Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati

Sthala Puranam

The Kalika Purana says Kamakhya is where Sati secretly met Shiva, and where her yoni fell after Shiva's dance with her body. The page notes that the Devi Bhagavata does not say the same.

The temple is counted among the oldest four of the 51 pithas.

Speciality

• The sanctum is below ground, small and dark, reached by steep stone steps. It has no image. A rock fissure shaped like a yoni, with a spring-fed depression about 10 inches deep, is worshipped as Kamakhya herself.
• A centre of the Kulachara Tantra Marga. Both left-hand (vamachara) and right-hand (dakshinachara) paths are followed.
• Nilachal style: a hemispherical dome on a cross-shaped base.
• Structure dates from the 8th–9th century with many rebuilds. Koch king Nara Narayan's rebuilding was finished in 1565.

Festivals

• Ambubachi Mela (annual, draws many Tantra devotees)
• Manasha Puja
• Durga Puja in Navaratri

How to reach

Before you go

• Dress modestly. Leave footwear outside the temple.
• Timings, ticket rules and dress codes change. Check the temple's own notice or website before you travel.
• Book darshan, rooms and special poojas only at the official counter or website, not through agents.
• Ambubachi Mela brings huge crowds, and the temple is closed for some days. Check the dates before planning.
• The queue for the sanctum can be very long. Go early.

Prayers for this temple

• Devi Suktam
• Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu
• Durga Gayatri