Bharat Virasat-Kamakhya Temple

Kamakhya Temple

Place of Worship. Hindu

About

The Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, stands on a hill called the Nilachala. This temple is recognized as one of the primary Shakti-peetha. The Kamakhya Temple is the place where Sati’s yoni (vagina) fell. Hence, this temple has a reputation as a temple of fertility.
The current structure can be traced back to the reign of the Koch ruler, Nar Narayan (1540-1595). The temple was built using the stones from a ruined temple of the 12th century, presumably on the same site. The last section (the Natmandir) is a later-day addition attributed to King Rajewara Singh (1751-1769).

The temple has the traditional five sections aligned axially from west to east – the Natmandir (dance hall), the Bhog Mandir (hall of ritual offerings), the jagamohan or sabha mandapam (the hall for public gatherings), and an antarala (ante-chamber) which leads to the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum), which is furthest to the east.
The principal shrine has a dome made of brick with a sixteen-sided polygon at its base, rising through 20 successively shrinking polygons, topped by a kalasha. with a floral base and a finial. This style combines elements of the rekha-nagara style with elements of the Indo-Saracenic dome. This dome, with a diameter of about 11m, is surrounded by a ring of smaller spires of the chala style, each with a finial ending in a trident. The pairs of spires on the East, North, and South are slightly larger and less ornate than the other spires in this ring. While the bands which form the main spire are largely devoid of ornamentation, the smaller spires have walls with figures of dancers and floral medallions.
The walls of the sanctum have floral designs, as well as images of Vishnu carved into them. These near-identical images of Vishnu feature distinctive hand poses (mudra). A frieze with depictions of yoginis runs along the base of the walls.
The antarala has a chala styled roof, the bhog mandir has a five-spired (pancharatna) design with one large central domic spire and four smaller spires at the four corners of the roof. The Natmandir which forms the front of the temple has a shell-style roof. A figure of a bird adorns this shell roof at the western edge of the ridge running along the roof. While these sections of the temple are contiguous, a detached structure in front serves as the hall of sacrifices.
The walls of the Natamandir feature images inspired by the legends of Vishnu installed in niches. There are two levels of such niches. The doorways have flying dwara palakas carved above the lintel, and large images of Vishnu flanking the doorway.

The Umananda temple sits on a small forested island in the River Brahmaputra. This temple is the complement to the Kamakhya temple and houses Shiva, the consort of the Parvati who is the presiding deity of the Kamakhya temple. It features a domed spire and a jagamohan in front. The temple structure is of recent vintage.

Constructed in:

17th century CE

Height:

15 m

Base:

56m x 13m

Legends

Sati was the daughter of King Daksha, and the consort of Shiva. When she heard of her father performing a great yagnya (ritual prayers), she went although she and Shiva were not invited. Daksha not only ignored her, he also made disparaging comments about Shiva. Mortified, Sati gave up her life.

When he came to know of this, Shiva cursed Daksha, and unleashed his furious cosmic dance carrying the body of his dead wife, Sati.

The people on earth were scared and prayed to Vishnu to deliver them from this fear. Vishnu used his Sudarshan Chakra to cut the body of Sati into pieces, and thus stopped Shiva's dance. The location where each of the pieces of Sati's body fell became known as Shakti Peetha (seat of energy).

Architecture

The main temple features a blend of Rekha-Nagara and Indo-Saracenic styles. This style has inpired the design of other temples in Assam and Bengal.

Trivia

Ticketing

All Visitors

Free

Time required

2 hours

Getting There

Guwahati Airport (20 kms, 40 mins):The Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport connects Guwahati to most major cities in India and other international locations. NH17 runs from the airport to the temple.

Guwahati Railway station (8 kms, 35 mins):Guwahati Railway Station is serviced by the Northeast Frontier Railway and connects Assam to the rest of India vi Jalpaiguri