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Shakti Pitha

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The Shakti Pitha or the Shakti Peethas (Sanskrit: शक्ति पीठ, Śakti Pīṭha, seat of Shakti[1]) are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the goddess-centric denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms of Adi Shakti.[a] Various Puranas such as Srimad Devi Bhagavatam state the existence of varying number of 51, 52, 64 and 108 Shakti peethas[2][3] of which 18 are named as Astadasha Maha (major) in medieval Hindu texts.[2]

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Temple is one of the 64 and 108 Maha (Major) Shakti Peethas and is also the most visited among all. It attracts more than 15 million people annually and is India's most visited pilgrimage site.[4]

Various legends explain how the Shakti Peetha came into existence. The most popular is based on the story of the death of the goddess Sati. Out of grief and sorrow, Lord Shiva carried Sati's body, reminiscing about their moments as a couple, and roamed around the universe with it. Lord Vishnu had cut her body into 51 body parts, using his Sudarshana Chakra, which fell on Earth to become sacred sites where all the people can pay homage to the Goddess. To complete this massively long task, Lord Shiva took the form of Bhairava.

Shri Hinglaj Mata temple Shakti Pitha is the largest Hindu pilgrimage centre in Pakistan. The annual Hinglaj Yatra is attended by more than 250,000 people.[5]

Most of these historic places of goddess worship are in India, also in but there are seven in Bangladesh, three in Pakistan, three in Nepal, and one each in Tibet and Sri Lanka.[3] There were many legends in ancient and modern sources that document this evidence. A consensus view on the number and location of the precise sites where goddess Sati's corpse fell is lacking, although certain sites are more well-regarded than others.

Shakambhari Shaktipeeth Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Shakambhari devi is one of the 108 Siddhapeethas of Brahma Puran and one of the oldest temples of Devi Shakambhari. Around ten million people visit the temple annually.

HistoryEdit

Mention in Hindu scripturesEdit

Brahmanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas mentions 64 Shakti Peetha of Goddess Parvati in the Bharat or Greater India including present-day India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, some parts of Southern Tibet in China and parts of southern Pakistan. Another text which gives a listing of these shrines, is the Shakti Peetha Stotram, written by Adi Shankara, the 9th-century Hindu philosopher.[6]

According to the manuscript Mahapithapurana (c. 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 (Chhattisgarh), 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 sage's composition. The Saptashati or the "Durga Stuti" forms an integral part in the Vedic form of Shakti worship.

The third eye of Mata Sati fell below a tree in a mortuary in the Ishan corner of Vakreshwar. This is on the bank of the north-flowing Dwarka river in the east of Baidyanath. Here Mata Sati is called Chandi Bhagwai Ugra Tara and Bhairav is called Chandrachur. This Shaktipeeth is called Tarapith in Birbhum district West bengal, India.

Shaktism legendsEdit

 
Lord Shiva carrying the corpse of Dakshayani
Main article: Daksha Yaga

According to legend, Lord Brahma had performed a yagna (Vedic ritual of fire sacrifice) to please Shakti and Shiva to aid in the creation of the universe. As a result, Goddess Shakti separated from Shiva and emerged to help Brahma. Once her purpose was fulfilled, Shakti had to be returned to Shiva. In time, Brahma's son Daksha performed several yajnas to obtain Shakti as his daughter in the form of Sati, with the motive of marrying her to Lord Vishnu.

Daksha performed a yajna with a desire to take revenge on Lord Shiva. Daksha invited all the deities to the yajna, except Shiva and Sati. The fact that she was not invited did not deter Sati's desire to attend the yajna. She expressed her desire to Shiva, who tried his best to dissuade her from going. He relented at her continued insistence, Sati went to her father's yajna. However, Sati was not given her due respect at the yajna, and had to bear witness to Daksha's insults aimed at Shiva. Anguished, Sati cursed her father and self-immolated.

