Kamakhya Temple

In News 

• The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is planning to construct a ropeway from the Kamakhya Railway Station to the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati.

Kamakhya Temple

• About:
  • It is situated on the Nilachal Hill in western part of Guwahati city in Assam.
  • It  is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India. 
  • The main temple is surrounded by individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas:
    • Kali, Tara, Sodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika.
  • It is a centrepiece of Tantrik Shaktism cult in India
  • Being the centre for Tantra worship this temple attracts thousands of tantra devotees in an annual festival known as the Ambubachi Mela. Another annual celebration is the Manasha Puja. 

• Temple Architecture:
  • It had been modelled out of a combination of two different styles, namely, the traditional nagara or North Indian and saracenic or Mughal. 
  • Thus, being an unusual combination which came into its existence on this famous sakti shrine of India, it has been named as the Nilachala Style of Architecture. 
  • The reason behind development of this new type by transgression of the orthodox nagara tradition is stated in the Darang-raj vamsavali, a compilation of 17th century A.D.

Source:TH