At Kamakhya Devi Temple in Assam. March 2019
This post is written for the theme “26 Places, 26 Memories” for the #AtoZChallenge.
K FOR KAMAKHYA DEVI TEMPLE:
This 8th century temple, dedicated to goddess Kamakhya, is located in Guwahati, the capital city of Assam in India. Legend has it that when Sati (wife of Lord Shiva) died, her body parts fell at various places across India; and her yoni or genitals fell here. It’s thus an important site for tantric worship with animal sacrifices being a regular ritual. The special sindoor (red powder) made here is said to bestow bountiful blessings on the wearer. There is a firm belief that if you pray to Kamakhya Devi earnestly, your wishes will come true.
KEEN KARMIC CONNECTIONS AT KAMAKHYA DEVI TEMPLE:
My parents visited Kamakhya Devi temple in 2012, while on holiday in Assam. After hearing interesting things from them about the place, I wanted to visit too. Hence, I convinced them to return with me in November 2014.
The temple is quite an intense cultural experience. If you’re sensitive to energies, as I feel I am, you can often classify places on their basis. For example, most people feel a strong sense of calm pervade them at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Similarly, the Kamakhya Devi temple emanates a fierce power of femininity. It is the kind of power that allows a woman to carry and birth children, withstand the harsh realities of a patriarchal world, manage a million tasks without complaining, and be solid as a rock yet malleable as gold. It’s the kind of strength only a woman can possess.
On my first visit, we did the rounds, thanking the goddess for our blessings. At this point, I’d been married a little over a year, and family planning wasn’t uppermost in my mind. It’s said that most married women pray for conception at this temple. While I didn’t specifically pray for that, the thought may have been lurking in my mind, influenced by everything I’d heard. I conceived six months later. I’m not saying that I conceived because I’d prayed to her; it may simply have been the right time. However, I recently returned to the temple and thanked her.
We visited Assam in March 2019, to celebrate my animal-obsessed son’s third birthday at Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary. Hence, I was able to re-visit Kamakhya Devi as well. Despite being a devout Sikh, I’m happy to visit all places of worship. In fact, religious equality is essential to my belief. I don’t endorse animal sacrifices and don’t feel drawn to the occult. However, I feel a keen karmic connection with Kamakhya Devi- one woman to another 😉
Come back tomorrow for the letter L and another story!
Female power- my mother, mother-in-law and I at Kamakhya Devi Temple in March 2019
The men came too!
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A for Amritsar, B for Bhopal, C for Cambodia, D for Delhi, E for England, F for France, G for Gwalior, H for Hemkund Sahib, I for Italy, J for Jim Corbett National Park