[3][4] Originally a Kirata goddess, Residing on Nilachal hills across the banks of the Brahmaputra River, west of Guwahati in the 10th/11th century Temple rebuilt in 1565 CE,[5] she is worshiped in a non-iconic and un-anthropomorphic form of stone shaped like yoni fed by a perennial stream.

She holds in each of ten hands a lotus, trident, sword, bell, discus, bow, arrows, club or scepter, goad, and shield.

The Kalika Purana, dated similarly, gives an extensive description of the goddess, Assam and the temple.

[9] The origin of the Shakti Pitha at the site is associated with the legend of Sati, also known as Dakshayani, who was the wife of Shiva and daughter of the Puranic King Daksha.

Daksha was unhappy with his daughter's choice of husband, and when he performed a grand yajna for all the deities, he did not invite Shiva or Sati.

Daksha humiliated Shiva, Sati couldn't bear the insults toward her husband and so, she jumped into the fire and left her body.

Virabhadra and Mahakali destroyed the sacrifice while the former killed Daksha by cutting his head and burning it.

Despite the similarity in name, scholars do not generally believe that this legend gave rise to the practice of sati.

Kamarupa ("form of desire") is the region in which the yoni ("vulva," "womb," or "source") is said to have fallen to earth, and the Kamakhya temple was said to have been constructed on this spot.

When marriage was proposed, the goddess playfully put a condition before him that if he would be able to build a staircase from the bottom of the Nilachal Hill to the temple within one night before the cock crows to indicate dawn, then she would surely marry him.

Alarmed by this news, she strangled a cock, and made it crow untimely to give the impression of dawn to Naraka.

[12] Upset with the treachery played by the devas, and as he knew himself to be unrivalled in prowess, he brought all the kingdoms on earth under his control.

As a punishment to all slights, he withheld the earrings of Aditi, the heavenly mother goddess, and took over some of her territory, while also capturing 16000 women for his own pleasure.

As promised to the devas and Aditi, Krishna attacked the great fortress of Narakasura, riding his mount Garuda with his wife, Satyabhama.

Krishna accepted the women Naraka had captured as his wives upon their insistence to save their honour, since the populace viewed them as the spoils of Narakasura.

[18] Kamakhya's Ashtashaktis or eight incarnations are Guptakama, Srikama, Vindhyavasini, Kotishvari, Vanadurga, Padadurga, Dirgheshvari and Bhuvaneshvari.