The holy temple of Maa Kamakhya is adorned with its own myths and mysteries. The aesthetic significance of this temple cannot be understood only from its factual history; rather the orally recorded history and historical needs to be taken into consideration. The oldest story is associated with the creation itself. There are many oral legends prevalent regarding Maa Kamakhya.
First Legend: Despite being forbidden by her husband Lord Shiva, Sati went to the yagna being performed by her father Prajapati Daksha. Daksha had not invited Lord Shiva and Sati. After Sati reached the yagna site, Daksha started insulting Lord Shiva in front of all the residents of Tribhuvan. Unable to bear the insult, Sati gave up her life at the yagna site itself. When Lord Shiva came to know about this tragic incident, he became furious.
He took the body of the dead Sati on his shoulders and started performing Tandava. Vishnu tried to pacify Shiva but failed. He later dismembered Sati’s body into 51 pieces with his Sudarshan Chakra. The places where each part fell came to be known as Shakti Peethas. Kamakhya, also known as Kubiyak Peetha, is the place where Sati’s yoni-mudra (female genitalia or vulva) fell. This was not known until Kamadeva, the god of love, searched for it to get salvation from Brahma’s curse. She regained her form (beauty) after worshipping at this Peetha. Since Kamadeva regained his form here, the whole place came to be called Kamarupa (Kamrup) and the deity came to be known as Kamakhya or the one worshipped by Kama.
Legend of Kamadeva: Legend goes that when Kamadeva-the husband of the rat was consumed by the fire that came out of Lord Shiva’s third eye. Kamadeva’s wife Rati pleaded before Lord Shiva and told him that it was no fault of Kamadeva, as the Gods had asked him to do so and she requested Lord Shiva to revive Kamadeva. Being the embodiment of love himself, Lord Shiva gladly accepted to do so and he gave life to Kamadeva. However, Kamadeva’s earlier beauty was gone. Then both Rati and Kamadeva started praying to Lord Shiva again to bring Kamadeva back to his original form. Then the Lord advised Kamadeva to find the sacred Yoni Mudra in Nilachal Mountain and worship the Goddess there, only then he would be able to regain his beauty. After many years of meditation, Kamadeva finally succeeded in getting the blessings of the Goddess and regaining his lost beauty. The grateful Kamadeva then built a grand temple over the Yoni Mudra with the help of Vishwakarma.
Kalika Puran
A legend about the origin of the temple is given in the “Kalika Purana”, one of the most sacred texts of the “Shakta” sect written around the 9th century. It mentions that Nilachala in ancient Kamarupa is the place where Lord Shiva and Shakti used to satisfy their physical desire i.e. Kama. Kalika Purana contains many details about the Kamakhya temple. Kalika Purana mentions Naraka, whose father was Lord Vishnu and mother Dharitri. It is believed that after spending his childhood in Mithila, Naraka came to Pragjyotish on the orders of his father Lord Vishnu. Naraka defeated the Kiratas, who are believed to be the earliest worshippers of Goddess Kamakhya; they were led by their king Ghatak. Though initially Naraka was a follower of Goddess Kamakhya, he later developed negative qualities under the influence of King Banasura of Sonitpur. It is said that Naraka prevented Sage Vasishta from seeing the Goddess, due to which Vasishta cursed both the Goddess and Naraka. When Naraka’s atrocities became too much, Lord Vishnu had to intervene and kill him.
Subsequently, the great Koch king Naranarayana who succeeded Viswa Singha, together with his brother Chilariya rebuilt the temple on the ruins of the earlier temple.
In conclusion, it can be said that while Kalika Purna Yoni gives a panoramic interpretation of the goddess, the Yogini Tantra gives a different account emphasizing the creative symbolism of the Yoni. Various historical legends indicate that it is impossible to worship Kamakhya without a single thought. She has been a convergence point of all communities, whether from the hills, forests, villages or cities.
Yogini Tantra
The “Yogini Tantra” is another ancient literature believed to have been written around the 16th century in which Goddess Kamakhya is mentioned. The Yogini Tantra contains the legend relating to the emergence of Kamakhya as a symbol of fertility. The episode described in the Yogini Tantra is as follows. Brahma after creating the universe became arrogant due to his power of supreme creativity. This prompted Goddess Sanatani Kali to teach him a lesson. She created a demon named Keshi from Brahma’s body. As soon as he was born, the demon rushed towards Brahma to swallow him. Brahma fled with Vishnu. Brahma soon realized his sin and sought help from the Goddess along with Vishnu. The Goddess then came to their rescue and killed the demon. The Goddess then asked Brahma and Vishnu to build a mountain over the dead body of the demon Keshi; where there would be grass for the cattle and she also told them that Kamarupa is the holiest place on earth. Brahma and Vishnu were asked to pray and meditate in front of the yonimandal (female genitalia) which appeared later. This place came to be known as Neelkuta Mountain or Neelachal.
