Kāmākhyā

Goddess Kāmākhyā · Nīlācala hill, Guwahati, Assam

Kāmākhyā, on Nīlācala hill above the Brahmaputra, is one of the most important Śakti Pīṭhas and a great centre of Tantric worship. There is no image in the sanctum: the Goddess is worshipped as a natural cleft in the rock, kept moist by an underground spring, in a dark cave-like chamber.

The hill also holds temples of the ten Mahāvidyās. The Ambubācī Melā in June, when the temple is closed for three days to honour the Goddess’s yearly cycle and then reopens, draws huge crowds of devotees and sādhus. October to April is the pleasant season.

According to the Kālikā Purāṇa and the pīṭha traditions, the yoni of Satī fell on Nīlācala, making it the seat of the Goddess’s creative power. Tradition also says Kāmadeva, burnt to ashes by Śiva’s third eye, regained his form here — one explanation of the name Kāmākhyā.

Assam · Kālikā Purāṇa · Ambubācī Melā · Navarātri

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