Kamakhya Temple Guwahati Assam

Kamakhya Temple or the Kamakhya Mandir is one of the highly revered Shakti Peethas in India, situated at the top of the Nilachal hill to the west of Guwahati in Assam.

Kamakhya Temple Guwahati Assam

Shakti Peethas or Shaktipithas are the holy places of Goddess Shakti worship, and are regarded as the places where the parts of Goddess Sati's body fell according to the legend of Lord Shiva and Daksha Yagna. Kamakhya Temple is built to honor Goddess Kamakhya, one of the incarnations of Goddess Durga or Goddess Shakti. Kamakhya, the giver of desires, is also known as Sodashi in the local region. Being one of the 108 Shakti Peethas, Goddess Kamakhya Temple is a significant pilgrimage destination for Hindus and Tantric worshipers.

Dasa Mahavidya Complex

Kamakhya Temple Complex has other individual temples dedicated to various forms of the mother goddess as the Dasa Mahavidya (Wisdom Goddesses), including Tripura Sundari, Kali, Bhuvaneshvari, Chinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bhairavi, Tara, and Bagalamukhi. Dasa Mahavidya or the Ten Mahavidyas in the Tantric tradition are the ten different aspects of Goddess (Devi) in Hinduism.

Kamakhya Mandir complex also comprises of some other major temples of various goddess including the Rajarajeswari Temple, Lalita Kanta Temple, Sitala Temple, Vana Durga Temple, Smasanakali Temple, Jaya Durga Temple, and the Kali temple of Abhayananda Dharmashala and the Sankhesvari Temple.

Shiva Temples worshipped in various forms

The temple complex has five Lord Shiva temples where Siva is worshipped in various forms such as Kotilinga (Tatpurusa), Kameswara (Umananda), Amratokesvara (Heruka), Aghpra, and Siddhesvara. The Kamakhya Temple complex has three temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu – the lord is enshrined as Gadadhara in the north-western direction of the Kamakhya temple, and Vishnu as “Kedara” near the northern side of the main temple, and Vishnu as “Pandunath” in the eastern foothills of Nilachal.

Worships Followed

Vamachara (Left-Hand Path) and Dakshinachara (Right-Hand Path) are the modes of worship followed. Offerings include flowers and animal sacrifices.

Kamakhya Temple Timings

Kamakhya Temple is opened for the pilgrims from 08:00 AM to 01:00 PM and from 02:30 PM to 05:30 PM.

Kamakhya Temple Festivals

The temple celebrates annual festivals called the Ambuvaci and Manasha Puja (Manasa pooja). Durga Puja, celebrated during Navaratri at Kamakhya Mandir, also attracts thousands of devotees. Vasanti Puja, celebrated in the month of Caitra, and Pohan Bia, observed on the month of Pausa, are also of great importance.

How to reach Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati

Railway Station: Guwahati Junction Railway Station, located at the center of the town, is well connected to other major cities and towns in India with express and passenger trains. The Avadh Assam Express, Brahmaputra Mail (also spelt Brahmputra Mail), Rajdhani Express, Ernakulam Guwahati Express, Kamrup Express, and North East Express are some of the main trains that passes through Guwahati.

Airport: The nearest international airport is the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport situated around 18 km towards the east from Guwahati.

By Road: National Highways 31, NH 37 and NH 40 connect Guwahati to other major cities in India by road.

Nearby Tourist Attractions

Kachapukhuri is a natural pond, located near Kamakhya. Umananda Temple, Bhutanese Tara Temple (Ugra Tara Temple), Navagraha Temple at Guwahati (built by King Rajesvar Singh in 1752), Sukresvara Temple (built by King Pramatta Singh) and the shrine of the snake Goddess, Manasa, are some other famous temples situated nearby. Bhubaneswari Temple (Bhuvaneswari Temple), situated at the highest point of the hill, offers an amazing view of the city and the Brahmaputra River.

Some of the other tourist attractions in Guwahati include the Assam State Museum (Guwahati Zoo), Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Basista Ashram, Commercial Museum, and Sualkuchi (silk weaving center). The Kaziranga National Park (Kaziranga Wildlife Reserve) is a world heritage site by UNESCO famous for its Indian one-horned rhinoceros is situated around 215 km away from Guwahati.

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