Paying a visit to the Kamakhya Temple is one of the must do activities in Guwahati. If you just want to visit the premises you can just go and roam around as you like. However, if you are a serious devotee and want a real darshan and offer puja, you need to know a few things beforehand. This quick guide should clarify the doubts.
The Kamakhya Temple observes structured darshan hours with morning and evening openings, a midday break for rituals, and a final closing after the evening aarti each day.
Kamakhya Darshan Timings
Morning Opening: 5:30 AM (Snana and rituals begin)
Darshan Entry: From 6:00 AM onwards for devotees
Midday Break: Temple closes from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM for cooked offerings and rituals
Afternoon/Evening Reopening: 2:30 PM, darshan resumes
Closing Time: 5:30 PM to 6:00 PM (final aarti and closing for the night)
Aarti Ceremony: Final aarti at 7:30 PM, but darshan typically concludes by 5:30 PM
Daily Ritual Schedule
5:30 AM – Snana (bathing of deity)
6:00 AM – Nitya puja begins
8:00 AM – Temple doors open to devotees (some sources mention 6:00–8:00 AM)
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM – Temple closed for bhog/rituals; no darshan permitted
2:30 PM – Temple reopens
5:30 PM – Evening closing for darshan; temple closes after aarti
7:30 PM – Evening aarti (witnessing the aarti possible if waiting in queue, but inner sanctum entry may not be possible after this time)
VIP Darshan: Fees and Rules
You can pay a small fee and get into a “VIP Queue” in order to avoid the long general queues. Usually the VIP Darshan fee is INR 501 per head.
VIP and general queues start very early, often by 4:00 AM, for morning darshan, especially on crowded festival days.
Only a limited number of VIP darshan tickets issued (400 daily), available starting 7:00 AM.
Photography is not allowed inside the inner shrine.
For a peaceful darshan and to avoid long queues, an early morning visit is recommended.
Festivals and Special Occasions
During major festivals timings may extend or vary.—check in advance. Especially prior to the Ambubachi Mela, the temples gets closed for darshan (Usually end June).
Also, keep in mind that during festivals like Ambubachi and Vijaya Dashami, crowds can be extreme and so you must plan accordingly.