Enraged at the insult and death of his spouse, Shiva in his Virabhadra avatar destroyed Daksha's yajna and cut off his head. His anger not abated and immersed in grief, Shiva then picked up the remains of Sati's body and performed the Tandava, the celestial dance of destruction, across all creation. Frightened, the other Gods requested Vishnu to intervene to stop this destruction. As a recourse, Vishnu used the Sudarshana Chakra on Sati's corpse. This caused various parts of Sati's body to fall at several spots across the world.[7]

The history of Daksha yajna and Sati's self-immolation had immense significance in shaping the ancient Sanskrit literature and influenced the culture of India. Each of the places on Earth where Sati's body parts were known to have fell were then considered as Sakti Peethas and were deemed places of great spiritual importance.[citation needed] Several stories in the Puranas and other Hindu religious books refer to the Daksha yajna. It is an important incident in both Shaivism and Shaktism, and marks the replacement of Sati with Parvati, and of the beginning of Shiva's house-holder (grihastāshramī) life from an ascetic. This event is ahead of the emergence of both of the couple's children, Kartikeya and Ganesha.[8]

Shakti PithasEdit

Each temple has shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava, and most Shakti and Kalabhairava in different Shakti Peeth have different names.

Map of Shakti PeethasEdit

class=notpageimage|
Shakti names at locations of Shakti Peethas
Blue: Adi Shakti Peethas; Red: Astadasha Maha Shakti Peethas; Yellow: Daksha yagna site; Green: Maha Shakti Peethas

List of 4 Adi Shakti PeethasEdit

See also: Puranas

Some of the great religious texts like the Shiva Purana, the Devi Bhagavata, the Kalika Purana, the AshtaShakti, and Pithanirnaya Tantra recognize four major shakti Peethas (centers) / Ādī Śaktī Pīṭhas,

  1. Vimala Temple (Pada Khanda) inside the Jagannath Temple of Puri, Odisha
  2. Tara Tarini (Stana Khanda), near Purushottampur, Odisha
  3. Kamakhya Temple (Yoni Khanda), in Guwahati, Assam; and
  4. Kalighat Kali Temple (Mukha Khanda) in Kolkata, West Bengal which represent respectively the parts (Khandas) foot (Pada), breasts (Stana), genitals (Yoni), and face (Mukha) Neck (Kanth) of the body of Maata Sati. The Ashtashakti and Kalika Purana says (in Sanskrit):
    "vimalā pāda khaṇḍañca stana khaṇḍañca tāriṇi ( Devi Tārā Tāriṇi )
    kāmākhyā yōni khaṇḍañca
    mukha khaṇḍañca kālikā (Dakshina Kalika)
    aṅga pratyaṅga saṅghēna
    viṣṇu cakra kṣatēna ca ॥ "
    विमला पाद खंडञ्च स्तन खंडञ्च तारिणी । कामाख्या योनि खंडञ्च मुख खंडञ्च कालिका ॥ अङ्ग प्रत्यङ्ग संघेन विष्णु चक्र क्षतेन च ॥ Further explaining the importance of these four Pithas, the "Brihat Samhita" also gives the location of these Pithas as (in Sanskrit)
    "ṛṣikulya taṭē dēvi
    tārakasya mahāgiri
    tasya śṛṅga sthita tāriṇi
    vaśiṣṭha rājitāparā"
    ऋषिकुल्य तटे देवी तारकस्य महागिरि । तस्य शृङ्ग स्थित तारिणी वशिष्ठ राजितापरा ॥ (Rushikulya is a holy river flowing on the foothill of the Tara Tarini Hill Shrine). Apart from these 4 there are 48 other famous Peethas recognized by religious texts. According to the Pithanirnaya Tantra the 51 peethas are in the present day countries of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Pakistan. The Shivacharita besides listing 51 maha-peethas, speaks about 26 more upa-peethas. The Bengali almanac, Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika too describes the 51 peethas including the present modified addresses. A few of the several accepted listings are given below.[9] In South India, Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd-century temple.[10]

    List of 18 Astadasha Maha Shakti PeethasEdit

    There are believed to be 64 locations. Adi Shankara's Asta Dasha Shakti Peetha Stotram mentions 18 locations known as the Maha Shakti Pithas.[11][12] Among these, the Shakti Peethas at Kamakhya, Gaya and Ujjain are regarded as the most sacred as they symbolize the three most important aspects of the Mother Goddess viz. Creation (Kamarupa Devi), Nourishment (Sarvamangala Devi/Mangalagauri), and Annihilation (Mahakali Devi).

