The Shakti Peethas (Sanskrit: शक्ति पीठ, Bengali: শক্তিপীঠ, Śakti Pīṭha, seat of Shakti[1]) are places of worship consecrated to the
goddessShakti or Sati, the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect. They are sprinkled throughout the Indian subcontinent.[2]
This goddess Shakti, the Goddess of power is the complete
incarnation of Adi Shakti, has
three chief manifestations, as Durga, Goddess of strength and valour, as Mahakali,
goddess of destruction of evil and as Goddess Gowri, the goddess of
benevolence.
Legend
When Lord Bhrahma was tired after creating the universe, he
performed a yagna to please Shakti and Shiva. Goddess Shakti emerged, separating from Shiva and helped Brahma in the creation of the universe.
Then Brahma decided that one day Shakti would be given back to
Lord Shiva. Therefore, Daksh (son of Bhrahma) performed several yagyas to
obtain Shakti as his daughter in the form of Sati. It was then decided that
Sati was brought into this world with the motive of getting married to Shiva.
However, due to Lord Shiva's curse to Bhrahma that he would not be
worshiped and also his fifth head was cut off due to his lie in front of Lord
Shiva, Daksha started hating Lord Shiva and decided not to let Lord Shiva and
Sati get married.
But Destiny has its own fate, series of incidents happened due to
which Sati got attracted to Lord Shiva and finally one day Lord Shiva and Sati
got married. This marriage only increased Daksh's hatred towards Lord Shiva.
One day, in Satya Yuga, Daksha performed a yagna with a desire to take revenge on Lord Shiva. Daksha was angry because his daughter Dakshayani also known as Sati had married the yogi God Shiva against his wish. Daksha invited all the deities to the yagna except Lord Shiva and Sati. The fact that she
was not invited did not deter Sati from attending the yagna. She expressed her desire to attend the yagna to Shiva, who tried his best to dissuade her
from going. Shiva eventually relented and Sati went to the yagna.
But Sati, being an uninvited
guest, was not given any respect at the yagna. Furthermore, Daksha insulted Shiva. Sati was unable to bear her
father's insults toward her husband, so Dakshayani (the other name of Sati
meaning the daughter of Daksha) invoked her yogic powers and immolated herself.
Enraged at the insult and the injury, Shiva destroyed Daksha's sacrifice, cut off Daksha's
head, and later replaced it with that of a male goat as he restored him to life
due to the prayers of all demi gods and Brahma. Still immersed in grief, Shiva picked up the remains of Sati's
body, and performed the Tandava, the
celestial dance of destruction, across all creation. The other Gods requestedVishnu to intervene to stop this destruction, towards which Vishnu used
the Sudarshana Chakra,
which cut through the corpse of Sati. The various parts of the body fell at
several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed sites which are
known as Shakti Peethas today.
At all the Shakti Peethas, the Goddess Shakti is accompanied by her
consort, Lord Bhairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva). Goddess Shakti is an aspect of the Supreme Being Goddess Adi parashakti, the
mother of the trimurti, the holy
trinity in Hindu mythology.
Four Adi Shakti Pithas
Some of the great religious texts like the Shiva Purana, the Devi Bhagavata, the Kalika Purana and the AstaShakti recognize four major Shakti
Peethas (centers), like Bimala (Pada Khanda) (inside the Jagannath temple of
Puri, Orissa), Tara Tarini (Sthana Khanda, Purnagiri , Breasts) (Near Berhampur, Orissa), Kamakhya (Yoni khanda) (Near Guwahati,
Assam) and Dakhina Kalika (Mukha khanda) (Kolkata, West Bengal) originated from the limbs of the
Corpse of Mata Sati in the Satya Yuga.
"Bimala Pada khandancha,
Sthana khandancha Tarini (Tara Tarini),
Kamakshya Yoni khandancha,
Mukha khandancha Kalika (Dakshina Kalika)
Anga pratyanga sanghena
Vishnu Chakra Kshyta nacha"
Further explaining the importance of these four Pithas, the
"Brihat Samhita" also gives the location of these Pithas as
Rushikulya* Tatae Devi,
Tarakashya Mahagiri,
Tashya Srunga Stitha Tara
Vasishta Rajitapara
*(Rushikulya is a holy river flowing on the foot hill of the Tara Tarini Hill
Shrine).
