KAMAKHYA TEMPLE AND TANTRIKISM: PART -1

KAMAKHYA TEMPLE AND TANTRIKISM:

THE TEMPLE ATOP THE HILL

by Subhankar Karmakar

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The Kamakhya Temple, which is situated high aloft a hill called Neelachal Parbat or Kamagiri in the city of Guwahati is one of its several religious landmarks, which speaks volumes about the rich historical treasure over which the state of Assam is seated. This sacred temple in the heart of the capital city of Assam holds more than it meets the eye of the onlooker. The Kamakhya Temple had been built in reverence to Goddess Kamakhya or Sati, who was one of the numerous incarnations of Goddess Durga or Goddess Shakti.


The Kalika Purana, an ancient work in Sanskrit describes Kamakhya as the yielder of all desires, the young bride of Shiva, and the giver of salvation.Shakti is known as Kamakhya. The Kamakhya Temple is one of the most important pilgrimage of Hindu and one of the holiest SHAKTI temple, is situated on the Nilachal Hill in western part of Guwahati city in Assam, India. Nilachal Hills housed a complex of temples dedicated to different forms of Shakti, or Mother Goddess as the "Dasa Mahavidya" (ten different forms of Shakti) that includes temples of Bhuvaneshvari, Bagalamukhi, Chinnamasta, Tripura Sundari among other temples.

In 1995 I went to Kamakhya again, this time I was accompanied by the great Kuldip Singh, Utpal Brahma, and PPD. Together we explored the area, walked up to Bhubaneshwar(a temple on the same hill but at a higher altitude), took snaps of Brahmaputra Valley from the peak of the kamakhya hill. Its beauty, its exquisiteness appeals me so much.... I want to go there again, now with my camera, Last time I visited the place I was rookie then, but now after so much water have flown through the Brahmaputra, and I also grew up, I am planning to visit Umananda, Nabagrah in a different way!                                   

 THE KAMAKHYA TEMPLE, GUWAHATI, ASSAM:

"The temple symbolizes the 'fusion of faiths & practices' of Aryan as well as non-aryan elements". The different names associated with the goddess are names of local Aryan and non-Aryan goddesses. The Yogini Tantra mentions that the religion of the Yogini Pitha is of Kirata origin (non-Aryan influence). There existed a tradition among the priests established by Naranarayana that the Garos, a matrilineal people, offered worship at the Kamakhya site by sacrificing pigs. The goddess is worshiped according to both the Vamachara (Left-Hand Path) as well as the Dakshinachara (Right-Hand Path) modes of worship. Offerings to the goddess are usually flowers, but might include animal sacrifices. In general female animals are exempt from sacrifice, a rule that is relaxed during mass sacrifices. (in the fig: people are worshipping the idol)       

According to the Kalika Purana, Kamakhya Temple denotes the spot where Sati used to retire in secret to satisfy her amour with Shiva, and it was also the place where her yoni fell after Shiva danced with the corpse of Sati. This is not corroborated in the Devi Bhagavata, which lists 108 places associated with Sati's body, though Kamakhya finds a mention in a supplementary list. The Yogini Tantra, a latter work, ignores the origin of Kamakhya given in Kalika Purana and associates Kamakhya with the goddess Kali and emphasizes the creative symbolism of the yoni. The legend is that at the start of ambabuchi the entrance of the temple automatically closes, and it again reopens at the end of ambabuchi. i think most of the people of North East heard about this during childhood, I remember I was told by my mother. I went to kamakhya for the first time in 1985 with my family members. I was a boy of 8 years at that time. I was amazed to see the giant rocks around the kamakhya temple. The trip was so fantastic that I would never forget its memory.

Once upon a time Kamakhya Temple was the place of Tantrikism and Black Magic. It was a place where Animal sacrifices were practised. LEGEND says that this temple was built by a powerful king of the ancient kamrupa Narakasur of Naraka Dynasty. The current temple structure was constructed in 1565 by the great Koch General 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 current structure has a beehive-like shikhara with delightful sculptured panels and images of Ganesha and other Hindu gods and goddesses on the outside. The temple consists of three major chambers. The western chamber is large and rectangular and is not used by the general pilgrims for worship. The middle 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 natural underground spring that flows through a yoni-shaped cleft in the bedrock. During the Ambuvaci festival each summer,the menstruation of the Goddess Kamakhya is celebrated. During this time, the water in the main shrine runs red with iron oxide resembling menstrual fluid. It is likely that this is an ancient Khasi sacrificial site, and worshiping here still includes sacrifices. Devotees come every morning with goats to offer to Shakti.

