title: "Kāmākhyā Devi" tradition_name: "Kāmākhyā — the menstruating goddess of Nilachal Hill" category: "deity" description: "Kāmākhyā Devi — a regional goddess of Assam (Hindu, Shakta, Tantric, Assamese). Kāmākhyā — the menstruating goddess of Nilachal Hill." tradition: ["Hindu", "Shakta", "Tantric", "Assamese"] district: "Kamrup Metro" historical_period: "Pre-8th c. CE; current structure 1565 (rebuilt by Koch king Naranārāyaṇa)" geographical_spread: "Guwahati, Kamrup Metro, Assam" audience_level: "All" verification_status: "UNVERIFIED" last_updated: "2026-04-24" mantra: "Om Hrīm Klīm Kāmākhyāyai Namaḥ" sacred_offerings: ["red hibiscus", "coconut", "kumkum-turmeric abhisheka", "oil lamp", "tradition-specific: goat (in Tantric/non-Brahmin shrines), pumpkin (substitute)"] sacred_colours: ["red (for menstruation)", "black (for Tantric Kāli-association)"] sources:
- { tier: 2, type: "book", title: "Shakti Pithas: Sacred Geographies", author: 'D. C. Sircar', year: 1973 }
- { tier: 2, type: "book", title: "Hindu Goddesses", author: 'David Kinsley', year: 1987 }
- { tier: 3, type: "other", title: "Kāmākhyā Devi Temple — Devasthanam records" } geo:
- country: "India" state: "Assam" district: "Kamrup Metro" town: "Guwahati" lat: 26.1664 lon: 91.7056 temples:
- name: "Kāmākhyā Devi Temple" location: "Guwahati" district: "Kamrup Metro" state: "Assam" country: "India" built_century: "Pre-8th c. CE; current structure 1565 (rebuilt by Koch king Naranārāyaṇa)" note: "Kāmākhyā — the menstruating goddess of Nilachal Hill" lat: 26.1664 lon: 91.7056 festival_dates: ["Ambubachi Mela", "Durgā Pūjā"] festivals:
- name: "Ambubachi Mela" month: "Jyeṣṭha (June)" duration: "4 days"
- name: "Durgā Pūjā" month: "Āśvin (Sept–Oct)" duration: "10 days" worship: daily_rites: ["aarati (dawn + dusk)", "abhisheka", "naivedya", "evening lamp"] offerings_sequence: ["water abhisheka", "turmeric", "kumkum", "red hibiscus", "prasadam"] vratas: ["Friday special puja", "Navratri 9-day fast"] pilgrimages: ["annual jatra (community gathering)", "Shakti Pitha circuit"] stories:
- title: "The sacred story of Kāmākhyā Devi" source: "Sthala-puranam + community tradition" summary: "Kāmākhyā of Nilachal Hill, Guwahati, is the most famous of the 51 Shakti Pīṭhas — said to be where the yoni (womb) of Sati fell. There is NO anthropomorphic image in the sanctum, only a natural cleft rock moistened by an underground spring. The annual Ambubachi Mela (June) marks the 3-day "menstruation" of the goddess, when the spring runs red with iron oxide; the sanctum closes and reopens on the 4th day. Over a million pilgrims converge annually. Assam's Shakta traditions, including tantric bhairavī pūjā and animal sacrifice (still practiced), are most intensely practiced here." primary_scriptures:
- title: "Devi Mahatmya (Chandi / Durga Saptashati)" type: "Sanskrit hymn" century: "6th–7th c. CE"
- title: "Sthala-puranam" type: "local temple narrative"
Kāmākhyā Devi
Who She Is
Kāmākhyā of Nilachal Hill, Guwahati, is the most famous of the 51 Shakti Pīṭhas — said to be where the yoni (womb) of Sati fell. There is NO anthropomorphic image in the sanctum, only a natural cleft rock moistened by an underground spring. The annual Ambubachi Mela (June) marks the 3-day "menstruation" of the goddess, when the spring runs red with iron oxide; the sanctum closes and reopens on the 4th day. Over a million pilgrims converge annually. Assam's Shakta traditions, including tantric bhairavī pūjā and animal sacrifice (still practiced), are most intensely practiced here.
Temple & Pilgrimage
- Location: Guwahati, Kamrup Metro (26.1664°N, 91.7056°E) Assam
- Tradition: Hindu, Shakta, Tantric, Assamese
- Historical: Pre-8th c. CE; current structure 1565 (rebuilt by Koch king Naranārāyaṇa)
Worship Tradition
Daily aarati at dawn and dusk; abhisheka with water/milk/turmeric; kumkum offering; red hibiscus; oil lamp. For Tantric or non-Brahmin shrines: goat-sacrifice (traditional; increasingly symbolic pumpkin-breaking).
Festival Calendar
- Ambubachi Mela (Jyeṣṭha (June), 4 days)
- Durgā Pūjā (Āśvin (Sept–Oct), 10 days)
Her Place in the Shakta Landscape
Hinduism's goddess-traditions are vast and diverse — 51 Shakti Pīṭhas, 10 Mahāvidyās, 9 Navadurga, 8 Ashta Matrika, hundreds of regional forms. Each is a distinct face of the one supreme Mahā-Devī.