Dash Mahavidya Temples at Kamakhya Temple Guwahati

Kamakhya is the primary Shakti Peetha of Bharatvarsha, the Yonipeetha where Devi Sati’s Yoni had fallen, making it the seat of creation. I have already written in detail about the Kamakhya temple and its festivals.

This time in Guwahati, I wanted to visit all the Dash Mahavidya temples located on the Nilanchal Hill. It took me a few hours and a small auto rickshaw ride to visit all the temples.

Who are Dash Mahavidya Devis?

Dash or 10 Mahavidyas are the 10 manifestations of Adi Para Shakti. Their story comes in Mahabhagwat Purana. Sati wanted to visit her father Daksha at Kankhal, and Shiva wanted to stop her. He knew that if she went, he would never meet her again in the same form. She was adamant, and manifested 10 forms in all the 10 directions to stop Shiva from stopping her. These 10 swaroops or manifestations came to be revered individually as well as collectively as Dash Mahavidyas.

We find their temples in many Tirtha Kshetras like Varanasi and Himachal. At Nilanchal hill, on which the famous Kamakhya temple is located, we find temples dedicated to each of these Mahavidyas. What is fascinating here is the deep association of water element with these temples. These temples have water as the main element that worshiped. Murtis and rituals are probably a later addition.

Come with me to these Dash Mahavidya Temples as I experienced them:

Sodashi, Matangi and Kamlatmika – 3 of Dash Mahavidya

The main Kamakhya temple garbhagriha itself contains the three Mahavidyas:

• Sodashi or Rajrajeshwari Lalita Tripursundari is Kamakhya herself, who is the third among the Mahavidyas after Kali and Tara. She is the Adhishtatri Devi of this place, it is her Peetha or the seat. She is the presiding deity of this kshetra. She is one responsible for creating, nurturing and dissolving this world.
• Matangi – the ninth Mahavidya, also considered a form of Saraswati who bestows the powers of expression through speech and performing arts
• Kamalatmika – the tenth Mahavidya, a form of Mahalakshmi often depicted as Gajalakshmi being showered by elephants.

The three can be seen or rather experienced inside the garbhagriha. The best way to reach them is to buy a VIP ticket and get into the queue to visit the garbhagriha.  Incidentally, there is no Murti of Ma Kamakhya inside the sanctum, she is in the form of flowing water.

You do an anthropomorphic form of her right outside the garbhagriha, where most…