power) that had appeared there. This sacred site came to be known as Nilakuta Parvat or Nilachala, which became the seat of the Kamakhya Temple.

Kamakhya Temple Location

The Kamakhya Temple is located at a distance of 7km from Guwahati, Assam, India in the Nilachal Hills. Below is the map

https://maps.app.goo.gl/bwHEaku3kma67gb97

How to Reach

Terminal	Name	Distance from the Temple
Airport	Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport	20 KM
Railway Station	Guwahati Railway Station	8 KM
Bus Station	Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), Guwahati	16 KM

Important Festivals in Kamakhya Temple

Ambubachi Mela, Deodhani, Durga Puja, and Kumari Puja are the important festivals celebrated in the temple

Ambubachi Mela

One of the most important festivals celebrated here is the Ambubachi Mela, held annually in June. It marks the menstruation of Goddess Kamakhya, a rare and powerful concept where the divine feminine is honored in her biological form.

During this time the temple remains closed for 3 days. Devotees believe that the goddess is in her menstrual phase. The temple reopens on the fourth day with much celebration.

This festival attracts millions of devotees, sadhus, tantrics, and tourists from across India and abroad.