Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati

কামাখ্যা মন্দিৰ

Kamakhya · Maa Kamakhya

Nilachal hill, Guwahati, Kamrup Metropolitan district, Assam · Shakta tradition

Tradition holds that Kamakhya marks the place where Sati's womb and genitals fell, and the shrine is counted among the Shakti Peethas.

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Darshan hours
  • 8:00 am – 1:00 pm · Temple open (morning)
  • 2:30 pm – 5:15 pm · Temple open (afternoon)
Darshan times are not published separately.
Next aarti or puja (India time)
See the schedule below
Getting there
Train: Guwahati railway station (GHY)Air: Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU), Guwahati

Not yet confirmed: dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths, walking distance. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

2 accounts are recorded. Each is told separately, in the words of its own tradition — they are never merged.

Family note: this story includes violence or death and adult themes.
Told in: The Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7 (the Sati frame); tradition as published by Incredible India and the Kamakhya Devalaya (the part that fell here); Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram (the seat's name)

Where the womb fell

The account begins with the frame shared by every Shakti Peetha. In the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Sati, the daughter of Daksha, is married to Shiva. Daksha later insults Shiva, and Sati resolves to give up the body born of Daksha; she burns it in a fire that rises out of yoga. Shiva destroys Daksha's sacrifice, lifts Sati's body onto his neck and wanders from country to country, until Vishnu cuts the body to pieces with his arrows. Wherever a part falls, Shiva remains there in another form, and the place becomes a seat of the goddess.

The Purana's list does not say what fell on Nilachal hill. The tradition published by the Ministry of Tourism's Incredible India does: Kamakhya marks the place where Sati's womb and genitals fell. Incredible India tells the frame with Shiva's grief turning into a dance of destruction, and gives the number of pieces as 51. The temple's own administration describes the goddess simply as the Goddess of Desire and counts the shrine among the 51 Shakti Peethas.

The Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram, a shorter list of eighteen seats traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara, names its thirteenth as Kamarupi, "Hari kshetre Kamarupi". Its English translator renders the line as the goddess Kamarupi in the temple of Vishnu, and the same source's table places Kamarupa Devi at Guwahati. No scholarly source confirming the Shankara attribution has been traced.

The tradition shapes what happens at the temple. Incredible India records that the shrine is visited by childless couples seeking fertility. Every June the temple observes Ambubachi, which Incredible India describes as the annual celebration of the goddess's menstruation; the temple's 2026 notice gives the onset, Prabritti, on 22 June, keeps the doors closed to devotees from 23 to 25 June, and reopens them on the morning of 26 June after a ritual bath and the daily puja.

The episode explains the shrine's character, and the three days each year when even its doors stay shut.

Where this account comes from

  • Purana: Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7, ch. 30, vv. 26–50, tr. Swami Vijnanananda sacred-texts.com
  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India, 'Kamakhya Temple', Guwahati incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Maa Kamakhya Devalaya, official website, home page and Ambubachi Mela 2026 notice maakamakhya.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, line 'Hari kṣetre Kāmarūpī, Prayāge Mādhaveśvarī', tr. P. R. Ramachander. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; that attribution is unverified. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: Temple tradition as published by the Kamakhya Devalaya (history page) and by Incredible India

Kamadeva regains his form

The temple's administration records a second story about the place, drawn from religious literature: Kamadeva, the god of love, regained his beauty here and built the original temple with the help of Vishwakarma. Incredible India tells a related version in which Kamadeva, as penance, searched for the missing parts of Sati's body, and the place where he found them came to be called Kamakhya. The administration adds that the first temple was probably far larger than today's, and that its upper portion was destroyed for reasons no one knows.

Read this account

The temple's own history page sets a second story beside the Sati frame, and it turns on Kamadeva, the god of love.

In the religious literature the administration draws on, Kamadeva comes to this hill and regains his beauty here. He then builds the original temple, with the help of Vishwakarma, the architect of the gods. The administration's account goes on to say that this first temple was probably much larger than the present one, and that its upper portion was completely destroyed for reasons that are not known.