    Sr. No. Temple Place State in India/Country Appellation Part of the body fallen Shakti Image
    1 Shankari Devi Temple Tricomalee Srilanka Shankari Peetham Groin Maa Shankari
    2 Kamakshi Amman Temple Kanchipuram Tamil Nadu Kama koti peetham Navel Kamakshi Amman  
    3 Shrinkala Pradmunyee (Pandua) Bengal Bhavatārini Peetham Part of stomach Maa Shrinkala
    4 Chamundeshwari Temple Mysuru Karnataka Krouncha Peetham Hair Chamundeshwari  
    5 Jogulamba Devi Alampuram, Gadwal district Telangana Yogini Peetham Teeth Jogulamba Thalli (Yogamba)  
    6 Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple Srisailam Andhra Pradesh Srisaila Peetham Neck Bhramarambika  
    7 Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur Kolhapur Maharashtra Shri Peetham Eye Aai Ambabai  
    8 Renuka Temple Mahur, Maharashtra Maharashtra Moola Peetham Left hand renuka devi
    9 Mahakaleswar Temple Ujjain Madhya Pradesh Ujjaini Peetham Upper lip Mahakali
    10 Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple Pithapuram Andhra Pradesh Pushkarini Peetham Back Puruhutika devi  
    11 Biraja Temple Jajpur Odisha Oddyana Peetham Navel Maa Biraja  
    12 Bhimeswara Temple Draksharamam Andhra Pradesh Daksharama Peetham Left cheek Manikyamba  
    13 Kamakhya Temple Guwahati Assam Kamarupa Peetham Womb Devi Kamakhya  
    14 Alopi Devi Mandir Prayagraj Uttar Pradesh Prayaga Peetham Fingers Maa Madhaveswari
    15. Jwalamukhi Temple Kangra Himachal Pradesh Jwalamukhi Peetham Head Maa Jwalamukhi  
    16. Mangla Gauri Temple Gaya Bihar Gaya Peetham Breast Maa Sarvamangala  
    17. Vishalakshi Temple Varanasi Uttar Pradesh Varanasi Peetham Noses Maa Vishalakshi  
    18. Sharada Peeth Sharda, Kashmir Pakistan Administered Kashmir Sharada Peetham Right hand Maa Sharada Devi  

    Sharadha Peet is currently in ruined state.[13] Only ruins are found in these places. Its ruins are near the Line of Control (LOC)[14] between the Indian and Pakistani-controlled portions of the former princely state of Kashmir and Jammu. Instead, Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri in Karnataka even though not a Shakti Peetha, is this aspect of the goddess. Requests have been made by the Hindu community in Pakistan to the Pakistani government to renovate the temple, the issue being raised by former Indian Home minister L. K. Advani to the Pakistan authorities[15] as a confidence-building measure, by increasing the people-to-people cross-border interaction.[14]

    In Skanda PuranaEdit

    As per Sankara Samhita of Sri Skanda Purana,[16]

    1. Sri Sankari Peetham (Lanka)
    2. Sri Simhika Peetham (Simhala)
    3. Sri Manika Peetham (Dakshavati)
    4. Sri Shadkala Peetham (Peethapuram, Andhra Pradesh)
    5. Sri Bhramaramba Peetham (Srisailam)
    6. Sri Vijaya Peetham (Vijayapura)
    7. Sri Mahalakshmi Peetham (Kolhapuri)
    8. Sri padmakshi renuka (Kawadepuri)
    9. Sri Kamakshi Peetham (Kanchipuram)
    10. Sri Kuchananda Peetham (Salagrama)
    11. Sri Biraja Peetham (Jajpur, Odisha)
    12. Sri Sarala Peetham (Jhankad, Odisha)
    13. Sri Bhadreshwari Peetham (Harmyagiri)
    14. Sri Mahakali Peetham (Ujjayini)
    15. Sri Vindhyavasini Peetham (Vindhya mountains)
    16. Sri Mahayogi Peetham (Ahicchatra)
    17. Sri Kanyaka Peetham (Kanya Kubja)
    18. Sri Vishalakshi Peetham (Kashi)
    19. Sri Saraswati Peetham (Kashmira)
    20. Sri Abhirami Peetham (Padmagiri, Dindigul)

    List of all Shakti PeethasEdit

    In the listings[17][18][19][20] below:

    • "Shakti" refers to the Goddess worshipped at each location, all being manifestations of Dakshayani, Sati; later known as 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.

