Temple of Bliss- Kamakhya Temple

The Kamakhya Temple at Nilachal hills in Guwahati, Assam is one of the oldest and most revered centres of Tantric practices, dedicated to the goddess Kamakhya. The temple is the center of the Kulachara Tantra Marga and the site of the Ambubachi Mela, an annual festival that celebrates the menstruation of the goddess. Structurally, the temple is dated to the 8th-9th century with many subsequent rebuildings—and the final hybrid architecture defines a local style called Nilachal. It is also one of the oldest of the 51 pithas in the Shakta tradition. An obscure place of worship for much of history it became an important pilgrimage destination, especially for those from Bengal, in the 19th century during colonial rule.

Originally an autochthonous place of worship of a local goddess where the primary worship of the aniconic yoni set in natural stone continues till today, the Kamakya Temple became identified with the state power when the Mleccha dynasty of Kamarupa patronised it first, followed by the Palas, the Koch, and the Ahoms.The Kalika Purana, written during the Pala rule, connected Naraka, the legitimizing progenitor of the Kamarupa kings, with the goddess Kamakhya representing the region and the Kamarupa kingdom.

It has been suggested that historically the worship progressed in three phases—yoni under the Mlechhas, yogini under the Palas and the Mahavidyas under the Kochs.The main temple is surrounded in a complex of individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas of Saktism, namely, Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. Among these, Tripurasundari, Matangi and Kamala reside inside the main temple whereas the other seven reside in individual temples. Temples for individual Mahavidyas together as a group, as found in the complex, is rare and uncommon.

In July 2015, the Supreme Court of India transferred the administration of the Temple from the Kamakhya Debutter Board to the Bordeuri Samaj.

The current structural temple and the rock-cut sculpture strewn in the vicinity indicate that the temple has been built and renovated many times in the period 8th–9th, 11th–12th, 13th–14th centuries and even later.The current form, from the 16th century has given rise to a hybrid indigenous style that is sometimes called the Nilachal type: a temple with a hemispherical dome on a cruciform base. The temple consists of four chambers: garbhagriha and three mandapas locally called calanta, pancharatna and natamandira aligned from east to west.

The shikhara over the garbhagriha has a pancharatha plan that rests on plinth moldings that are similar to the Surya Temple at Tezpur. On top of the plinths are dados from a later period which are of the Khajuraho or the Central Indian type, consisting of sunken panels alternating with pilasters.The panels have delightful sculptured Ganesha and other Hindu gods and goddesses.Though the lower portion is of stone, the shikhara in the shape of a polygonal beehive-like dome is made of brick, which is characteristic of temples in Kamrup.The shikhara is circled by a number of minaret inspired angashikaras of Bengal type charchala. The shikhara, angashikharas and other chambers were built in the 16th century and after.

The inner sanctum within the shikhara, the garbhagriha, is below ground level and consists of no image but a rock fissure in the shape of a yoni (female genital)

The temple consists of three additional chambers. The first to the west is the calanta, a square chamber of type atchala (similar to the 1659 Radha-Vinod Temple of Bishnupur). The entrance to the temple is generally via its northern door, that is of Ahom type dochala. It houses a small movable idol of the Goddess, a later addition, which explains the name.The walls of this chamber contain sculpted images of Nar Narayana, related inscriptions and other gods.It leads into the garbhagriha via descending steps.

The pancharatna to the west of calanta is large and rectangular with a flat roof and five smaller shikharas of the same style as the main shikhara. The middle shikhara is slightly bigger than the other four in typical pancharatna style.

The natamandira extends to the west of the pancharatna with an apsidal end and ridged roof of the Ranghar type Ahom style. Its inside walls bear inscriptions from Rajeswar Singha (1759) and Gaurinath Singha (1782), which indicate the period this structure was built. The outer wall has stone sculptures from an earlier period embedded in high relief.

