Kamakshi

Goddess sits; blazes apart. Lions throw themselves at her fierce eyes.She Remains still. Kamakshi is beauty of this universe unparalleled. Look once and you will not be yourself anymore.

Kanchi is a small town in tamilnadu, it is also a shakti-peeth as many proclaim, When sati of parvati takes place, her navel falls towards kanchi. The goddess here is magnificent, she is kamakshi.

I have visited kanchi many times in my life. partly because she is my kula deva (from paternal side) and mainly because she calls me to partake of her gift. Gift of her beauty of being. The temple is a small affair, and its mainly flanked by ekamreshwara shiva temple, which is humongous to say the least. There are also some 1000 odd smaller old temples in this little town. Yet its easy to understand, no one can draw attention as my devi can. She calls out. And we insignificant, respond.

The sensuality of navel is understated, yet indians and myself are highly awed by the navel. It is an erotic sensual center. And to many (including myself ;) one the most beautiful parts to a woman's body. Kamakshi portrays this, Inside the inner sanctum next to her beautiful idol is a pillar, this pillar signifies the center of the universe. For it is where the navel of the goddess chandi has fallen. There is a tantric yantra cut on this pillar and people can put their hands inside, and feel what they choose.

Kamakshi is a benign and passive goddess, she sports a sugarcane (for agrarian purposes i guess), she has a noose (gord), and is in a wish giving and protective state. She is also par-excellence the virgin goddess, she here is independent of consciousness (shiva). She is verily tripura-sundari here. ( Goddess of the three worlds)

The story goes as this. Ekambreshwarsa is the place where goddess kanya-kumari (parvati) comes to meditate for her var (her spouse). She meditates here as the peepal tree, and she is still present here (inside the compounds of the ekambreshwara temple). The lord ekambreshwar comes (or rather is pulled beyond control.. as it happens when true cosmic love for a lover happens.. we all ought to have experienced that atleast once in our life ) to the very spot and they get married under that peepal tree. The tree and the spot still exist, while meditating kamakshi is present in her sanctum. The main consideration here is not the idol, as in many temples, but the emphasis on the yoni which is present and worshiped. There is a small circular kund of sorts, without the shiva linga which is to represent the goddess yoni (reproductive-creative powers) in this place. All the sacrifices are offered to that yoni, and all power is derived from that itself.

I visited kanchi last summers, as well as two years prior to that. I got the privilege to see the ekambreshwara temple as well as this time, Chola architects and kings, were magnificent in the grand aspects of temple worship. the temple is humongous, as much as many of the kaveri basin temples which i have seen, the shiva linga here is made of mud/or some other substance which is dis solvable in water. Hence there is no abhishek to the linga made here, which is very very strange for any shiva temple (shiva under constant meditation experiences such samadhi heat, that he has to be cooled very very fast... hence he is always known as abhisheka priya. )
Offering abulations at kamakshi is a beautiful heart rendering experience, I offered a saari as well which was the first that day and hence put on the idol. It was a green gift and the goddess wearing it looked the prettiest damsel in the world even in stone.
The idol is made in black stone, characteristic of south indian temples, I personally feel that the human touches come grander/greater in this, rather than in marble. But each to their own.
But let me tell you this unmistakably, when you look at the goddess here, you wont think she is beautiful or powerful to some human attribute, it is out of the world feeling, with diyas lit around her, and her eyes and face radiating true grace, all you can do is get charmed, lose and gain your heart. Give up everything for her vision.
Somewhere we all give up ourselves, let it all be. You know, a place to rest. Kamakshi is a place like that, leave the madness which is there to worship for there is nothing like that when you gaze at her face, look at her feet and chant her name in your inner self. It is true experience of power, a restrained look at power. Feel of love. All in one go.
Kamakshi has come under light recently due to assholes (many of them) who are pandas, and true to their characters thieves without emotions. But the power in this virgin ground is unmistakable.

The goddess energy in this place, is virgin.. It is concentrated not on sheer power, but the beauty and grace and the sheer kama ( the true love, lust, for life). Visit and xperience metamorphosis.

peace