The Ministry of Tourism's Incredible India tells the story from another angle, joining it to the Sati frame. In its version Kamadeva sets out, as a penance, to search for the parts of Sati's body that had gone missing. The place where he finds them comes to be called Kamakhya. Incredible India records a further local belief as well: that this is where Shiva and Sati first met.

The administration is plain about the limits of the record. It says the shrine's history is tied to myth and oral legend, that many believe its origins to be pre-Aryan or tribal in character, and that after the time of King Naraka there is no written or physical evidence of patronage until the rise of the Koch kingdom in the middle of the sixteenth century.

The episode explains the name the place carries, Kamakhya, which Incredible India ties to Kamadeva's search, and the administration's reading of the hilltop as a temple older and larger than the one that stands there now.

Where this account comes from

  • Temple administration: Maa Kamakhya Devalaya, official website, 'History' maakamakhya.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India, 'Kamakhya Temple', Guwahati incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. Tradition holds that Kamakhya marks the place where Sati's womb and genitals fell, and the shrine is counted among the Shakti Peethas.

    2 sources for: Tradition holds that Kamakhya marks the place where Sati's womb and genitals fel
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India, 'Kamakhya Temple', Guwahati incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Temple administration: Maa Kamakhya Devalaya (Office of the Doloi), official website, home page maakamakhya.org · seen 2026-10-09

  2. Every June the temple closes for three days of Ambubachi, observed as the goddess's menstruation, and reopens after a ritual bath.

    2 sources for: Every June the temple closes for three days of Ambubachi, observed as the goddes
    • Temple administration: Maa Kamakhya Devalaya, official website, Ambubachi Mela 2026 notice maakamakhya.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India, 'Kamakhya Temple', Guwahati incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  3. Temples to the ten Mahavidyas stand around the main shrine on Nilachal hill.

    2 sources for: Temples to the ten Mahavidyas stand around the main shrine on Nilachal hill.
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India, 'Kamakhya Temple', Guwahati incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
    • Temple administration: Maa Kamakhya Devalaya, official website, Dashamahavidya temples maakamakhya.org · seen 2026-10-09

  4. The temple's administration lists the Devi Bhagavata, Devi Purana, Kalika Purana, Yogini Tantra and Hevajra Tantra among the texts that mention Kamakhya.

    Source for: The temple's administration lists the Devi Bhagavata, Devi Purana, Kalika Purana
    • Temple administration: Maa Kamakhya Devalaya, official website, 'History' maakamakhya.org · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Nilachala

The temple is widely described as the type example of the Nilachala style — a rounded dome on a cruciform base — but no architectural survey or official page stating this has been found yet.

  • Spire

    The dome against Nilachal hill

    The temple's dome seen against the backdrop of the Nilachal hills (Incredible India).

  • Detail

    The carved main entrance

    The carved motifs at the main entrance, decorated with flowers (Incredible India). Footwear is not allowed past this entrance.

  • Detail

    Shrines of the ten Mahavidyas

    The temples around the main shrine dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas, among them Tara, Bhairavi, Bagala and Kali (Incredible India; temple website).

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

Snana of the Pithasthana5:30 am
Nitya puja6:00 am
Temple open (morning)8:00 am – 1:00 pm
Temple open (afternoon)Closed from 13:00 for cooked offerings and their distribution.2:30 pm – 5:15 pm
Aarati7:30 pm

Confirm on the day. Times change on festival days and without notice.

Before you go

  • Footwear must be left at the designated camps on the approach road; no one may enter the main entrance wearing footwear.
  • Special darshan tickets are booked online; offline counter booking for special darshan was discontinued from 15 June 2026.
  • The temple is closed to devotees during the three days of Ambubachi.
  • On special days the temple opens at 09:00 and closes at sunset.

