Kamakhya Temple

Kamakhya Temple is situated on the top of the Nilachal Hill at Guwahati. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati. This place is one of the 108 ‘shaktipitha’ in the country.

According to legend, Goddess Parvati angered with the disrespect shown by her father, King Daksha, towards her husband Lord Shiva, burned herself to ashes. Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and Lord Sani entered the corpse of the goddess and disposed it in parts, in an attempt to save the world from the fury of Lord Shiva. The genital organ of the goddess fell on the Nilachal Hill. The temple was built by the gods with the help of the celestial architect Vishwakarma, on the same site where the organ had fallen.

The Kamakhya temple is unique in the sense that it does not contain any idol or image of the goddess. She is worshipped in the form of a symbol of the ‘yoni’ (female genital), which represents creative energy. This symbol is printed on a block of stone situated in a cave inside the temple. Offerings of flowers and leaves are made to the deity.