    More details on this are available in the text 'Tantrachūḍamanī' where Parvati tells these details to her son Skanda.

    Sr. No. Place State in India/Country Body part or ornament Shakti Bhairava Image
    1 A. Amarnath Temple, from Srinagar through Pahalgam 94 km by Bus, Chandanwari 16 km by walk
    B. Shri Parvat in Ladakh     		Jammu and Kashmir A. Throat
    B. Anklet     		Mahamaya Trisandhyeshwar  
    2 Attahas Temple – At a village also named as Attahas or Ashtahas around 2 km east of Labhpur village road in the district of Birbhum West Bengal Lips Phullara Vishvesh  
    3 Bahula at Ketugram, 8 km from Katwa, Purba Bardhaman West Bengal Left arm Goddess Bahula Bhiruk
    4 Bakreshwar, on the banks of Paaphara river, 24 km distance from Siuri Town [a district headquarter], district Birbhum, 7 km from Dubrajpur Rly. Station West Bengal Portion between the eyebrows Mahishmardini Vakranath  
    5 Bhairavparvat, also known as Harsiddhi, at Bhairav hills on the banks of Shipra river in the city of Ujjaini. Madhya Pradesh Elbow Avanti Lambkarna
    6 Bhabanipur, located in the Upazila of Sherpur, Bogra, Rajshahi Division. Also located at Karatoyatat, it is about 28 km distance from the town of Sherpur. Bangladesh Left anklet (ornament) Aparna Vaman  
    7 Biraja Temple at Jajpur, in Jajpur District Odisha Navel Biraja Varaha (Baraha)  
    8 Padmakshi Renuka jagdamba mandir, kavade, Alibag Maharashtra nails of Sati Devi and head of Devi Renuka Shree renuka Adimaya Bhairva (Kankeshwar), Jamadagni
    9 Muktinath Temple[21] Nepal Right cheek Gandaki Chandi Chakrapani  
    10 Goddess Bhadrakali on banks of Godavari in Nashik city (Saptashrungi) Maharashtra Chin (2 parts) Bhadrakali Vikritaksh  
    11 Hinglaj Mata Temple Pakistan Bramharandhra (Part of the head) Kottari Bhimlochan  
    12 Jayanti at Nartiang village in the Jaintia Hills district. This Shakti Peetha is locally known as the Nartiang Durga Temple. Meghalaya Left thigh Jayanti Kramadishwar  
    13 Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple Bangladesh Palms of hands and soles of the feet Jashoreshwari Chanda
    14 Jwalaji, Kangra from Pathankot alight at Jwalamukhi Road Station from there 20 km Himachal Pradesh Tongue Siddhida (Ambika) Unmatta Bhairav  
    15 Kalipeeth, (Kalighat, Kolkata) West Bengal Right toes Kalika Nakuleshwar  
    16 Kamgiri, Kamakhya, in the Neelachal hills in Guwahati Assam Womb Kamakhya Umananda or Bhayaanand  
    17 Kankalitala, on the banks of Kopai River 10 km north-east of Bolpur station in Birbhum district, Devi locally known as Kankaleshwari West Bengal Pelvis Devgarbha Ruru
    18 A Kanyashram of Balaambika – The Bhagavathy temple in Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of mainland India, Tamil Nadu

