The history of kamrup kamakhya Mandir in Assam

Pack your bag for the next destination to Kamrup. Pay a visit at the sacred Hindu temple of goddess kamakhya during the ambubachi mela. Thousands of devotees come across the world to become a part of the festival of celebrating Devi Kamakhaya’s annual menstrual cycle. Definitely, you are going to have an amazing experience here.

The kamrup-Kamakhya Mandir, often known as The Kamakhya Mandir, is a renowned and sacred Hindu temple specially dedicated to the goddess mother Kamakhya. This is one of the ancient places of the 51 sacred “sati Pithas”. Located on the Nilachal Hill in the Western part of Guwahati in Assam, India, the temple is an important part of a sacred “ten mahavidyas” temple complex.

Among these ten mahavidyas, Kamala, Matangi and Tripurasundari live inside the main Kamakhya Devi temple whereas the rest seven saktis have individual temples. This Hindu pilgrimage is a very important place for Tantric worshipers.

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Overall description of kamakhya Mandir:

The temple structure was built and renovated several times during the 8^th-17^th century. So, the temple architecture inherited a hybrid indigenous style which is often called “Ninachal type” architecture. From its hemispherical dome in the cruciform base, architects claim that the main kamrup kamakhya temple was followed “Nagara Architecture”.

The temple has four main chambers: gabbhagriha and three other mandapas named calanta, pancharatna and natmandira arrayed from east to western direction.

Garbhagriha:

The garbhagriha of kamakhya devi temple was made by pancharatna architectural plan. The Surya Temple architecture at Tezpur was followed to build the other three mandapas. These mandapas have delightful sculptured panels of Hindu gods and goddesses similar to the Khajuraho temple or other medieval temples. The lower part of the main temple is made of stone whereas the shikhara is made of brick in the beehive-like polygonal shaped dome. This is known as the special architectural characteristic in Kamrup. Multiple minarets have circled the shikhara which was inspired by the Bengal type architecture – “charchala”. The shikhara and angasikharas and the rest of the chambers were built during the 16^th century and after.

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The garbhagriha actually is an underground level cave and has no sculpture or image of devi but a yoni (female genital part) shaped rock. The yoni-shaped rock features a 10-inch deep hole by slopping downwards from both sides. The hollow always gets filled with water from an underground recurrent spring. This yoni-shaped rock is known as kamrup kamakhya devi herself and is worshiped by pilgrims. The vulva-shaped stone depression in the cave is known as one of the most important pithas of Devi Sati. The garbhagriha is quite small and dark. You need to pass through a narrow, sharp slopping steep of stone to reach to the garbhagriha. 

All the other garbhagrihas in the Kamakhaya Mandir complex follows the same yoni-shaped stone structure just like the main temple. These stone depressions also get filled with underground recurring spring water.

Other three chambers:

The Guwahati kamakhya mandir is consists of three additional chambers.

Calanta: the first mandapa to the western direction. This is a square-shaped chamber created in following the Bengal architectural pattern – “Atchala”. You can spot out the architecture at the Radha-Vinod Temple which was built in 1659, in Bishnupur, West Bengal. 

The northern door of the temple is an “Ahom Type” Dochala which is the main entrance to the temple.

King Chilroy of Coach Dynasty has rebuilt the kamuk kamakhya mandir in 1565 following the medieval temple architectural pattern. 

This middle mandapa houses a small idol of Goddess Kamakhaya – a later addition. The walls are full of sculpted panels with god naranarayan and others. You will find some related spiritual stone-inscriptions here. A descending step will lead you towards the garbhagriha from here.

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kamakhya mela:

The festival is celebrated during the monsoon season in the Assamese month of Ahaar – around the middle of June when sun transits to the Zodiac sign Mithuna. Starting from the day of Ambubachi, when goddess gets her menstrual cycle according to the spiritual belief, the kamrup kamakhya mandir remains closed for 3 days. From the fourth day, the temple gets opened.

How to reach:

By air: Guwahati International Airport is the nearest (20 km) from kamakhya mandir.