List of 4 Adi Shakti Pithas
In the listings below:
§ "Shakti" refers to the Goddess
worshipped at each location, all being manifestations of Dakshayani, Parvati or Durga;
§ "Body Part or Ornament" refers to the
body part or piece of jewellery that fell to earth, at the location on which
the respective temple is built.
Sr.
No.
|
Place
|
Body
Part or Ornament
|
Shakti
|
1
|
In Puri, Orissa (inside Jagannath
Temple complex)
|
Pada
|
Bimala
|
2
|
Near Berhampur-Orissa
|
Sthana khanda
|
Tara Tarini
|
3
|
Guwahati-Assam
|
Yoni khanda
|
Kamakshya
|
4
|
Kolkata- West Bengal
|
Mukha khanda
|
Dakshina Kalika
|
5 Orissa-Jajpur Nabhi khanda Biraja
Apart from these four there are 52 other famous Peethas recognised
by religious texts. According to the Pithanirnaya Tantra the 52 peethas are scattered all over India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Pakistan. The Shivacharita besides listing 52
maha-peethas, speaks about 26 more upa-peethas. The Bengali almanac, Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika too describes the 52 peethas including the
present modified addresses. A few of the several accepted listings are given
below.[3] One of the few in South India, Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd century temple.[4]
The 51 Shakti Pithas
In the listings below:
§ "Shakti" refers to the Goddess
worshipped at each location, all being manifestations of Dakshayani, Parvati or Durga;
§ "Bhairava" refers to the corresponding
consort, each a manifestation of Shiva;
§ "Body Part or Ornament" refers to the
body part or piece of jewellery that fell to earth, at the location on which
the respective temple is built.
Sr.
No.
|
Place
|
Body
Part or Ornament
|
Shakti
|
Bhairava
|
1
|
Kanchipuram, Kamakshi temple, Kamakoti Peetam mentioned in Lalita
Sahasram, Trishati, Astothram etc.
|
Ottiyana (Ornament covering
stomach)
|
Kamakshi
|
Kaal Bhairav
|
2
|
Nainativu (Manipallavam), Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Located 36 km from the ancient capital of the Jaffna kingdom, Nallur.
The murtiof the
Goddess is believed to have been consecrated and worshipped by Lord Indra. The protagonist, Lord Rama and antagonist,Ravana of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana have offered obeisances to the Goddess. Nāga and Garuda of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata; resolved their longstanding feuds after worshipping this
Goddess.
|
Silambu(Anklets)
|
Indrakshi (Nagapooshani /Bhuvaneswari)
|
Rakshaseshwar (Nayanair)
|
3
|
Eyes
|
Mahishmardini
|
Krodhish
|
|
4
|
Sugandha,
situated in Shikarpur, Gournadi, about 20 km from Barisal town, Bangladesh, on the banks of Sonda river.
|
Nose
|
Sugandha
|
Trayambak
|
5
|
Throat
|
Mahamaya
|
Trisandhyeshwar
|
|
6
|
Tongue
|
Siddhida (Ambika)
|
Unmatta Bhairav
|
|
7
|
Heart
|
Ambaji
|
Batuk Bhairav
|
|
8
|
Both knees
|
Mahashira
|
Kapali
|
|
9
|
Manas[disambiguation
needed], under Tibet at the foot of Mount Kailash in Lake Mansarovar, a piece of Stone
|
Right hand
|
Dakshayani
|
Amar
|
10
|
Navel
|
Mata Sarbamangala Devi
|
Bhagwan Shiv/Mahadev
|
|
11
|
Temple
|
Gandaki Chandi
|
Chakrapani
|
|
12
|
Left arm
|
Goddess Bahula
|
Bhiruk
|
|
13
|
Right wrist
|
Mangal Chandika
|
Kapilambar
|
|
14
|
Udaipur, Tripura, at the top of the hills known as Tripura Sundari temple near Radhakishorepur village, a little distance away fromUdaipur town of Tripura, India
|
Right leg
|
Tripuresh
|
|
15
|
On Chandranath hill near Sitakunda station of Chittagong District, Bangladesh. The famous Chandranath
Temple on the top of the hill is the Bhairav temple of this
Shakti Peetha, not the Shakti Peeth itself.
|
Right arm
|
Bhawani
|
Chandrashekhar
|
16
|
Locally known as Bhramari Devi.
