Kamkhya Temple Essay

The Kalika Purana, an ancient work in Sanskrit describes Kamakhya as the yielder of each(prenominal) desires, the young bride of shibah, and the giver of salvation. Shakti is known as Kamakhya. The Kamakhya tabernacle, which is find mellow up on a hill called Neelachal Parbat or Kamagiri in the city of Guwahati, is matchless of its several(prenominal) religious landmarks, which speaks volumes about the rich historical harbor over which the state of Assam is settled. This sacred temple in the heart of the chief city city of Assam holds more than it meets the eye of the spectator. The Kamakhya Temple had been built in confusion to Goddess Kamakhya or Sati, who was one of the numerous incarnations of Goddess Durga or Goddess Shakti.History The temple is situated a few kilometers away from the Guwahati Railway Station, and is open for visitors throughout the year. The assume date of the original temple is not known. It is believed that, the temple is an ancient temple. The Temp le was rebuilt in 1665, after being destroyed by Muslim invaders. It was probably an ancient Khasi sacrificial site, sacrifices are s bank very much get going of worship here. Group of devotees arrive each morning with goats to offer to Shakti. Although puny is known about the early recital of the temple, the first reference to the view has been traced back to the Allahabad inscriptions of Emperor Samudragupta.There is a legend attached to the history of the temple, which goes way back to the mythological age. According to the legend, Sati the wife of master copy shibah (one of the holy Trinities in Hindoo mythology) took her life at a Yagna ceremony that had been organized by her father Daksha, because she could not bear the insults hurled at her keep up by her father. On hearing the news of his wifes death, Shiva, the untier of all that was evil flew into a rage and punished Daksha by regenerate his head with that of a goat. Torn between misery and blind fury, Shiva pi cked up the corpse of his beloved wife Sati and per mixed baged a dance of end called the Tandava.The intensity of the destroyers fury was so overwhelming that it took several Gods to pacify his anger. In the midst of this struggle, Satis corpse accidentally got cut into 51 parts by the disc in the hands of Lord Vishnu (also one of the Trinities in Hindu mythology), and her female genitalia or Yoni slash on the spot where the Kamakhya temple stands today, forming one of the many Shakti Peethas adorning the rest of her bole parts. But the place where her uterus fell was not known till the god of love, Ka dova, searched it out to rid himself of a certain curse of brahmans. Kama regains his body here. The place came to be known as Kamarup and the presiding deity as Kamakhya or one worshipped by Kama.Another legend says that the daemon Narakasura fell in love with Goddess Kamakhya once and he wanted to get hitched with her. But as a goddess cannot marry a demon or asura, Goddess Ka makhya played a trick to save herself. She laid a turn back that she would marry him only if he builds a temple for her within one night. Narakasura agreed to it and almost finished building the temple overnight. This scared Goddess Kamakhya and to begin with the final steps of the temple were completed, a cock was sent to waul cock-a-doodle-do to announce the arrival of the morning, before it was actually dawn. This made Narakasura very crazy and he killed the cock on that spot. But according to the condition Narakasura couldnt marry Goddess Kamakhya after that. It is said that the present Kamakhya temple is the same that Narakasura had made for the Goddess.Still another Legend says that Shakti, the mother Goddess, challenged the supreme creative government agency of Bhrahma and that Brahma could thereafter create, only with the blessings of the Yoni, as the sole creative principle. afterward much penance, Bhrahma brought down a luminous body of light from paradise and place d it within the Yoni circle, which was created by the Goddess and placed at Kamarupa Kamakhya in Guwahati. commit & Architecture King Nara Narayana of Cooch Behar rebuilt the temple in 1665 after it had suffered destruction at the hands of foreign invaders. The temple consists of seven oval spires, each pass by three golden pitchers, and the entrance spirals down to a bosomy path of some distance, which specially links the main road to the temple. many of the sculptured panels of the temple carry depictions of Gods and Goddesses of Hindu pantheon carved in a delightful pattern. Tortoises, monkeys, and large number of pigeons have made the temple their home, and scupper around the premise, being fed by the temple authorities and the visitors. The cryptic, as well as the peaceful ambience of the temple combine in concert to soothe the nerves of visitors, and take their minds to flights of inner salvation, and this is the very reason that the great unwashed come here for. Images of gods and goddesses of Hindu religion are carved on the walls. The image of the Goddess along with other deities is kept on a throne.The flowing temple structure was constructed in1565 by Chilarai of the Koch dynasty in the style of medieval temples. The form of the earlier structure, destroyed by the Kala Pahar, is unknown. The temple consists of three major chambers. The western chamber is large and rectangular and is not used by the planetary pilgrims for worship. The warmheartedness chamber is a square, with a small idol of the Goddess, a later addition. The walls of this chamber contain sculpted images of Naranarayana, related inscriptions and other gods. The middle chamber leads to the Sanctum sanctorum of the temple in the form of a cave, which consists of no image but a inborn underground spring. The spring emanates from a fissure in a large rock that symbolizes a Yoni. In summertime the water runs red with iron oxide resembling menstrual fluid, an occasion for the Ambu basi festival. though the temple is aligned facing east like most Hindu temples, the worship of the yoni is performed facing north.The Kamakhya Temple has a beehive like shikhara. few of the sculptured section seen here are of interest. There are images of Ganesha, Chamundeswari, move features etc. The temple is a natural cave with a spring. stilt a flight of steps to the bowel of earth, is located a dark, shadowy chamber. Here, draped with a silk sari and covered with flowers, is kept the matra yoni. There is no image of Shakti here. Within a corner of a cave in the temple, there is a sculptured image of the Yoni of the Goddess, which is the object of reverence. A natural spring keeps the stone moist. Other temples on the Neelachala hill include those of Tara, Bhairavi, Bhuvaneswari and Ghantakarna With all its enigmatic splendor and picturesque locale, the Kamakhya Temple is one of the most amaze structures, not only in Assam, but also in the completely of India.Durga Puja is celebrated here annually during Navaratri in the month of September- October. It is a three-day festival attracting several visitors. A unique festival observed here is the Ambuvaci (Ameti) birthrate festival wherein it is believed that the Goddess (mother Earth) undergoes her menstrual period.