Explore Kamakhya Temples and Landscape
The Sacred Landscape of Kamakhya
The sacred land of the Devi Kamakhya is characterized by its beautiful landscape of hills, abundant flowing water sources, natural sacred ponds, and lush vegetation with rich flora & fauna. The mighty sacred river Brahmaputra flows by the northern slope of the Kamakhya Temples’ Complex. On this Kamakhya Hill, the temple of great Devi Kamakhya is surrounded by the temples of seven of the Dasa Mahavidyas, other Devis, Pancha Shivas, Mahakal Ganesha, Dwarpal Ganeshas, Vishnu, other deities, sacred ponds, and numerous sacred sites, scattered all over the hill. This makes the Kamakhya hill a sacred complex of several temples and thus can be phrased as the Kamakhya Temples’ Complex. Devi Kamakhya, in the form of one of the Dasa Mahavidyas, is worshipped as Tripura Sundari or Sodasi, along with the other two Devis of the Dasa Mahavidyas inside the Kamakhya Temple.
Though the sacred site is popularly known as Kamakhya, geologically it is a hill system comprising of three segments called Brahma hill, Shiva hill, and Varaha (Vishnu) hill mentioned in the scriptures as Nilachala and also as Kamagiri, Mahagiri, Kamakhya Yonimandala, and Kamakuta. According to an estimate by the Archaeological Survey of India, there probably existed more than a hundred temples, peethas, and sacred sites & ponds on the Kamakhya hill sometime in the past.
The peethas, temples, kundas (ponds), and other sacred sites that constitute the Kamakhya Temples’ Complex that still exist today are:
Kamakhya Temple (Peetha of the Three Mahavidyas of the Dasa Mahavidyas)
Adjacent to the Peetha of Devi Kamakhya the Peethas of two other Dasa Mahavidyas, Devi Matangi (Saraswati) and Devi Kamala (Lakshmi) are also located. Devi Kamakhya is worshipped in the form of Devi Tripurasundari or Devi Sodasi, the third Mahavidya of the Dasa Mahavidyas.
Temple of the Seven other Dasa Mahavidya
- Kali Temple (also known as the Peetha of Navam Kalika)
- Tara Temple (also known as the Peetha of Asta Tara)
- Bhuvaneswari Temple (Devi Bhuvaneswari is also worshipped as Devi Mahagauri, Devi Raja-Rajeswari, Devi Annapurna)
- Bhiravi Temple (also worshipped as Devi Tripura Bhairavi)
- Chinnamasta Temple (also worshipped as Guptakamakhya)
- Dhumavati Temple (also worshipped as Devi Koteswari)
- Bagalamukhi Temple (also worshipped as Srikamakhya)
Temples/Peethas of Other Devis
- Banadurga Temple (also worshipped as Devi Vanavasini)
- Joyadurga Temple (also worshipped as Devi Vindhyavasini)
- Lalitakanta Temple
Temples of Pancha (Five) Shivas
- Amratokeshwara Shiva Temple
- Kameshwara Shiva Temple
- Herukeswar Shiva Peetha
- Muktinath Shiva Peetha (also known as Muktimandapa)
- Kautilinga Shiva Temple
Other Shiva Temples
- Siddheshwara Shiva Temple
- Kedareshwara Shiva Temple
Temples of Ganesha
- Brihad Ganesha or Mahakala Ganesha Temple
- Temples of Four (04) Dwarapala Ganesha
Temples of Vishnu
- Kamvaleshwara Temple
- Gdadhar Vishnu Temple
- Pandunatha Temple
Temples of other Deities
- Ghantakarna Temple
- Sankheshwari Temple
- Tal Betala Bhairava Peetha
- Hanuman Temple
- Idols of Trivikrama
- Betal Bhairava Peetha
Kundas (Sacred Ponds) of Kamakhya
- Saubhagya Kunda
- Amrita Kunda
- Wrinmochana Kunda
- Varaha Kunda
- Durga Kunda
- Gaya Kunda
- Brahma Kunda
Other Sacred Places at Kamakhya
11 Snana Ghata of Devi (the bathing place of the Devis on the banks of the River Brahmaputra)
- Brahmayoni Kshetra
- Kedara Kshetra
- Pretashila Kshetra
- Kamadhenu Kshetra
Located on the holy Nilachala Hills, the Kamakhya Temples’ Complex of Assam is one of the world’s most important sites of goddess worship, and is literally and figuratively the birthplace of modern Shaktism.