Behind a rice mill, near Jalpesh Temple in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India.
|
Left leg
|
Bhraamari
|
Ambar
|
17
|
Genitals
|
Kamakhya
|
Umanand
|
|
18
|
Big Toe (Right)
|
Jugaadya
|
Ksheer Khandak
|
|
19
|
Right Toes
|
Kalika
|
Nakuleshwar
|
|
20
|
Finger
|
Alopi Devi Mandiror
Madhaveswari
|
Bhava
|
|
21
|
Jayanti at Nartiang village in the Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya state, India. This Shakti Peetha is locally known as the Nartiang Durga Temple.
|
Left thigh
|
Jayanti
|
Kramadishwar
|
22
|
Kireet at Kireetkona village, 3 km from Lalbag Court Road station under district Murshidabad, West Bengal, India
|
Crown
|
Vimla
|
Sanwart
|
23
|
Earring
|
Vishalakshi & Manikarni
|
Kalbhairav
|
|
24
|
Kanyashram, Kanyakumari the Bhadrakali temple within the precincts of Kumari[disambiguation
needed] temple, Tamil Nadu, India (also thought to be situated in Chittagong, Bangladesh)
|
Back
|
Sarvani
|
Nimish
|
25
|
Ankle bone
|
Savitri/BhadraKali
|
Sthanu
|
|
26
|
Two Bracelets
|
Gayatri
|
Sarvanand
|
|
27
|
Shri Shail, at Joinpur village,
Dakshin Surma, near Gotatikar, 3 km north-east of Sylhet town, Bangladesh
|
Neck
|
Mahalaxmi
|
Sambaranand
|
28
|
Kankalitala, on the banks of Kopai River 10 km north-east of Bolpur station in Birbhum district, Devi locally known as KankaleshwariWest Bengal, India
|
Bone
|
Devgarbha
|
Ruru
|
29
|
Left buttock
|
Kali
|
Asitang
|
|
30
|
Right buttock
|
Narmada
|
Bhadrasen
|
|
31
|
Right breast
|
Shivani
|
Chanda
|
|
32
|
Vrindavan, near new bus stand on Bhuteshwar road within Bhuteshwar
Mahadev Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India
|
Ringlets of hair
|
Uma
|
Bhutesh
|
33
|
Upper teeth
|
Narayani
|
Sanhar
|
|
34
|
Bottom teeth
|
Varahi
|
Maharudra
|
|
35
|
Bhavanipur union, at Karatoyatat,
28 km distance from interior Sherpur upazila, Bogra
District, Bangladesh
|
Left anklet (ornament)
|
Arpana
|
Vaman
|
36
|
Shri Parvat, near Ladak, Kashmir, India. Another belief: at Srisailam in Shriparvat hills under Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India
|
Right anklet (ornament)
|
Shrisundari
|
Sundaranand
|
37
|
Left ankle
|
Kapalini (Bhimarupa)
|
Sarvanand
|
|
38
|
Stomach
|
Chandrabhaga
|
Vakratund
|
|
39
|
Bhairavparvat, at Bhairav hills on the banks of Shipra river a little distance from Ujjaini town, Madhya Pradesh, India
|
Upper lips
|
Avanti
|
Lambkarna
|
40
|
Chin (2 parts)
|
Bhramari
|
Vikritaksh
|
|
41
|
Sarvashail or Godavaritir, at Kotilingeswar temple on the banks of Godavari river near Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh, India
|
Cheeks
|
Rakini or Vishweshwari
|
Vatsnabh or Dandpani
|
42
|
Left toes
|
Ambika
|
Amriteshwar
|
|
43
|
Locally known as Anandamayee
Temple. Ratnavali,
on the banks of Ratnakar river at Khanakul-Krishnanagar, district Hooghly, West Bengal, India
|
Right Shoulder
|
Kumari
|
Shiva
|
44
|
Left shoulder
|
Uma
|
Mahodar
|
|
45
|
Nalhati, known as "Nalateshwari Temple" near
Nalhati station of Birbhum
district, West Bengal, India
|
Vocal chord with part of the
tracheae
|
Kalika Devi
|
Yogesh
|
46
|
Karnat,
Kangra, himachalpradesh.
