The Legend

Despite her husband Lord Shiva’s disapproval, Sati had gone to attend the universal ‘yajna’ organised by her father Daksha. Shiva was not invited, and was also abused by Daksha. Unable to bear the insult, Sati committed suicide. Upon hearing the news , Shiv arrived on the scene, picked up the body and began a dance of destruction. Vishnu tried to pacify Shiva: the body was cut into 51 parts. The spots on earth where each part fell was identified as ‘peetha’.

But the place where her uterus fell was not known till the god of love, Kamadeva, searched it out to rid himself of a ceratain curse of Brahma’s. Kama regains his body here. The place came to be known as ‘Kamarup’ and the presiding deity as ‘Kamakhya’ or one worshipped by Kama.