The goddess
Kamakshi is a form of
Tripura SundariTripura Sundari, also called Shodashi, Lalita and Rajarajeshvari, is one of the group of ten goddesses of Hindu belief, collectively called mahavidyas...
, who in turn is a form of the universal mother
goddessA goddess is a female deity. Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities in a pantheon. In some cultures goddesses are commonly associated with the Earth, motherhood, love, and the household, often reflecting the historical gender roles of that culture...
worshipped by Hindus. The main abode of Kamashi is the
Kamakshi Amman templeKamakshi Amman Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Kamakshi, one of the forms of the goddess Tripura Sundari. It is located in the historic city Kanchipuram, near Chennai, India and is popularly associated with Adi Sankaracharya, one of the greatest Hindu saints...
at
KanchipuramKanchipuram, Kanchi, or Kancheepuram is a city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district. In ancient times it was called Kachi and Kachiampathi....
. Other important forms of goddess
Tripura SundariTripura Sundari, also called Shodashi, Lalita and Rajarajeshvari, is one of the group of ten goddesses of Hindu belief, collectively called mahavidyas...
are
MeenakshiMinakshi is an avatar of the Hindu Goddess Parvati - and spouse of Shiva - who is worshipped mainly by South Indians. She is also one of the few Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her - the famed Meenakshi temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu...
of
MaduraiMadurai , is the oldest inhabited city in the Indian peninsula. It is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is the second biggest Municipal Corporation of Tamil Nadu. It is situated on the banks of the River Vaigai in Madurai district...
,
AkilandeswariAkilandeswari, is one of the main forms of the Hindu goddess, Parvati. The famous abode of Akilandeswari is the temple of Thiruvanaikoil. Other important forms of Parvati are Meenakshi of Madurai, Kamakshi of Kanchipuram and Vishalakshi of Varanasi....
of
ThiruvanaikavalThiruvanaikaval is a famous Shiva temple in Tiruchirapalli , located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple was built by Kocengannan , one of the Early Cholas, around 1,800 years ago...
and
VishalakshiThe Vishalakshi Temple of Divine Mother Sati, wife of Lord Shiva stands at Meer Ghat just behind Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, India. Devout Hindus consider this as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas mentioned in the Puranas.-Manikarni:...
of
VaranasiVaranasi , also commonly known as Benares or Banaras and Kashi , is a city situated on the left bank of the River Ganga in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, regarded as holy by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains...
. There are other famous temples for Kamakshi including the one at
RamnathiThe temple of Ramnathi is located in Ramnathim, Bandivade in Goa. Ramnath was the form of Lord Shiva that Lord Rama prayed to before he crossed the ocean to Lanka to bring back his wifeSita.Therefore the name Ram-Nath=Lord of shree Rama...
-Santeri in
GoaGoa is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.Panaji is...
and the
Kalikambal TempleThe Kalikambal Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Kalikambal and Kamateswarar. The temple is located in Thambu Chetty Street, George Town a prominent financial centre of Chennai, India.-History:...
at Madras (Now
ChennaiChennai , formerly known as , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the fifth most populous city in India. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, Chennai city had a population of 4.34 million in the 2001...
). The main temples of Kamakshi
DeviDevi is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents consciousness or discrimination,...
in
GoaGoa is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.Panaji is...
are the
Kamakshi Rayeshwar temple at
ShirodaShiroda is small village in South Konkan , just north of Goa, with a long stretch of clean sparkling beach. Lots of greenery with densely covered palm trees around the beach. Suru Garden around the beach is amazing.Shiroda & Aaravali are called Twin Cities and belong to Vengurla taluka in...
.
Goddess Kamakshi is considered to be the representation of
Shri Vidya' is the name of a Hindu religious system devoted to the goddess Lalitā Tripurasundarī or simply , a tantric form of the goddess...
- Shri Lalita Maha Tripurasundari - she reigns supreme in Kanchi.
The goddess
Kamakshi is a form of
Tripura SundariTripura Sundari, also called Shodashi, Lalita and Rajarajeshvari, is one of the group of ten goddesses of Hindu belief, collectively called mahavidyas...
, who in turn is a form of the universal mother
goddessA goddess is a female deity. Often deities are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities in a pantheon. In some cultures goddesses are commonly associated with the Earth, motherhood, love, and the household, often reflecting the historical gender roles of that culture...
worshipped by Hindus. The main abode of Kamashi is the
Kamakshi Amman templeKamakshi Amman Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to goddess Kamakshi, one of the forms of the goddess Tripura Sundari. It is located in the historic city Kanchipuram, near Chennai, India and is popularly associated with Adi Sankaracharya, one of the greatest Hindu saints...
at
KanchipuramKanchipuram, Kanchi, or Kancheepuram is a city and a municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a temple town and the headquarters of Kanchipuram district. In ancient times it was called Kachi and Kachiampathi....
. Other important forms of goddess
Tripura SundariTripura Sundari, also called Shodashi, Lalita and Rajarajeshvari, is one of the group of ten goddesses of Hindu belief, collectively called mahavidyas...
are
MeenakshiMinakshi is an avatar of the Hindu Goddess Parvati - and spouse of Shiva - who is worshipped mainly by South Indians. She is also one of the few Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her - the famed Meenakshi temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu...
of
MaduraiMadurai , is the oldest inhabited city in the Indian peninsula. It is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and is the second biggest Municipal Corporation of Tamil Nadu. It is situated on the banks of the River Vaigai in Madurai district...
,
AkilandeswariAkilandeswari, is one of the main forms of the Hindu goddess, Parvati. The famous abode of Akilandeswari is the temple of Thiruvanaikoil. Other important forms of Parvati are Meenakshi of Madurai, Kamakshi of Kanchipuram and Vishalakshi of Varanasi....
of
ThiruvanaikavalThiruvanaikaval is a famous Shiva temple in Tiruchirapalli , located in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple was built by Kocengannan , one of the Early Cholas, around 1,800 years ago...
and
VishalakshiThe Vishalakshi Temple of Divine Mother Sati, wife of Lord Shiva stands at Meer Ghat just behind Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, India. Devout Hindus consider this as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas mentioned in the Puranas.-Manikarni:...
of
VaranasiVaranasi , also commonly known as Benares or Banaras and Kashi , is a city situated on the left bank of the River Ganga in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, regarded as holy by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains...
. There are other famous temples for Kamakshi including the one at
RamnathiThe temple of Ramnathi is located in Ramnathim, Bandivade in Goa. Ramnath was the form of Lord Shiva that Lord Rama prayed to before he crossed the ocean to Lanka to bring back his wifeSita.Therefore the name Ram-Nath=Lord of shree Rama...
-Santeri in
GoaGoa is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.Panaji is...
and the
Kalikambal TempleThe Kalikambal Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Kalikambal and Kamateswarar. The temple is located in Thambu Chetty Street, George Town a prominent financial centre of Chennai, India.-History:...
at Madras (Now
ChennaiChennai , formerly known as , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the fifth most populous city in India. Located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, Chennai city had a population of 4.34 million in the 2001...
). The main temples of Kamakshi
DeviDevi is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents consciousness or discrimination,...
in
GoaGoa is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located on the west coast of India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast.Panaji is...
are the
Kamakshi Rayeshwar temple at
ShirodaShiroda is small village in South Konkan , just north of Goa, with a long stretch of clean sparkling beach. Lots of greenery with densely covered palm trees around the beach. Suru Garden around the beach is amazing.Shiroda & Aaravali are called Twin Cities and belong to Vengurla taluka in...
.
Goddess Kamakshi is considered to be the representation of
Shri Vidya' is the name of a Hindu religious system devoted to the goddess Lalitā Tripurasundarī or simply , a tantric form of the goddess...
- Shri Lalita Maha Tripurasundari - she reigns supreme in Kanchi. The image of the goddess has been carved out of a Salagrama shila and the Meru in the temple is also made of Salagrama, believed to be consecrated by sage
DurvasaIn Hinduism, Durvasa is an ancient sage, son of Atri and Anasuya. He is supposed to be an incarnation of Shiva. He is supposed to be the only rishi whose penance goes up whenever he curses somebody. He is known for his short temper. Maledictions or curses he gave in his rage ruined many lives...
who was one of the renowed Shrividya upasakas. Kanchi is one of the most powerful
pithasThe Shakti Peethas are places of worship consecrated to the goddess Sati, the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect...
of the Devi. Many literary and musical compositions have been made on this great Devi and many devotees have been blessed by her.
Shri Kamakshi and Tripura Sundari
While to many westerners it might seem that Kamakshi must be different from
Tripura SundariTripura Sundari, also called Shodashi, Lalita and Rajarajeshvari, is one of the group of ten goddesses of Hindu belief, collectively called mahavidyas...
as they appear to have different names. However in the Hindu pantheon, the "names" of the deities are more descriptions than names. Tripura Sundari, like many of the forms of the supreme, has 1000 names assigned to her and these can be found in the
Lalita sahasranamaLalita sahasranama is a sacred Hindu text for the worshippers of the Goddess Lalita Devi, i.e. the Divine Mother, in the form of her and the male gods' feminine power, Shakti. Lalita is the Goddess of bliss, an epithet for Parvati. Etymologically, "Lalita" means "She Who Plays"...
text. One of the names in this text is "Kamakshi" which means "She whose eyes awaken desire, or She who has beautiful eyes".
Shri Kamakshi Temple, Goa
Shri Kamakshi temple located at
ShirodaShiroda is small village in South Konkan , just north of Goa, with a long stretch of clean sparkling beach. Lots of greenery with densely covered palm trees around the beach. Suru Garden around the beach is amazing.Shiroda & Aaravali are called Twin Cities and belong to Vengurla taluka in...
was built between 1564 and 1568. The other shrines in the temple complex are that of Shree
ShantadurgaShantadurga also known as Shanteri/Santeri is the form of the Goddess Durga, commonly worshipped in Goa,India .She is also called Saibini in Konkani as a mark of reverance....
, Shree Laxmi Narayana and Shree Rayeshwar. Boarding and Lodging for the pilgrims are provided by the temple authorities.
This temple was originally located at Raia in Salcette and was moved to its present location in 1564-1568. The temple is located at Shiroda. It is dedicated to Goddess Kamakshi, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati, consort of Shiva. By the side of the main temple are shrines dedicated to Shree Shantadurga, Shree Laxmi Narayana and Shree Rayeshwar.