Walking, steps and access

We have not yet confirmed how much walking or climbing is involved, or whether there is wheelchair access. If you are travelling with elders, ask at the temple office or the devasthanam enquiry counter before you set out.

Crowds: The temple suspends special entry for defence personnel and the ₹501 special darshan on 26–27 June, the first two days after the Ambubachi closure.

Getting there

  • By air: Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU), Guwahati
  • By train: Guwahati railway station (GHY)
  • By road: Nilachal hill approach roadFootwear must be left at the designated camps on the approach road (temple notice).

PIN 781010 (not yet checked with India Post)

Sevas

  • Special darshanMorning and afternoon slots. General queue and defence-personnel bookings use separate portals named on the temple website.₹501Book

Prices as published by the temple when we checked. They change; the temple’s booking site is final.

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Ambubachi Mela

    June (2026: Prabritti 22 June, doors closed 23–25 June, reopening 26 June)

    The annual observance of the goddess's menstruation. The temple closes for three days and reopens after a ritual bath; Incredible India records the belief that the nearby river turns red.

  • Saradiya Durga Puja

    Sep–Oct · Ashvina, Shukla paksha

    The temple website lists a special schedule for Saradiya Durga Puja, with puja at 06:00 and the temple opening later and closing at sunset.

Customs you will see here

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. Sati's womb falls on Nilachal

    The Shakti Peetha frame from the Devi Bhagavata Purana, with the part that fell here as given in the tradition published by Incredible India. The sources do not say in which yuga this happened.

    2 sources for: Sati's womb falls on Nilachal
    • Purana: Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7, ch. 30, tr. Swami Vijnanananda sacred-texts.com
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India, 'Kamakhya Temple', Guwahati incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. Prominence under King Naraka

    The temple's administration says the shrine may have come into prominence under King Naraka, whom it calls the earliest paramount ruler of the Brahmaputra valley, and that there is no written or physical evidence of patronage under his successors.

    Source for: Prominence under King Naraka
    • Temple administration: Maa Kamakhya Devalaya, official website, 'History' maakamakhya.org · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. c. 700–899

    Early temple amid Tantric traditions

    Incredible India dates the temple's origins to the 8th and 9th centuries, under the Mleccha dynasty, amid Tantric traditions.

    Source for: Early temple amid Tantric traditions
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India, 'Kamakhya Temple', Guwahati incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

  2. c. 1500–1599

    Revival under the Koch kingdom

    After a period the administration calls obscure, the shrine's history resumes with the rise of the Koch kingdom in the mid-16th century. Incredible India attributes the revival, after heavy destruction in invasions, to the founder of the Koch dynasty.

    2 sources for: Revival under the Koch kingdom
    • Temple administration: Maa Kamakhya Devalaya, official website, 'History' maakamakhya.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India, 'Kamakhya Temple', Guwahati incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Temple

    Tara temple, Nilachal hill

    One of the Dashamahavidya shrines around the main temple listed by the temple website.

  • Temple

    Bagala (Bagalamukhi) temple, Nilachal hill

    One of the Dashamahavidya shrines around the main temple listed by the temple website.

  • Temple

    Bhairavi temple, Nilachal hill

    One of the Dashamahavidya shrines around the main temple listed by the temple website.

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Temple administration: Maa Kamakhya Devalaya (Office of the Doloi), official website, home page — timings, notices, Ambubachi Mela 2026 maakamakhya.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Temple administration: Maa Kamakhya Devalaya, official website, 'History' maakamakhya.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Government: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, Incredible India, 'Kamakhya Temple', Guwahati incredibleindia.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Purana: Devi Bhagavata Purana, Book 7, ch. 30, tr. Swami Vijnanananda sacred-texts.com
  • Hymn: Aṣṭādaśa Śakti Pīṭha Stotram, tr. P. R. Ramachander. Traditionally attributed to Adi Shankara; that attribution is unverified. hindupedia.com · seen 2026-10-09

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/kamakhya-guwahati (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence