Kamakhya Temple

The Kamakhya Temple on Nilachal Hill in Guwahati is one of the most important Shakti Peethas and a premier centre of Tantric worship in India. Unlike most temples, it has no image of the goddess — the sanctum contains a natural rock cleft that represents the yoni of the goddess, kept perennially moist by an underground spring.

During the annual Ambubachi Mela, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims converge as the earth is believed to be menstruating. The temple was destroyed by the Kalapahar in 1564 CE and rebuilt in the distinctive Nilachal style by the Koch king Naranarayan in 1565 CE.