Assam - In the North Eastern part of India, is a mixing urn where culture, heritage, tradition, lifestyle, faith and belief of her Aryan & Non-Aryan, numerous tribes & sub-tribes, Mongoloids & Australoids, drawn from various hives at different points of time have gone into form the Assamese culture - a fascinating and exotic recipe of delightful flavor.

Assam is a home to several wildlife sanctuaries which are a home to endangered and rare species and orchids.North East is a hub of wide variety of flora and fauna.

Orchids are abundantly found in Assam; a variety - Khopo phul(Fox tailed orchid), Bhatou Phul or Vanda coerulea etc. Assam has several attractive destinations; majority of these are National Parks, Wildlife and Bird Sanctuaries.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Kamakhya Temple

1:17 PM  Kalyan Verma  1 comment

Kamakhya Temple is one amongst the holiest shrines throughout India. Perched on Nilanchal Hill in Kamrup district of Assam, Kamakhya Mandir is easily accessible at a stretch of 8 kms from Guwahati. The temple commemorates Hindu Goddess Sati in her aspect of Kamakhya Devi. Goddess Kamakhya is also known as Sodashi in the local region.

Kamakhya Temple is regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. As per the legends, during the time of self-sacrifice, the genital organ (yoni) of Sati fell at this spot. Kamakhya Mandir is a natural cave with a spring. In order to reach the temple, one has to take a flight of steps that goes down into a dark and strange shrine. There is no concrete form of goddess inside the temple.

In the shrine, Kamakhya Devi, in the form of genital organ (yoni), presides as a big crevice in the bedrock. The Goddess is covered naturally by a rivulet of water gushing upward from an underground spring. The crevice is usually covered with sari, flowers and vermilion powder (Sindoor). The temple had been an ancient sacrificial site and till date, sacrifices are offered here. Every morning, group of devotees come to sacrifice goats.

The temple is very much ancient in its origin, yet it was restructured in 1665, when it was attacked by the Muslim invaders. The effort of this reconstruction was made by King Nar Narayan of Cooch, Bihar. The spire of this temple is shaped like a beehive. Besides Kamakhya Devi, there are images of Ganesha, Chamundeswari and various dancing sculptures. In the temple, an image of the King and related inscriptions are visible.

Essentially, the Goddess 'Kamakhya' is believed to be the granter of desires. In traditional terms, Assam is known as 'Kamarupa Desa', a place that is associated with Tantric practices and worship of Shakti. In Kalika Purana (an ancient scripture), Kamakhya is referred as the goddess who fulfills all desires, the bride of Lord Shiva and the benefactor of salvation.

During the occasion of Navratri (Sep-Oct), a three day festival attracts thousands of pilgrims. This festival is known as Ambuvaci (Ameti), which is unique with its own significance. For the duration of this fertility festival, the Goddess is said to undergo her menstrual period. At this point of time, the temple is closed for three days and before closing, white sheets are draped inside the temple.

When the temple is opened after three days, the sheets are found red in color. On the fourth day, great festivity is observed. Devotees from far and near, come to visit this temple at this juncture of the festival. The red sheets are torn into pieces and distributed amongst the devotees. Kamakhya Temple is a prominent pilgrimage site that attracts thousands of visitors throughout the year.
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