Located in the Nilachal Hills in the western part of Guwahati city, the Kamakhya Temple Guwahati is perhaps its most well-recognised landmark and a part of every traveller’s itinerary. It is among the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peeths and the temple is dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya. The temple complex is made up of many individual temples each denoting the ten Mahavidyas of Saktism. Apart from finding favour with Tantric worshipers, the temple brings in throngs of Hindu pilgrims from across the country. It is the spot where the genitals or the yoni of Sati fell after Lord Shiva did his tandav with the corpse of his wife, Sati. The annual Ambubachi Mela and Durga Puja are some of its most well-celebrated festivals. The inner sanctum under the Shikhara lies below the ground and comprises no idol but a crack in the rock in the shape of a female genitalia, a hollow that is believed to be continuously filled with water from subterranean springs.

Kamakhya Temple, also known as Kamrup’s Kanya Temple or the “Temple of Bliss”, is located in Guwahati, Assam. The Kamakhya Temple is Guwahati’s most well-recognised landmark. It was built before the 10th century by the Koch dynasty and has had a long history.

The Kamrup Kamakhya Temple, or the Kamakhya Temple, is one of the oldest Hindu temples in Guwahati, Assam, and the subcontinent. The temple is on Nilachal hills. It is one of the oldest and most revered places where Tantric practices are done. It is named after the mother goddess Kamakhya.

According to Sanatan Dharm, the Kamakhya Temple was created when Hindu Goddess Parvati ordered Lord Shiva to build a shrine for her so that she could meditate in peace until she found a suitable husband for herself. The place was found where the Ambubachi Mela is held every year to honour the Goddess’s periods.

The Kamakhya Temple’s structure dates back to the 8th or 9th century, but it has been rebuilt many times since then. Its final hybrid style is called Nilachal. It is also one of the 51 pithas in the Shakta Hindu tradition. Few people knew about the Kamakhya Temple before the British colonial rule. During colonial rule in the 19th century, it became a significant pilgrimage destination for Bengali Shakta Hindus.

Some people think that the worship in Kamakhya temple has changed over time in three stages: the yoni under the Mlechchhas, the yogini under the Palas and the Mahavidyas under the Kochs.

The Kamakhya Temple is one of India’s most sacred and important Hindu shrines. The temple stands on the Nilachal hills, only 40 kilometres from Assam’s capital Guwahati. Another story behind Kamakhya Temple relates it to Goddess Sati‘s Yoni (the vagina), which fell here after her self-immolation. The temple is also known as Yoni-Sthana. It is one of the holiest places in Assam and has been a pilgrimage site for thousands of years.

The Kamakhya Temple has an underground portion that houses a natural cave where Kamakhya Devi resides. The temple was erected by the Koch king Naranarayan in 1565 and destroyed by Kalapahar in 1572. King Chilarai of Koch Hajo rebuilt the temple. There are many secrets associated with the temple, and it is therefore considered one of the most sacred places for Shakta Hindus.

According to Kalika Puran, when Shiva was going to Kailash with Sati, her father Daksha insulted him and his wife. Enraged, Sati jumped into the fire and immolated herself. When Shiva got to know about this incident, he became furious with grief and searched for Sati’s remains all over the universe. Finally, he found her yoni in Assam’s Kamakhya Hills, known as Kamakhya Temple.

According to some sites, Sati gave birth to a boy named Kartikeya after being reborn as Parvati, so she became known as Kamakhya or “Mother of Kartikeya”. Some people believe that Yoni-Sthana is Sati’s womb rather than her vagina, but others disagree.

There are several other stories about the Kamakhya Temple on the Nilachal Hills in Guwahati, Assam. It is the most revered place to practise Tantra and is one of the oldest Shakti Peeths. It is also where the Kalachakra Tantra Marga starts and ends. The important Ambubachi Mela festival every year. The festival celebrates the Goddess’s menstrual period.

The name “Kamakhya” means “she who fulfils desires”. The temple is situated on a hillock with a natural spring called Uma-Kamaleshwar, which is believed to be the source of the Brahmaputra River. Besides, there are many more mysteries related to Kamakhya Temple. It is close to Assam’s capital Guwahati and is one of the top tourist destinations in Assam. Many tourists visit the Kamakhya Temple every year due to its popularity.