|
Both ears
|
Jayadurga
|
Abhiru
|
47
|
Bakreshwar, on the banks of Paaphara river,
24 km distance from Siuri Town, district Birbhum,
7 km from Dubrajpur Rly. Station West Bengal, India
|
Portion between the eyebrows
|
Mahishmardini
|
Vakranath
|
48
|
Jessoreswari,
situated at Ishwaripur, Shyamnagar,
district Satkhira, Bangladesh. The temple complex was built by Maharaja Pratapaditya,
whose capital was Ishwaripur.
|
Palms of hands and soles of the
feet
|
Jashoreshwari
|
Chanda
|
49
|
Attahas village of Dakshindihi in
the district of Bardhaman,
near the Katwa railway station, in West Bengal, India
|
Lips
|
Phullara
|
Vishvesh
|
50
|
Sainthia, locally Known as "Nandikeshwari" temple. Only 1.5 km
from the railway station under a banyan tree within a boundary wall,Birbhum district, West Bengal, India
|
Necklace
|
Nandini
|
Nandikeshwar
|
51
|
Hinglaj (Or Hingula), southern Baluchistan a few
hours North-east of Gawadar and about 125 km towards North-west from Karachi,Pakistan
|
Bramharandhra (Part of the head)
|
Kottari
|
Bhimlochan
|
52
|
Daant (teeth)
|
Danteshwari
|
Kapalbhairv
|
|
53
|
left Breast (teeth)
|
Vajreshwari
|
Kalbhairv
|
|
53
|
Padm
|
Padmavati Devi
|
Kapalbhairav
|
|
54
|
Tarapith, on the banks of Dwarka river, about 6 km from Rampurhat sub-division, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India
|
Tara
|
||
55
|
Chandika Sthan or chandisthan,
at Munger temple on the banks of Ganges near Ganga Darshan, Bihar, India
|
Left eye
|
Chandika or Chandi devi
|
Bholeshankar
|
56
|
left shoulder with cloths
|
Badi Patan Devi/chhoti Patan Devi
|
Bhairav
|
|
57
|
Adhar
|
Arbuda Devi or Adhar Devi
|
Bhairav
|
§ Chandi Mandir in (near Memari Rail station)
Memari, Bardhaman, Westbengal, Fullara in Birbhum
district are also considered to
be a shakti peetha.[5]
§ Naina Devi Temple. Nainadevi in Himachal Pradesh
(Bilaspur) is also considered a shakti peetha, where Sati's eyes fell.
§ Sharda Devi Temple at Maihar near Satna Dist. Satna is also considered a shakti
peeth where the necklace of Sati fell.
§ Bhadrakali Temple in holy city
Kurukshetra(Haryana)is also considered as one of the 51 holy Shakti peethas.
The temple is dedicated to Bhadrakali a form of shakti. This is considered to
be one of the fifty one Shakti pithas of India. It is believed that the right
ankle of Sati fell here in the well. The "consort of Savtri is called
Sthanu". Hence, the city is called "Staneshwar" meaning abode of
Shiva. It is believed that the mundun (hair removing) ceremony of Srikrishna
and Balarama was also performed in this temple.[6]
§ Mahakali temple at Pavagadh near Vadodara in Gujarat is also consdiered shakti peeth where a part of
Sati's foot is said to be fallen.[7]
Historical notes
First relating to Brahmanda Purana,
one of the major eighteen Puranas, it mentions
64 Shakthi Peetha of Goddess Parvati in the Bharat or Greater India including present day India, Bangladesh, Nepal,
Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Another text which gives a listing of these shrines, is
the Shakthi Peetha Stotram, written by Adi
Shankara, the 9th century Hindu philosopher.[8]
According to the manuscript Mahapithapurana (circa 1690-1720 CE),
there are 52 such places. Among them, 23 are located in the Bengal region, 14 of these are located in what is now West Bengal, India, 1 in Baster (Chattisgarh), while 7 are in what
is now Bangladesh.
