This viral claim that the face of the idol in the Kamakhya Devi temple is shown once every 15 years is False - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 20, 2023
A video clip is circulating widely on social media platforms, purporting to show the idol of Goddess Kamakhya Devi, housed in Guwahati, Assam. The post accompanying the video claims that the face of the goddess is unveiled only once every 15 years and otherwise remains shrouded in flowers. This fact-checking article aims to unearth the facts behind this claim.
Claim: The video shows the idol of Goddess Kamakhya Devi, and her face is only unveiled once every 15 years.
Fact: The Kamakhya Devi temple does not house an idol. Instead, a Yoni-Kund is worshipped. The idol seen in the video is not of Kamakya Devi, Assam. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
Firstly, a search was performed on the internet using relevant keywords. This led us to articles(here, here, and here) published by several Indian media outlets about the Kamakhya Devi Temple in Assam. According to these reports, the temple is one of the 51 ‘Shakti Peethas’ and is dedicated to Goddess Kamakhya. However, it does not contain an idol; a Yoni-Kund is worshipped there.
Further research led us to a dedicated website for the Kamakhya Devi Temple, where it was stated that the temple is at the centre of the powerful Tantrik Shaktism cult in India.
Fact Crescendo, a leading fact-checking organisation, contacted Bhupesh Sharma, the secretary of the Kamakhya Devi Temple committee. He categorically refuted the claim, confirming that the temple does not house an idol, and therefore, there was no tradition of unveiling the goddess’s face every 15 years.
To sum up, the viral social media post claiming to show the idol of Goddess Kamakhya Devi is entirely false, as the temple only contains a worshipped Yoni-Kund, not an idol. The idol shown in the viral video is not that of Kamakhya Devi Temple, Assam.