Culture Diaries: The Curious Case of Assam's Kamakhya Devi in Himachal
A rather interesting story surfaced at the Lunch table yesterday at a party.Kamakhya Devi or Kamru Devi is a goddess who has been worshiped by the Upper Shimla area Kshatriyas for generations. They worship a tamra patra or a small metallic pot with water in the name of this Goddess, who, when she possesses a mortal worshiper, asks for her "gaude" (local for ghada or water pot). The very same goddess is worshiped in Kinnaur as Kamru Devi and was apparently introduced in Upper Shimla by one of the ancestors of the Kshatriyas , who had gone to that region for trade. When the river freezes (and I am assuming this is Shyok River and Borasu Pass), the area becomes a trade-route that directly leads to China, and also opens up in Guwahati, Assam. Kamakhya Devi Temple, Assam Interestingly, Guwahati is in the Kamrup District, a famous Shakti Peeth where, interestingly, there is a temple called Kamakhya Devi. According to Shakti Traditions, the genitals of the Go...