Rishi Markandeya composed the 'Devi Saptashati' or the seven
hundred hymns extolling the virtues of the Divine Goddess at the shaktipeetha
in Nashik. The idol is also leaning a little to the left to listen to the sages
composition. The Saptashati or the "Durga Stuti" forms an integral
part in the vedic form of Shakti worship.
Preserving the mortal relics of famous and respected individuals
was a common practice in ancient India - seen in the Buddhist stupas which preserve the relics of Gautama Buddha. It is believed by some[citation needed] that these 64 peethas preserve the remains of some ancient female sage
from whom the legend of Kali could have emerged and then merged with the Purusha - Prakriti(Shiva
Shakti) model of Hindu thought.
18 Maha Shakti Pithas
The modern cities or towns that correspond to these 64 locations
can be a matter of dispute, but there are a few that are totally unambiguous,
these are mentioned in the Ashta Dasa Shakthi
Peetha Stotram by Adi Shankara.[9] This list contains 18 such locations which are
often referred to as Maha Shakthi Peeths.[10]
Sr.
No.
|
Place
|
Part
of the body fallen
|
Name
of Shakti
|
1
|
Groin
|
Shankari devi
|
|
2
|
Back part
|
Kamakshi Devi
|
|
3
|
face
|
||
4
|
Hair
|
Chamundeshwari devi
|
|
5
|
Upper teeth
|
Jogulamba devi
|
|
6
|
Neck part
|
Bhramaramba devi
|
|
7
|
Eyes
|
Mahalakshmi devi[11]
|
|
8
|
Right hand
|
Renuka Devi
|
|
9
|
Upper lip
|
Mahakali devi
|
|
10
|
Left hand
|
Puruhutika devi
|
|
11
|
Purnagiri Temple, Tanakpur State
Uttrakhand India])
|
Navel
|
Purnagiri temple Tanakpur ,
Uttrakhand India
|
12
|
Left cheek
|
Manikyamba devi
|
|
13
|
Vulva
|
Kamarupa devi
|
|
14
|
Fingers
|
Lalita devi
|
|
15
|
Head part
|
Vaishnavi devi
|
|
16
|
Breast part
|
Sarvamangala devi
|
|
17
|
Wrist
|
Vishalakshi devi
|
|
18
|
Right hand
|
Saraswathi devi
|
[*]This temple is currently non-existent. Only ruins are found in
these places. Instead, Sringeri in Karnataka is believed to be the Shakti Peeth of this
aspect of the goddess.
Among these, the Shakti Peethas at Kamakhya, Gaya and Ujjain are regarded as most sacred as they symbolise three most important
aspects of mother Goddess viz. Creation (Kamarupa Devi), Nourishment
(Sarvamangala Devi/Mangalagauri) and Annihilation (Mahakali Devi).
When observed carefully one can see that they lie in a perfect
straight line from Kamakhya to Ujjain via Gaya symbolizing that every creation
in this universe will annihilate one day without fail.
Notes
1.
^ Fuller,
Christopher John (2004). The Camphor Flame:
Popular Hinduism and Society in India. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
p. 44. ISBN 978-0-691-12048-5.
Heart Ambaji gujarat
References
§ Phyllis K. Herman, California State University,
Northridge (USA), "Siting the Power of the
Goddess: Sita Rasoi Shrines in Modern India", International
Ramayana Conference Held at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL USA,
September 21–23, 2001.
§ Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine
in the Hindu Religious Traditions (ISBN 81-208-0379-5) by David Kinsley
External links
