Kamakhya Temple

Introduction

Temples of god and goddess have the utmost significance in the Hindu religion. The temples are the places of worship of various supreme beings in the Hindu religion. We have provided information about one of the most important and sacred sites, the Kamakhya Temple.

Kamakhya Temple

Kamakhya Temple is a temple committed to the mother goddess Kamakhya. It is present close to the city of Guwahati in the state of Assam. The temple is among the most medieval pilgrimage sites of India. But many devotees started coming to the temple from the onset of the 19th century. Since then, Kamakhya Temple has become a landmark in the area and a site of religious importance, especially to the followers of the Hindu religion.

History of the Kamakhya Temple

We can find several mentions of Kamakhya Temple in Vedas, Puranas, Mahabharat, and many other ancient texts. The most important point to know about the Kamakhya Temple is that it is among the 51 Shakti Peethas and the 4 Adi Shakti Peethas of Goddess Sati. The story tells us that the womb and vagina of Sati fell on this religious site after Lord Vishnu cut the body of Sati using his Sudarshan Chakra. And thus, Goddess Kamakhya has also been given the names of "Goddess of Fertility" and "Bleeding Goddess".

Importance of the Kamakhya Temple

In ancient times, devotees used the Tantrik methods to worship Goddess Kamakhya. Moreover, the temple of Kamakhya was an important site for tantrism. As mentioned above, this temple is among the 51 Shakti Peethas of Goddess Sati. It is said that if you worship in this temple, all your desires are fulfilled.

Building of the Kamakhya Temple

The current structure of the temple is said to be constructed by the rulers of the Mlechchha dynasty around the 9th century. And thus began the popularity of the Kamakhya Temple as an important site of Tantrikism. Later, several foreign invaders destroyed the premise of the Kamakhya Temple during the invasion of Sulaiman Karrani around the 16th century.

The rulers of the Koch Dynasty then reconstructed the temple. King Vishwasingha and his son Nara Narayan played an important role in reconstructing this ancient temple.

Since then, the temple site was regulated by the rulers of the Ahom dynasty, who provided all the required financial and social support for the temple of Kamakhya.

The Architecture of Kamakhya Temple

Nilachal Type of architecture is followed in the current design of the Kamakhya Temple. The temple premises has four chambers which are as follows:

1. Garbhagriha

Garbhagriha is the main chamber of the Kamakhya temple. In the Garbhagriha of the Kamakhya Temple, a rock fissure in a vulva-shaped depression is present and worshipped as the form of goddess Kamakhya.

2. Calanta

Calantha is present in the Western part of the Kamakhya Temple. In Atlanta, idols of several deities are present, and many ancient engravings in the form of images of deities and their stories can be seen on the walls of Calantha.

3. Pancharatna

Pancharatna is present towards the western part of Calantha.

4. Natamandir

Natamandir is present towards the western part of Pancharatna and has inscriptions from the times of rulers such as Rajewas Singh and Gaurinath Singha.

Moreover, temples of several other deities such as Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesh, Goddess Durga, Goddess Kali, etc., are also present in the premise of the Kamakhya Temple.

Festivals Celebrated in the Kamakhya Temple

Due to the practice of Tantrikism on a large scale, the annual fair of Ambubachi Mela attracts thousands of devotees and tourists. Other important celebrations in the temple of Kamakhya are Manasha Puja and Durga Puja in Navaratri.

Timings to visit the Kamakhya Temple

The temple is open throughout the day, but the darshan timings of the Garbhagriha of the Kamakhya Temple are important to know before visiting the temple.

The Aarti of Goddess Kamakhya is done daily at 6:00 AM and 7:30 PM. The darshan starts from 8:00 AM and continues till 1:00 PM. Then, the temple is closed and reopened at around 2:30 PM for the devotees. The closing time of darshan for the devotees is 5:15 PM.