Apart from Kamakhya Temple there are several peethas, temples, sacred sites and kundas (pond) scattered all over the Nilachal Hills and according to an estimate by the Archaeological Survey of India there probably existed more than a hundred sometime in the past. The peethas, temples, kundas (ponds) and other sacred sites which constitute the Kamakhya Temples’ Complex that still exist today on the Nilachala Hills are:
Sri Sri Kamakhya Temple (or Peetha of Sri Sri Kamakhya). Adjacent to the Peetha of Sri Sri Kamakhya the Peethas of other two peethas of the Dasamahavidyas, Sri Sri Matangi (Saraswati) and Sri Sri Kamala (Lakshmi) are also located. Sri Sri Kamakhya is the form of Sri Sri Tripurasundari or Sri Sri Sodasi, the third Mahavidya of the Dasamahavidyas.
Dasamahavidya (Ten Mahavidyas or Great Wisdom Goddesses)
- Sri Sri Kali Temple or the Peethas of the Navam Kalika, i.e. nine Kalis
- Sri Sri Tara Temple or the Peetha of Asta Tara, i.e. eight Taras
- Sri Sri Kamakhya Temple (as Sri Sri Sodasi, mentioned above)
- Sri Sri Bhuvaneswari Temple or the Peetha of Sri Sri Bhuvaneswari (also known as Sri Sri Annapurna)
- Sri Sri Bhiravi Temple or the Peetha of Sri Sri Bhairavi or Sri Sri Tripura Bhairavi
- Sri Sri Chinnamasta Temple of the Peetha of Sri Sri Chinnamasta (also known as Guptakamakhya)
- Sri Sri Dhumavati Temple or the Peetha of Sri Sri Dhumavati
- Sri Sri Bagalamukhi Temple or the Peetha of Sri Sri Bagalamukhi (also known as Srikamakhya)
- Sri Sri Matangi or the Peetha of Sri Sri Matangi and also known as Sri Sri Saraswati (adjacent to the Peetha of Sri Sri Kamakhya as already mentioned above)
- Sri Sri Kamala or Peetha of Sri Sri Kamala and also known as Sri Sri Lakshmi (adjacent to the Peetha of Sri Sri Kamakhya as already mentioned above)
Temples/Peethas of Other Devis
- Sri Sri Banadurga Temple or the Peetha of Sri Sri Banadurga and also known as Vanavasini
- Sri Sri Joyadurga Temple or the Peetha of Sri Sri Joyadurga and also known as Vindhyavasini
- Sri Sri Lalitakanta Temple or the Peetha of Sri Sri Lalitakanta
Temples of Pancha (Five) Shivas
- Sri Sri Amratokeshwara Shiva Temple
- Sri Sri Kameshwara Shiva Temple
- Sri Sri Siddheshwara Shiva Temple
- Sri Sri Kedareshwara Shiva Temple
- Sri Sri Kautilinga Shiva Temple
Temples/Peethas of Other Deities
- Sri Sri Brihad Ganesha or Sri Sri Mahakala Ganesha Temple
- Temples of Four (04) Sri Sri Dwarapala Ganesha
- Sri Sri Kamvaleshwara Temple
- Sri Sri Pandunatha Temple
- Sri Sri Herukeswhara Peetha
- Sri Sri Ghantakarna Temple
- Sri Sri Sankheshwari Temple
- Sri Sri Tal Betala
- Sri Sri Hanuman Temple
- Idols of Sri Sri Trivikrama
- Sri Sri Betal Bhairava Peetha
Kundas (Sacred Ponds)
- Saubhagya Kunda
- Amrita Kunda
- Wrinmochana Kunda
- Varaha Kunda
- Durga Kunda
- Gaya Kunda
- Brahma Kunda
Other Sacred Places
- Snana Ghata of Devi (the bathing place of the Devis on the banks of the River Brahmaputa along the northern side of the Nilachala Hills)
- Brahmayoni Kshetra (a sacred area called Brahmayoni)