Kamakhya temple site set to get top-notch amenities

Guwahati: The hub of tantric practices — the revered Kamakhya temple site in Guwahati that has witnessed tremendous changes throughout its rich history — is now set to undergo a facelift while preserving the main temple structure. In February, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation of the Maa Kamakhya Access Corridor, a project sanctioned under Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region (PM-DevINE) scheme. This corridor, equipped with world-class amenities for pilgrims, aims to enhance religious tourism, following in the footsteps of other prominent corridors like the Kashi-Viswanath, Mahakal Lok in Ujjain and Kedardham.Many historians want to say the temple was begun in a cave by some tribe, probably the Khasis or the Garos. From there, the site has arrived at its present form after undergoing transformations since 5th century.According to IIT-Guwahati professor Sukanya Sharma, who has extensively researched the Kamakhya temple site, the first stone temples were built on the site as early as 5th century, as evidenced by epigraphical records. These temples subsequently collapsed during a period of abandonment. In the second phase, during the 11th-12th century, the temple was reconstructed, reusing fragments from the earlier stone temples. The third phase, beginning in the 14th century, saw reconstruction efforts by the Koch and Ahom kings using bricks and lime mortar.Sharma said the temple’s architectural style reflects a diffusion of various Hindu temple styles — from Nagara (Northern Indian) to Vesara (Central Indian) and from Pancharatha to Saptaratha temple forms. The construction materials also changed over time, from stone to bricks and lime mortar, with evidence of the Dochala style (double roofed structure) of Bengal and the Nilachal temple architecture style, famous for its bulbous polygonal domes, emerging during the Koch and Ahom periods in 16th and 15th-18th centuries, respectively.Talking about the changes the site has undergone over the centuries, Sharma said the ground plan remains unchanged, built on the original stone foundation. She added that the upper portion of the temple broke on several occasions due to natural factors but was built again. “We have tested the stones and found that particularly granite is fragile. Those can be called periodic renovation. Every dynasty carried out renovation till the British period and later,” she added.There is ample evidence of patronage from the Pala, Koch, Ahom dynasties and the Darbhanga kings at different times.As the temple prepares for a facelift, Sharma stressed the importance of an expert panel to ensure that changes in architecture do not compromise the temple’s originality.