Kamakhya gauhathi Assam
Kamakhya temple.Goddess of Creative Power, Desire and Fertility
Kamakhya worshipped in a Kali Puja pandal.
Sanskrit transliteration Kāmākhyā Affiliation Mahadevi Parvati
Tripura Sundari Bhavani Sati Mahavidya
Mantra kāmākhye varade devī nīla parvata vāsinī tvaṁ devī jagataṁ mātā
yonimudre namostute
Kamakhya : कामाख्या, a mother goddess, is a Shakta Tantric deity;
considered to be the embodiment of Kama (desire), she is regarded as the
goddess of desire. Her abode–Kamakhya Temple is located in the Kamarupa
region of Assam, India. Originally a Kirata goddess, Kamakhya remained
outside Brahmanical influence until at least 7th century CE. Residing on
Nilachal hills across the banks of the Brahmaputra river, west of Guwahati
in the 10th/11th century Temple rebuilt in 1565 CE,she is worshiped in a
non-iconic and un-anthropomorphic form of stone shaped like yoni fed by a
perennial stream. The temple is primary amongst the 51 Shakti Pithas, and
is one of the most important Shakta temples.Kamakhya's iconography is
mentioned in the Hindu scripture Kalika Purana. She has twelve arms and six
heads of varying colours: white, red, yellow, green, black and colourful.
Each head has a third eye. She is wearing opulent jewelry and red flowers
such as hibiscus. She holds in each of ten hands a lotus, trident, sword,
bell, discus, bow, arrows, club or scepter, goad, and shield. Her remaining
two hands hold a bowl, which is made either of gold or a skull. She is
seated upon a lotus, directly on top of Shiva, who in turn lies atop a lion.
The origin of the Shakti Pitha at the site is associated with the legend of
Sati, also known as Dakshayani, who was the wife of Shiva and daughter of
the Puranic King Daksha. Daksha was unhappy with his daughter's choice of
husband, and when he performed a grand yajna for all the deities, he did
not invite Shiva or Sati. Sati however went to the sacrifice. Daksha
humiliated Shiva, Sati couldn't bear the insults toward her husband and so,
she jumped into the fire and left her body. Because she was the
all-powerful mother goddess, Sati left her body in that moment to be reborn
as the goddess Parvati. Meanwhile, Shiva was stricken with grief and rage
at the loss of his wife. He threw two locks of his hair on the ground and
from it emerged Virabhadra and Mahakali. Virabhadra and Mahakali destroyed
the sacrifice while the former killed Daksha by cutting his head and
burning it. After Daksha's family and the other gods implored Shiva to
restore his life, Shiva ordered the head of the sacrificial goat to be
brought to him. The goat's head was later fixed on Daksha's body. Daksha
later repented for his wrongdoings. Shiva forgave him and saw Sati's
charred body. He put Sati's body over his shoulder and began his tandava
(dance of cosmic destruction) throughout the heavens, and vowed not to stop
until the body was completely rotted away. The other gods, afraid of the
annihilation of the 3 worlds, implored Vishnu to pacify Shiva. Thus,
wherever Shiva wandered while dancing, Vishnu followed. He sent his weapon,
the Sudarshana Chakra to destroy the corpse of Sati. Pieces of her body
fell until Shiva was left without a body to carry. Seeing this, Shiva sat
down to do Mahatapasya (great penance). Despite the similarity in name,
scholars do not generally believe that this legend gave rise to the
practice of sati.
According to various myths and traditions, there are 51 pieces of Sati's
body scattered across the Indian subcontinent. These places are called
Shakti Pithas and are dedicated to various powerful goddesses. Kamarupa
("form of desire") is the region in which the yoni ("vulva," "womb," or
"source") is said to have fallen to earth, and the Kamakhya temple was said
to have been constructed on this spot. Devotees believe that, In Nilachal
hill the yoni (womb) of Sati fell, And that yoni (womb) took the form of a
woman who is called Kamakhya. The yoni (womb) is the place where the baby
is reared for 9 months, and from this the baby enters this world. And it is
believed to be the reason for the creation of the world. Devotees come here
to worship the fallen yoni (womb) of divine world mother Goddess Sati which
is in the form of Kamakhya and worship that Goddess Sati's womb as the
cause of the creation and rearing of the world. Just as a child emerges
from the yoni (womb) of a human mother, in the same way, the world has
arisen from the yoni (womb) of Mother Goddess Sati which is in the form of
Kamakhya.
Kamakhya is mentioned in the Kalika Purana as the most important goddess of
Tantric worship, and is referred to in the text as Mahamaya, the "great
goddess of illusion", who takes on many forms depending on her mood.
Devotees also call her Kameshvari ("beloved goddess of desire"), and
consider her a form of *Tripura Sundari*, also called *Shodashi.* She is
identified with Kali in the Kalika Purana, Yoginitantra and Kamakhya
Tantra, each of which echoes this verse:
"It is certainly well known that Kamakhya is truly none other than that
mother goddess Kali, who is in all things the form of wisdom."Kamakhya is
associated with the Dasa Mahavidyas, who each have temples dedicated to
them at the Kamakhya temple complex in Assam. She is also closely
associated with Durga.
In a hymn, the Kalika Purana (Asthashakti) clearly says:
“Vimala Pada khandancha,
Stana khandancha Tarini (Tara Tarini),
Kamakhya Yoni khandancha,
Mukha khandancha Kalika (Kali)
Anga pratyanga sangena
Vishnu Chakra Kshate nacha......”
------------------------------------------------
Vimala Pada khanda Puri, Odisha Tara Tarini Stana khanda Brahmapur, Odisha
Kamakhya Yoni khanda Guwahati, Assam Dakshina Kalika Mukha khanda Kalighat
Kolkata.
Mantras for general worship of the Mahavidyas at the Kamakhya temple
complex reveal a close identity with Kamakhya herself. Several of these
goddesses are worshipped as forms of Kamakhya explicitly. Kamakhya's
Ashtashaktis or eight incarnations are Guptakama, Srikama, Vindhyavasini,
Kotishvari, Vanadurga, Padadurga, Dirgheshvari and Bhuvaneshvari.
B. Shastri. Kamakhya Tantra. Bharatiy Vidya Prakash (Delhi, Varanasi:
1990). p. 20.
yā devi kālikā mātā sarva vidyāsvarūpinī |
kāmākhyā saiva vikhyātā satyam devi nacānyathā ||KR IRS to be contd
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