  Sri Yantra, the symbol of Tantrikism or Tranta. It might be a misconception that Tantrik cults are over and done with, for the essence of it still continues to prevail rather openly in West Bengal and Assam. While Kalighat and Tarapeeth might have been big centers for such practices the seat of ancient tantricism is at Kamakhya Devi temple, Kamarupa Assam. This is the most important of all the Shakti Peethas in India. Kamakhya devi shrine hosts the yoni of Sati that fell here following the destruction of Daksha's sacrifice. This Shakti Peetha symbolizes the union of Shiva with Shakti, as described in the Kali Purana. They are depicted in constant union where Kamakhya is the Goddess of desire, who grants salvation. She is the young bride of Lord Shiva and together they symbolize the sublime reality of the miracle of life, the everlasting bliss of male/female union. This temple is situated atop a hill that overlooks the Brahmaputra river. The inner sanctum is a deep dark underground rocky chamber into which one descends by a flight of steep steps. The "Matra Yoni" which is inscribed on a rock is covered with silk sarees and is constantly moist by underground spring water. Tantrik cult is a different kind of cult where the orthodoxy of normal rituals and male dominance over the female took a massive beating. In tantricism, it’s the opposite where the female is given a lot more importance and is associated with Shakti. This is reflected in all their strange ritual practices. There is a deep divide between conventional worship and tantrik worship. In conventional worship, a woman is considered as "impure" during her 3 day monthly cycle, further to which she is almost treated as an untouchable in ancient brahmin traditions still prevailing today. In Tantrik worship, most of the rituals including initiation are centered on the 3 days, this period being the most important period where the woman is considered most pure and an incarnation of Shakti. This is clear from various references made in Tantric texts. Most of the tantrik texts have been found around the regions of Kamarupa, suggesting very strong prevalence of this cult around the Kamakhya Devi temple. The Yoni Tantra hails from Cooch Bihar but most of the Kaul Tantras originated from Kamarupa. The earliest comprehensive references made to the most important element of Tantrik ritual, called Yoni Tattva in the Kaula Tantra are given in the Kaula Jnana Nirnaya by Matsyendranath.

(PHOTO: A Sadhu, or Hindu holy man reacts after a boy, only hands seen, rubs colored powder on his face during "Holi" celebrations at Kamakhya temple in Gauhati, India, Saturday, March 3, 2007.)

Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, also heralds the coming of spring. ::: Every year thousands of devotees from across the country gathered at Guwahati's Kamakhya Temple to celebrate a special Holi festival. The festival is celebrated on the full moon day after the Navratri to please Goddess Kamakhya, the consort of Lord Shiva. Devotees offer prayers to the Goddess Kamakhya, smear colour on each other and sing devotional songs in praise of the goddess. As a part of celebrations, the idol of the goddess is taken from the altar and carried in a palanquin to the nearby Bogola Temple. After worshiping the goddess there, the devotees bring back the idol to its place. "The idol of the goddess is worshipped in a temple nearby and after the worship rituals are finished there, the idol is brought back here. This is the Goddess' Holi," said Sobha Kant Dobey, a tourist from Bihar. The celebrations this year took place on a rainy day, which saw the devotees celebrating with great gusto. "This is Mother's power that it is her Holi today and it is raining as well. That's why we believe in religion," said Manik Deori, a priest. The priests who participate in this festival are not allowed to eat outside the temple for 15 days. It is only after the Holi celebrations that priests are permitted to eat at their homes.

 Most Popular legend - Once when Parvati's father King Daksha organised a yagna, he did not invite his daughter and son-in-law to participate in it. Parvati, who was angry at this treatment of her father, went to her father's place to ask the reason for it. Daksha insulted Parvati again by calling Shiva poor and wild. Being the ideal consort of Shiva, Parvati could not bear the fact that her husband was being insulted in front of the guests. She immediately jumped into the yagna fire out of shame and anger and killed herself. Knowing this, Lord Shiva, became very angry and came to Daksha's palace. On seeing the dead body of his wife, he was so enraged that, he lifted the body on his shoulder and started dancing the tandav (the dance of destruction). The dance continued for several days and the earth was on the brink of being destroyed.Then, on the appeal of all the other gods and goddesses, Lord Vishnu with the help of his chakra, started cutting Goddess Parvati's body. It is said that the parts of Parvati's body fell at different parts of the country, which are all considered centers of power or Shakti peeth. The reproductive organ of Goddess Parvati is said to have fallen atop the Neelachal hill in Guwahati and that is where the Kamakhya temple stands now.

MA KAMAKHYA IDOL: Another legend -The demon Narakasura fell in love with Goddess Kamakhya once and he wanted to marry her. But as a goddess cannot marry a demon or asura, Goddess Kamakhya played a trick to save herself. She laid a condition 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 before the final steps of the temple were completed, a cock was sent to cry cock-a-doodle-do to announce the arrival of the morning, before it was actually dawn. This made Narakasura very angry and he killed the cock on that spot. But according to the condition Narakasura couldn't marry Goddess Kamakhya after that. It is said that the present Kamakhya temple is the same that Narakasura had made for the Goddess.



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