How to Perform Kamakshi Amman Pooja at Home?

One can see a Kamakshi Amman lamp at many homes in Tamil Nadu. Kamakshi Amman is a form of Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva.

A Sanskrit word, ‘Kamakshi,’ means ‘one who has Goddess Saraswati and Goddess Lakshmi in her eyes,’ meaning her two eyes represent the two goddesses.

According to legends, Kamakshi wanted to marry Shiva and sat under a mango tree in Kanchipuram, a holy town in Tamil Nadu, and prayed for her wish to come true. She created an idol of Shiva using sand and began worshipping it with great devotion. This went on for many years, and finally, a pleased Shiva decided to marry her.

Another legend says that Kamakshi is a form of Goddess Bala Tripurasundari. It says that the latter took a ferocious form to kill the demon Bandasura and dragged him all the way from Kailas to Kanchipuram. But her anger did not subside even after killing the demon. The gods prayed for her anger to subside, fearing it would destroy even them. Eventually, she calmed down and told the gods to bury Bandasura and erect a Jayasthambha/victory stand over his burial place.

The gods did her bidding and came back to find the goddess in the form of a lovely young girl wearing fine clothes and gold ornaments. The gods told her that they wanted her to remain in that form. So Goddess Bala Tripura Sundari Devi took the form of the maternal and peaceful Kamakshi. She also decided to stay back in Kanchipuram and grace devotees with her eyes. It is believed that her look itself can fulfill devotees’ wishes.

It is also believed that King Dasaratha, father of Lord Rama, performed a Yajna at the Kamakshi Devi temple to beget sons. So, childless couples visit this temple for progeny blessings.

Sage Durvasa was born deaf and dumb due to a curse by Goddess Saraswati. It was Kamakshi Devi who gave him the ability to speak and hear. He was one of her 3 main worshippers. Kamakshi can be a wrathful goddess at times, so to calm her down, Durvasa established the Sri Chakra in front of her.

It was Adi Shankara who established the Kanchi Mutt. He also re-established the Sri Chakra in the Kamakshi Devi temple in Kanchipuram.

Doing Pooja to Kamakshi can bring many divine blessings. You can do a Pooja at home itself. Let us see how to do it.

Preparations for the Kamakshi Amman Pooja

Clean the home and the Pooja room.

Place a clean cloth in the Pooja area or altar.

Arrange all the Pooja samagri or items like flowers, fruits, incense sticks, dhoop, camphor, turmeric, kumkum, and sandalwood paste.

You need a brass idol of the goddess for the Pooja. Clean the idol with turmeric powder water and keep it in the Pooja altar. Decorate it with some fresh flowers and jewelry.

You also need a Kamakshi Vilakku for the Pooja. The Kamakshi Vilakku offers many spiritual benefits. Light it with ghee or sesame oil to eliminate darkness in your life and enhance spiritual growth and inner peace. It also purifies the environment by warding off negative energies and creates harmony. Keep the Kamakshi Amman Vilakku in front of the statue, apply some turmeric paste, and then light it.

Steps for the Pooja

• Clean the Pooja area. Take a bath and wear clean attire.

• To begin the Pooja, light the lamp. Offer some flowers and apply turmeric and kumkum paste to the lamp and idol.

• Chant Sri Kamakshi Stotram or Shree Kamakshi Mantram.

• Keep the fruits, sweets, or prasad before the altar. Seek the goddess's blessings.

• Perform Aarti with camphor and wave the flame in front of the idol. End the Pooja by offering thanks to Kamakshi Amman.

When to Worship Kamakshi Amman?

It is ideal to worship Kamakshi Amman on Fridays, full moon days, new moons, Navrati, Chaitra, and Ashwin months. Devotees facing problems in their life can worship her on all Fridays. Also, recite the Kamakshi Ashtakshara Mantra when doing the Pooja.