New Delhi: The Kamakhya Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the mother Goddess Kamakhya, one of the oldest shakti peeths. This temple is bestowed with its own set of myths and mysteries. The aesthetic significance of this temple cannot be ascertained only by its factual history; rather one needs to know the associated legends and folklores also to understand the same. The temple which has been a subject of many tales is situated atop the picturesque Nilachal Hills on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra river. Of the various legends that have been associated with the temple, the first legend is that despite the disapproval of her husband Lord Shiva, Sati went to a yagna performed by her father Prajapati Daksha. Daksha had not invited Shiva and even abused him in front of other invitees. Unable to bear the insult, she committed suicide. When Shiva heard the tragic incident, he took dead Sati's body on his shoulders and began a dance of destruction. Vishnu tried to pacify Shiva and cut the body of Sati into 51 pieces with his Sudarshan Chakra. The spots where each part fell came to be known as the peethas (holy shrines). The place where the uterus of Sati fell was not known till Kamadeva, the God of love, searched it out to rid himself of a curse by Brahma. He regained his rupa (beauty) here after worshiping in this peetha. Since Kamadeva regained his rupa here the entire place is called Kamarupa (Kamrup) and the deity is known as Kamakhya or one worshipped by Kama. The second legend goes that there was a demon Naraka who fell in love with Goddess Kamakhya and wanted to marry her. Goddess put a condition that if he would be able to build a staircase from the bottom of the Ninanchal Hill to the temple within one night, then she would surely marry him. Naraka took it as a challenge and tried all with his might to do this marathon task. He was almost about to accomplish the job when the Devi, panic-stricken as she was to see this, played a trick on him. She strangled a cock and made it crow untimely to give the impression of dawn to Naraka. Duped by the trick, Naraka thought it was a futile job and left it half way through. Later he chased the cock and killed it in a place which is now known as Kukurakata, situated in the district of Darrang. The incomplete staircase is known as Mekhelauja path.Although little is known about the early history of this temple, the earliest of the references have been traced to the Allahabad inscriptions of Emperor Samudragupta. The present temple was built by King Naranarayan of Cooch Behar in 1665. So this fact essentially proves that the temple is a lot older than what some historians have been trying to prove. It would not be an overstatement to say that the basic attraction of Assam uptil now has been the Kamakhya Temple. It is believed by Hindu devotees that the Devi menstruates during a unique festival called Ambubachi Mela which is observed during the Indian month of Ashaad (between June and July). It is held by believers that every year on the seventh day of Ashaad, the pool containing the uterus turns red. The temple remains closed thereafter for a period of three days. On the fourth day, the doors of the temple are opened for lakhs of pilgrims who throng the temple during this festival. This festival is one of the biggest of its kinds in the entire country and can only be compared with the like of Kumbhmela.