By Rail: kamakhya has its own railways station but we advise to de-board at Guwahati railway station which is very well connected to all the Indian major cities. Book an auto or a metered taxi to check into your hotel or you can go straight to the mandir (8 km). Lots of hotels are available there. Buses from Assam Tourist Department are also available there. Depending on the traffic it will take around 20-25 minutes to reach mandir.

We will discuss later the Ambubachi Mela in details.

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Kamrup kamakhya mela – the festival of menstruating goddess

India is a land of mysterious religious places with uncountable temples rich in amazing architectural beauty. In Guwahati, Assam, kamakhya mela is known as one of the biggest religious festivals where pilgrims visit from every corner of our country India whereas some of them come across the world too. Thousands of devotees and Sadhu-sanyasis gather in the temple premises and its surrounding areas of river Brahmaputra to become a witness of the bleeding goddess of kamrup kamakhya mandir. The goddess here is a form of shakti – one of the most important sati pithas of the total 51.

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The history of Sati pithas:

The original kamrup kamakhya history is really interesting. According to the Hindu mythology, once Daksha – father of Sati (Goddess Shakti) organized a grand yagna and invited her daughter but didn’t call upon her husband – Lord Shiva. When Sati wished to attend the yagna, Shiva refused but Sati insisted and both of them came over to attend the yagna.

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Daksha insulted Shiva which made sati extremely angry and she jumped into the holy fire of the grand yagna and killed herself.

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Shiva became insane with rage. He carried the dead body on his shoulder and did tandava nritya – the dance of destruction. Lord Vishnu tried to stop the destruction and he cut the body of sati into 108 parts with his “sudarshan chakra”. These 108 body parts got scattered in different areas on Earth.

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Guwahati kamakhya mandir is believed as the place where sati’s vagina and womb fell down. So, this temple set up at the place and is considered as the symbol of women strength and fertility.

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This is why devotees celebrate the menstruation cycle of kamrup kamakhya devi.

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The Mystery of bleeding kamakhaya devi:

As we have said, kamrup kamakhya temple is known as the sign of women’s natural strength, celebrating menstruation cycle of Goddess becomes the most famous festival in Assam. In the middle of June, according to the Assamese month Ahaar, kamakhaya devi gets her annual menstrual cycle automatically.

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The underground spring water below the yoni-shaped stone in the garbhagriha turns red automatically. Red water comes out from the garbhagriha through a slim path. This process ends after three days and the period is called “Ambubachi”. The temple door is closed for three days. Priests don’t allow anyone to worship kamrup kamakhya devi because devi remains unclean.

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Pieces of blood-stained clothes are then distributed among the devotees. The devotees are only allowed to collect these cloths or they can dip their own in the “blood-red” spring water. Pilgrimages keep these “blood-red” holy pieces of clothes with them as these are believed to the offerings of good luck.

Ambubachi Mela:

On this mysterious bleeding occasion, a grand mela is held in the kamuk kamakhya mandir known as kamakhya mela. On the fourth day at the ending occasion of devi’s menstruation, the door opens for the devotees and the festival gets started.

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This is indeed a grand religious festival. You will get to see lakhs of sadhus and tantriks and their mysterious behaviors who come across the country. Some of them travel barefooted for miles to attend this holy festival. 

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Sakti is the major idol of tantriks which means tantriks travel here for miles to achieve kamrup kamakhya devi’s blessings. Some of the sadhus gather here to showcase their mysterious holy power. Lots of common people also join the festival to get devi’s blessings and to witness these mysterious sanyasis’ powers too.

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Is there any scientific significance of Devi’s menstruation?

Well, no scientific proof is there regarding the red water of the main mandir’s underground spring whether it is blood or not. Many scientists believe that the red water is due to the vermillion or iron oxide mixed in the spring water. Sometimes, it is believed that the priests in the temple mix vermillion in the water.

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Whether it is actually blood or not, people believe it as the holy power of kamakhya devi and that pushes every scientific proof aside. The only holy power of “Shakti” remains constant here. 

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