MA KAMAKHYA CIRCUIT

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Context

• The Prime Minister expressed hope that Maa Kamakhya corridor will also be a landmark initiative

Details

• As per reports, the renovation of the corridor will be on par with Vishwanath Corridor and Mahakal Corridor.
• It will have a Pravesh Prangan, Maa Chinnamasta Prangan, and Maa Kamakhya Prangan. Prangan is ‘corridor’ in English.

About the temple

• The Kamakhya temple situated at the Nilachal hills in Guwahati is one of the oldest and most revered centers of Tantric practices, dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya.
• Kamakhya Temple comes under Kamrup district.

Temple’s significance

• Kamakhya Temple is one of the 51 shaktipeethas, and one of the oldest and most revered too.
• The temple is dedicated to Kamakhya Devi or Maa Kamakhya, the goddess of desire.

The history of the temple

• It is believed that the temple is where parts of Devi Sati’s corpse fell while her husband Lord Shiva performed taandav.
• As per religious beliefs, her genitals and womb fell where the present-day temple is located.
• According to the legends, the location of the fallen genitalia and the womb was not known till Kamdev, the God of love, went in search of it for his penance. After finding the parts, Kamdev was rid of his curse (given by Brahma). Thus the place came to be known as Kamakhya.

What’s unique?

• There is no idol of a goddess or a god here in this temple. Instead, in the inner sanctum sanctorum of the temple, there is a yoni or the female genitalia, which is worshipped.

Ambubachi Mela

• The annual festival of Ambubachi Mela celebrates the menstruation of the Goddess.
• The three-day mela is when the temple is closed off, as a period of rest for the Goddess.
• This is also when several pilgrims, yoginis and yogis gather here and make the place come alive with music and celebration. On the fourth day, the temple reopens for worship.

Kamakhya as a centre of tantric practices

• The Kamakhya Temple is the centre of the Kulachara Tantra Marga, also known as Shakta Tantrika Tradition.
• During the Ambubachi Mela, many tantriks make a pilgrimage to this place.

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1917867