Research Paper
Chāmuṇḍā at Kamakhya: Tantric Symbolism and the Representation of Human Anatomy in Early Medieval Assam
Authors: Jayanta Roy
Year: 2026, Volume: 17, Page/Article: 103-115, DOI: https://doi.org/10.47509/AA.2026.v17i.07
Abstract
The representation of human anatomy in Indian sculpture provides important information into the relationship between art, religion, and knowledge systems. While Early Historic sculptural traditions introduced detailed depictions of the human body, Early Medieval Brahmanical and Tantric depictions further developed these conventions through symbolic representations of divine figures. Among such deities, Chāmuṇḍā has a distinctive position due to her emaciated form and prominent skeletal features. This paper documents and analyses two sculptures of Chāmuṇḍā from the Kamakhya temple complex, Assam, one of the most important centres of Shakta-Tantric worship in India. The study examines their iconographic features, tantric associations, and representations of the human body, with importance on skeletal anatomy. Through visual and comparative analysis, the sculptures are examined in relation to other Chāmuṇḍā images from different regions of India to identify regional similarities and variations in artistic expression. The study traces the development of anatomical representation from Early Historic sculptures to the Chāmuṇḍā iconography of the Early Medieval period. It states that the Kamakhya sculptures reflect a sophisticated interaction between religious symbolism, Tantric ideology, artistic understanding, and anatomical observation. These images not only demonstrate the sculptors’ technical skill but also reveal how the human body was engaged as a powerful visual medium for expressing concepts of death, transformation, and divine power within the Shakta-Tantric tradition.
Keywords: Kamakhya, Sculpture, Tantrism, Human Anatomy, Śakti Pitha