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| Ganesha and Gowri |
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| Sculptures on the temple walls |
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| Durga Idol |
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| idols of gods and goddesses inside the temple corridor |
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| front view of the temple |
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| Idols of Bhairava and Bhairavi in the temple premises |
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| View from above |
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| Shops on the way to the temple |
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| The stone from which Sindoor is made |
This temple is one of the oldest fifty
one Shakti Peethas in India. This is where the womb and vagina of Sati fell when Lord Vishnu cut Her
body into 108 pieces which fell in different places and became sacred Shakti
Peethams. Lord Kamadeva worshipped Kamakhya Devi (also called Tripura Sundari Devi) to regain his virility. According to another legend Brahma was challenged
by Shakti when he became arrogant and cursed him that He could thereafter create
only with the blessings of Her Yoni, the sole creative principle. After much
penance Brahma brought a bright light of heaven and placed it within the Yoni
circle which was created by Goddess and placed it at Kamarupa’s Kamkhya’s
temple. She is regarded as an
incarnation of Kali in Kalika Purana composed in 10th century.
Situated at a height of 561 feet above on
Nilachal hill, this temple attracts many devotees from all over the country. On
this hill only, one can see separate shrines for Tantric goddesses called Dasa
Mahavidyas like Kali, Tara, Buvaneshwari Bhagalamukhi, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavathi
and Shodashi. Inside the main shrine, Tripura Sundari,Matangi and Kamala
reside. The temple is nearly eight kms from the city. One can go by taxi or by auto. City buses are also available.
From there one has to climb a few steps to reach the main temple.
On
the way one can see a row of shops selling pooja material. The narrow lanes
remind us the lanes in Benares leading to Kashi Vishwanth temple. One has to
descend a flight of steps as the main temple is at a lower level. A temple pond
(Sauvagya Kund) is seen. A few small shrines are seen there. Near the main
shrine one can see two huge lion idols with many carved figures of gods and
goddesses on the outer walls of the temple tower. The temple tower is in the
shape of a hemispherical dome with seven oval spires topped by three golden
pitchers or Kumbhas. The inner temple is below theground level. One has to wait
patiently for hours to get darshan here. Otherwise one can buy special darshan
ticket for 501/- and get darshan within one hour. The pandas here demand a hefty
amount and so one should be cautious while negotiating with them. But there is
no hurried pushing of crowds in the queues. The devotees are permitted to go in
a line in an orderly way. Near the darshan queue, there is a separate place
where animals and birds are sacrificed. Generally goats, hens, ducks and
pigeons are offered as sacrifice in morning hours. As we went in the afternoon
we did not see any bloodshed or dead animals there.
The temple
has three chambers with a narrow corridor. In the outer chamber one can see the
metal idols of the Goddess and Lord Shiva draped in silk clothes and decorated
with flowers. The devotees offer pooja material here and touch the holy water
near these idols and sprinkle it on their heads. In the middle chamber there is
a cave which leads to a natural underground spring that comes from a fissure in
the rock. This is the Shakti peetham of Kamakhya where the goddess is seen as a
10-inch deep depression shaped in the form of yoni or female genital organ.
Devotees sprinkle water form this deep fissure over their heads. On the walls
in the cave one can see the sculptures of Ganesha, gods and goddesses. The
idols are covered with silk clothes and smeared with heaps of kumkum and one
cannot see the idols clearly. Not only here but in other temples also, the
idols are not cleanly maintained. The shrines are very small and way is dark
and so one cannot see the idols properly. No boards are kept to give
information about those idols also.
According to
legends this temple was first built by Narakasura and later by the kings of
Mleccha dynasty in 8thand 9th century. Later it was
destroyed by Hussein Sha , a Muslim ruler. The ruins of the temple were
discovered by Viswasingha, the founder of the Koch dynasty who revived the
temple as a site of worship. His son, Nara Narayan (1540-1587) reconstructed this
temple in 1565. In 1658 the kingdom of Kamarupa came under the rule of Ahom
kings who further improved the temple. During the rule of Siba Singha, son of
Rudra Singha, the management of the temple was handed over to to Krishnaram Bhattacharya, a Shakta mahant
of Bengal. Even now the descendants of his family and his disciples (Parbatiya
Gosains) act as priests. This temple was an ancient site of sacrificial place
of Khasi people. That is why even now devotees sacrifice animals as offering to
Goddess. Vajrayana, a type of mystic and tantric Buddhist sect, flourished in
Kamakhya in 16th century. One can see the figures of Nara Narayan
and Viswasingha on the temple walls. Just near the exit one can see a shrine
for the Goddess Annapurna.
This temple
is regarded as the oldest place for Shakti cult and Tantric worship. Even now
one can see Tantric monks around the temple premises. In and around this temple
there are shrines for deities like for Kali, Tata, Bhuvaneswari, Durga,
kedareswara, and gadadhara. As the sunset is very early at 5.00 p.m. we could
not see all other temples. In these small shrines no priest is found and there
is no light to see the idols in the shrine. People say that Bhuvaneswari temple
is on the highest point of the hill at a height of 690 feet and one can have a
panoramic view of the natural surroundings. Nearly two hundred people connected
with temple duties reside on this hill. The temple opens at 8.00 a.m and closes
at 5.00 p.m. So one should better come here early to have darshan. At the
donation counter also proper administration is lacking. For donors some Prasad
and photos are to be given.
During the month of June the Kamakhya temple
is closed for three days when the waters of the river Brahmaputra turn red. People
believe that the goddess menstruates during these days and so none is allowed
to see Her. The cloth covering the idol also turns red. On this occasion lakhs
of devotees attend the function called Ambhbachi Mela. Tantriks do special
poojas during this time. During Nava Rathri five-day festival is observed. Many
devotees buy “Kamakhya Sindoor” made from a special type of rock and regard it
as a blessing from the Goddess. This Shakti Peetham symbolizes the procreative
powers of the Goddess.
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19th November, 2018 Somaseshu Gutala
