Why Did Narakasura Build 1,000 Steps to Goddess Kamakhya?

What if an unfinished staircase could tell the story of a demon who almost completed an impossible task in a single night? On the Nilachal Hill in Assam, a local legend connects a mysterious flight of unfinished steps with Narakasura, the demon king who wanted to marry Goddess Kamakhya. The goddess gave him one condition: complete a staircase leading to her temple before the first rooster crowed. Narakasura accepted the challenge, but an unexpected sound changed everything. The story does not end with the staircase. It also connects to the legend of Narakasura's death and the celebration of Naraka Chaturdashi before Diwali.





Narakasura was a powerful ruler of Pragjyotishpura, an ancient kingdom associated with present-day Assam. According to a local legend, he became fascinated by Goddess Kamakhya and wanted to marry her. However, the goddess did not accept his proposal immediately. Instead, she placed a condition before him. If he could build a staircase from the foot of Nilachal Hill all the way to her temple in a single night, before the first rooster crowed, she would agree to marry him. Narakasura accepted the challenge without hesitation.






As soon as night fell, Narakasura started moving huge stones and building steps towards the temple. He worked with extraordinary speed, determined to complete the task before sunrise. As the hours passed, the staircase continued to grow, and he came closer to reaching the goddess's temple. According to the legend, he was so close to completing the challenge that only a few stones remained. What appeared to be an impossible task was almost finished. But Goddess Kamakhya had another plan, and the final moments of that night would change everything.


Just when Narakasura was about to complete the staircase, a rooster suddenly crowed in the darkness. He believed that dawn had arrived and that he had lost the challenge. But the sun had not risen. According to the local legend, Goddess Kamakhya had arranged for the rooster to crow before its usual time so that Narakasura would stop working. Furious at being tricked, he abandoned the staircase and chased the bird. He eventually killed it at a place remembered as Kukurakata. The goddess's condition remained unfulfilled, and the marriage proposal came to an end.


The story does not end with the rooster's death. The unfinished staircase became part of the local memory surrounding Goddess Kamakhya. It is traditionally known as the Mekhela Ujuwa Path, also written as Mekhelauja Path. The name Kukurakata is associated with the place where Narakasura is believed to have killed the rooster. These locations are connected through local folklore, which continues to attract interest among devotees and visitors exploring the history and legends of Nilachal Hill.

Narakasura's story also appears in the Srimad Bhagavata Purana. According to its account, he became a cruel ruler and captured thousands of women, along with taking valuable possessions belonging to the gods. When the gods sought help, Lord Krishna went to defeat him, accompanied by Satyabhama. After a fierce battle, Krishna killed Narakasura with his Sudarshana Chakra and freed the captive women. His defeat is remembered on Naraka Chaturdashi, the day before Diwali, which is also popularly called Chhoti Diwali.


Naraka Chaturdashi marks the defeat of Narakasura and is associated with the victory of good over evil. It is celebrated on the fourteenth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Kartik, just before Diwali. In many regions, people wake up early, take a traditional oil bath and light lamps to mark the occasion. The festival reminds devotees that arrogance and cruelty cannot last forever. Narakasura's defeat is remembered as a victory of righteousness, while the Kamakhya legend preserves another fascinating part of his story in Assam.


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