Located atop the Nilachal Hills in the western part of Guwahati, the largest city of Assam, situated along the south bank of the Brahmaputra, the Kamakhya Temple is dedicated to the mother goddess Kamakhya, a Shakti Tantric deity, and is one of the oldest among the 51 peethas in the Shakti tradition, where the yoni or the female genital of Sati fell. Originally worshipped by the Kiratas, who had territory in the mountains and believed to be of Sino-Tibetan origin, the goddess is considered to be the symbol Kama or desire and regarded as the goddess of desire. However, Yogini Tantra, a latter work, associates Kamakhya, who fulfils desires, with the goddess Kali, an incarnation of Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy. Nevertheless, the Kamakhya temple does not contain any idol or image of the goddess, and instead of that, a crack in the rock in the shape of a female genitalia, a hollow located below the ground of the inner sanctum, and believed to be continuously filled with water from a natural spring called Uma- Kamaleshwar, is worshipped as the representation of the goddess. Apart from a place of worship, the Kamakhya Temple is a centre of the Kulachara Tantra Marga, also known as Yogini Kaula, a distinct and surviving Shakta Tantric Tradition, and attracts thousands of Tantra devotees in the annual festival of Ambubachi Mela, marking the yearly menstruation period of goddess Kamakhya, during which devotees are prohibited from entering the temple.

Reckoned as one of the oldest temples in the country, the Kamakhya Temple dates back over a millennium, but its origin is shrouded in legends and myths. However, it is evident that it has evolved over the years, bearing the imprints of various dynasties and rulers who contributed to its architectural style. It is believed that the temple was built between the 8th and 9th century during the Mleccha dynasty of Kamarupa, also called Pragjyotisha, the first historical kingdom of Assam. Subsequently, the temple was patronised by the Pala and Koch dynasties and also by the Ahom kingdom of the Brahmaputra valley. It has been also insinuated that historically the worship progressed in three phases, which include, yoni under the Mlecchas, Yogini under the Palas and Mahavidya under the Koch dynasty. However, the temple became an important destination for Tantric cult during rule of the Pala rulers, especially from Indra Pala to Dharma Pala, who were ardent followers of the cult.

It is now considered that in all probability, the ancient temple constructed during the Mleccha dynasty was destroyed during Hussein Shah's invasion of the Kamata kingdom, and much later, in the 1500s, the wreckage of the old temple was discovered by Vishwa Singha, the founder of the Koch dynasty, who revived the temple at the site. Nevertheless, the reconstruction of the temple was completed by his son Nara Narayan in 1565, and according to the available records and epigraphic evidence, during that time, the main temple was built under the supervision of Chilarai, also known as Sukladhwaja, the 3rd son of Vishwa Singha and younger brother of Nara Narayan, as well as the commander-in-chief and the Dewan or the Chief Miniater of the kingdom. Subsequently, the Koch structure was further rebuilt and renovated by the rulers of the Ahome kingdom, who were supporters of Shaivite or Shakta.

The current structure of the Kamakhya temple, consisting of a hemispherical dome and a cruciform shaped base, and containing four chambers aligned from east to west, represents a hybrid of several indigenous architectural styles, which is sometimes termed as Nilachal type. The Shikhara or the top of the temple, created in the shape of a bee-hive like polygonal brick-built dome, contains sunken panels, decorated with Hindu gods and goddesses and encircled by a number of minarets. The Garbhgriha or the main sanctum of the temple, located below the ground level, is a small and dark cave that can be reached by a series of narrow and steep rock cut steps. There is a rock fissure inside the cave that slopes downwards from both sides meeting in a ten inches deep vulva or yoni shaped depression, worshipped as goddess Kamakhya.

Apart from the Garbhgriha, Kamakhya temple consists of three more chambers, which includes the Calanta, a square shaped atchala type chamber, with its walls decorated with carved images and inscriptions on the surface and housing small moveable idols of Gods and Goddesses. The Panchratna, situated to the west of the Calanta, is a large rectangular construction having a flat roof and five small spires protruding from its roof, while the Natamandir, located to the west of the Pancharatna and equipped with an apsidal end, serving as a semi-circular end of the building, has its walls embellished with inscriptions from Rajeswar Singha and Gaurinath Singha.

In addition to the main temple, the complex of the Kamakhya temple houses the individual temples dedicated to the ten Mahavidyas, the ten incarnations of the Tantric goddess Shakti, namely Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalā, which is rarely found together in one complex.