Maa Kamakhya

History & Manyata

Kamakhya stands 800 ft above the Brahmaputra on the Nilachal (Blue) Hill and is the foremost of the 51 Shakti Peethas — venerated as the spot where the yoni of Goddess Sati fell when Lord Vishnu dismembered her corpse with the Sudarshan Chakra to break Shiva's tandav. Unlike any other temple in India, there is no anthropomorphic murti — devotees worship a natural underground cleft in bedrock kept perpetually moist by a subterranean spring, draped in red silk and adorned with flowers. The original temple is mentioned in the Kalika Purana and Yogini Tantra; archaeological evidence dates the kshetra to at least the 4th century Gupta era. Razed by Kalapahar in 1565, the present Nilachal-style beehive shikhara was rebuilt in 1565 by Koch king Naranarayan and his brother Chilarai, with the unique hemispherical dome resting on a cruciform sanctum. The complex also houses the Dasa Mahavidya temples — Kali, Tara, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamala — making it the only site where all ten Tantric goddesses are worshipped together. During the four-day Ambubachi Mela in June, the spring water turns red, symbolising the Goddess's annual menstruation; the temple closes and reopens with India's largest Tantric gathering of over 25 lakh devotees and sadhus.

Aarti Timings

• Snana05:30 AM
• Nitya Pooja08:00 AM
• AartiSunset

Festivals not to miss

Suggested Itinerary

1. 1Snana darshan
2. 2Bhubaneshwari & other Mahavidya shrines
3. 3Brahmaputra sunset cruise
4. 4Umananda by ferry next morning

Local Attractions

• Umananda (Peacock Island)
• Brahmaputra cruise
• Bhubaneshwari Temple