There is another story about the origin of the temple which is associated with Koch King Vishwa Singha. During a battle with the Ahoms, Vishwa Singha and his brother Shiva Singha lost their way and reached the top of Nilachal Hill. They met an old woman who showed them the Peethasthana of Goddess Kamakhya and requested them to build a temple there with gold. The king prayed and promised that he would do so if his wishes were fulfilled. Accordingly, after his wishes were fulfilled, King Vishwa Singha tried to build a temple with bricks but he did not succeed. Then the Goddess came in his dream and reminded him about his commitment to build the temple with only gold. The king pleaded to the Goddess that he was unable to do so and then the Goddess advised him to put at least a little gold along with the bricks. The temple was built after this which was later destroyed. The exact reason is not known. Some say that it was demolished by the Muslim invader Kala pahar while many scholars believe it to be due to some kind of natural disaster.
kamakhya Temple
Kamakhya Devalaya is associated with oral history and legends, sometimes these sources reflect different time periods. Kamakhya is mentioned in various ancient literatures such as Devi Bhagavata, Devi Purana, Kalika Purana, Yogini Tantra, Hevajra Tantra etc.
The origin of Kamakhya temple is believed by many to be in pre-Aryan or tribal characteristics and rituals. But religious literature tells us that the original temple was built by Kamadeva, who regained his beauty here. Built with the help of Vishwakarma, this temple was supposed to be a huge structure and was probably much larger than the present one. It was full of beautiful architectural and sculptural wonders. However, for some unknown reasons, the upper part of the temple was completely destroyed. Over a long period of time, the temple lost its importance due to the rise of Shaivism among the rulers and the theme known as the Pragjyotish Empire. Kamakhya temple or Igin is said to be pre-Aryan.
Historically, it can be assumed that the temple came into prominence during the reign of King Naraka, who is said to be the earliest supreme ruler of the Brahmaputra Valley. But there is no written or attested reference to the patronage of the temple among Naraka’s successors and its history becomes obscure until the rise of the Koch Empire in the mid-16th century.
Ambubachi Mela
Ambubachi Mela also known locally as “Ameti” or “Amoti” is the largest religious gathering in Northeast India. The word “Ambu” means water and “Vasi” or “Bachi” means flowing. It is celebrated in the month of ‘Ashaar’ during the monsoon season according to the Assamese/Bengali calendar, which begins on the seventh day falling around June 21 or 22 of the Gregorian calendar.
This is the time when the Sun is in Gemini and enters the first pada of Adra Nakshatra. The traditional belief is that during this time, the Goddess who is worshipped as Mother Earth enters her annual menstrual period. Ambubachi has deep connections with the ancient agricultural concept that compares Mother Earth to a fertile woman.
Kumari Pooja
Kumari Puja or virgin worship is an integral part of almost all the major pujas here, especially in Durga Puja. According to Hindu scriptures, Kumari Puja is performed to commemorate the killing of Kolasura by Goddess Kali. According to legend, Kolasura once took over heaven and earth. The helpless gods approached Mahakali for help. Responding to their appeal, she was born again and killed Kolasura in the form of a maiden. In this puja, a virgin girl (Kumari) is beautifully adorned with new red sari, garlands, sindoor, jewellery, perfume etc. and worshipped as Goddess Kamakhya. Kumari Puja is believed to bring many blessings to the devotees. It is said to ward off all dangers. The philosophical basis of Kumari Puja is to establish the value of women. The maiden symbolizes the seed of the powers that control creation, stability and destruction. A maiden is the primal symbol of womanhood or nature. In this puja, the universal mother appears to the devotee as a maiden.
Durga Pooja
Durga Puja is one of the major festivals of Kamakhya and the whole place appears in a festive mood. The celebration is quite different from other places. In Kamakhya temple, it is celebrated for a fortnight (paksha) starting from Krishna Navami to Shukla Navami of Ashvin, hence it is also called Pakhua Puja.
The puja is performed in a unique manner which includes rituals like Mahasnan or ritualistic bathing of the deity (peethsthan) with Panchagarva, Bali or sacrificing of buffalo, goat, pigeon, fish, gourd, pumpkin and sugarcane.
Devidhan (Mansa pooja)
Starting from the day of Shravan Sankranti (the union of two months), Manasa Puja is celebrated for three days in the Natmandir (central part of the temple) of Kamakhya temple. Devdhani Nritya, a shamanistic dance form is performed along with Manasa Puja by people who are believed to represent the spiritual power of a god or goddess. Locals call the dancers Devdha, Ghora or Joki. Thousands of people visit Kamakhya temple every year to see Devdhani Nritya.
