able to defeat the demon Taraka who was plaguing
them. They sent the god of love to awaken sexual
desire by shooting him with his flower arrows.
Shiva became angry at Kamadeva for his presump-
tion and he incinerated him with his third eye.
Upon the mournful request of Kamadeva’s wife,
RAT I, Shiva relented and restored the god of love
to life, but without a body. This is why he is invis-
ible. In other versions of the story, Kama is not
revived, but rather reborn as Pradyumna, the son
of KRISHNA.
Further reading: Catherine Benton, God of Desire:
Tales of Kamadeva in Sanskrit Story Literature (Albany:
State University of New York Press, 2005); Cornelia
Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen, Classical Hindu
Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas (Philadel-
phia: Temple University Press, 1978); E. Washburn
Hopkins, Epic Mythology (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass,
1986).
Kamakhya
Situated near the top of Nilachal Hill in Guwa-
hati, overlooking the majestic Brahmaputra River,
Kamakhya Temple is a famous pilgrimage site. It is
the most important of the SHAKTI PITHAS, or centers
of devotion for the GODDESS. According to Hindu
mythology, when SHIVA carried the body of his
wife, SAT I, her YONI fell to Earth, where the Kamak-
hya Temple stands today. According to local
mythology, it is here that Shiva descends to unite
with the goddess’s yoni. Thus, Nilachal Hill is the
symbolic site of Shiva and the goddess’s eternal
sexual union and is the primordial or original seat
of the goddess.
This association points to Kamakhya Temple’s
strong tantric tradition (see TANTRISM). It remains
one of the holiest pilgrimage sites in India for
tantra practitioners, who associate it with the
powerful creative force of the mother goddess.
It is a center of tantric worship and transmission
of tantric traditions by devotees, adepts, and
GURUS.
The image of the goddess Kamakhya (also
called Kamarupa, the shape or form of desire) at
the shrine is actually a stone, the matri yoni or
“Mother’s mound of Venus.” Steep stone steps
lead from the entrance of the temple to a cave
deep in the earth, where Ma Kamakhya sits along-
side stones of Matangi (SARASVATI) and Kamala
(LAKSHMI).
Kamakhya herself is a form of Shodashi, or
Tripura-Sundari, one of the DASHA MAHAVIDYAS,
each of whom has a dedicated temple on the hill.
Kamakhya is also associated through various
Hindu and tantric traditions with SRI LALITA and
PARVATI.
In June, during the height of monsoon season,
the spring that flows inside the cave is said to turn
to menstrual blood, signifying the start of one of
the holiest festivals in India. In fact, the water
that washes over the stone at this time of year has
a reddish color due to its chemical components.
During AMBUVACHI (Ameti) Festival, the temple
is closed for three days, as are all the temples in
the area; then it is believed to be inauspicious to
start new ventures, cook food, study scripture,
plant seeds, or till the earth. On the fourth day,
the doors open to tens of thousands of scarlet-
clad pilgrims, who carry flowers, sweets, and
other offerings. The goddess’s blessing is given in
the form of angadhak (ritu), the water that is the
menstrual blood of the goddess, and angabastra, a
piece of the red sari draped over the stone during
its menstruation.
The origins of the first temple on this site are
shrouded in mystery. Some say it was built by the
demon Narakasura, whom KRISHNA fought when
he tried to marry the beautiful goddess Kamakhya
(she foiled his plans by outwitting him). The orig-
inal temple was destroyed in the 16th century by
Mughal invaders and then rebuilt in 1665 by King
Nara Narayana. This temple has a beehivelike
structure, surrounded by carved panels pictur-
ing figures such as GANESHA, CHAMUNDA, temple
dancers, animals, and women menstruating and
giving birth. Harkening back to its origins as anK 224 Kamakhya