    B. (also thought to be situated in Yunnan province, China) C Gourikunda Temple

    		A. Tamil Nadu

    B. Yunnan, China C. Sitakunda, Chattogram, Bangladesh

    		Back Sarvani Nimish  
    19 Bajreshwari Temple, Nagarkot, district Kangra Himachal Pradesh left Breast Jayadurga Abhiru
    20 Kiriteswari Temple at Kiritkona village, 3 km from Lalbag Court Road railway station in Murshidabad district West Bengal Crown Vimla Sanwart  
    21 Ratnavali, on the banks of Ratnakar river at Khanakul I Krishnanagar, district Hooghly (locally known as Anandamayee Tala) West Bengal Right Shoulder Kumari Ghanteshwar
    22 'A.Locally known as Bhramari Devi in Jalpaiguri near a small village Boda on the bank of river Teesta or Tri-shrota (combination of three flows) mentioned in Puranas
    B.Ma Malai Chandi Temple at Amta, Howrah     		West Bengal A. Left leg
    B. Part of Left Knee     		Bhraamari Ambar  
    23 Manas, under Tibet at the foot of Mount Kailash in Lake Manasarovar, a piece of Stone China Right hand Dakshayani Amar
    24 Manibandh, at Gayatri hills near Pushkar 11 km north-west of Ajmer. People know this temple as Chamunda Mata Temple or Shri Raj Rajeshwari Puruhuta Manivedic Shaktipeeth. Rajasthan Wrists Gayatri Sarvanand
    25 Mithila, near Janakpur railway station on the border of India and Nepal Nepal Left shoulder Uma Mahodar
    26 Nainativu (Manipallavam), Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Located 36 km from the ancient capital of the Jaffna kingdom, Nallur. The murti of 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. Sri Lanka Silambu (Anklets) Indrakshi (Nagapooshani / Bhuvaneswari) Rakshaseshwar (Nayanair)
    27 Guhyeshwari Temple Nepal Both knees Mahashira Kapali  
    28 Chandranath Temple Bangladesh Right arm Bhavani Chandrashekhar
    29 Panchsagar Near Lohaghat (in Champawat District of Uttarakhand) just 12 km from nearest railway station Tanakpur. पूर्णागिरी Champawat Varahi Devi Uttarakhand Lower teeth/ Navel Varahi Maharudra
    30 Prabhas, 4 km from Veraval station near Somnath temple in Junagadh district. Local People call this temple as Kali Mandir, It is nearby Triveni Sangam.[22] Gujarat Stomach Chandrabhaga Vakratund
    31 Alopi Devi Mandir near Sangam at Prayagraj Uttar Pradesh Finger Lalita Bhava
    32 Present day Kurukshetra town or Thanesar ancient Sthaneshwar Haryana Ankle bone Savitri/BhadraKali Sthanu
    33 Sharda Peeth on top Trikoot Hill, at Maihar Madhya Pradesh necklace[23] Shivani Chanda
    34 Nandikeshwari Temple is located in Sainthia city West Bengal Necklace Nandini Nandikeshwar  
    35 Kotilingeswar Ghat temple on the banks of Godavari river near Rajamundry Andhra Pradesh Cheeks Bhuvaneswari or Vishweshwari Vatsnabh or Dandpani
    36 Naina Devi Temple Himachal Pradesh Right eye Mahishmardini Krodhish
    37 Shondesh, at the source point of Narmada River in Amarkantak Madhya Pradesh Right buttock Narmada Bhadrasen
    38 Sri Sailam, at Nallamala hills, Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh, India Neck Bramarambika Mallikarjuna
    39 Shuchi, in a Shiva temple at Suchindrum 11 km on Kanyakumari Trivandrum road Tamil Nadu Upper teeth Narayani Sanhar
    40 Sugandha, situated in Shikarpur, Gournadi, about 20 km from Barisal town, on the banks of Sonda river.8 Bangladesh Nose Sugandha Trayambak
    41 Udaipur, Tripura, at the top of the hills known as Tripura Sundari temple near Radhakishorepur village, a little distance away from Udaipur town Tripura Right leg Tripura Sundari Tripuresh
    42 Ujaani, at Mangalkot 16 km from Guskara station in Purba Bardhaman district West Bengal Right wrist Mangal Chandika Kapilambar  
    43 Varanasi at Manikarnika Ghat on banks of the Ganges at Kashi Uttar Pradesh Face or Earring Vishalakshi & Manikarni Kaal bhairav
    44 Bargabhima temple, at Tamluk under district Purba Medinipur West Bengal Left ankle Kapalini (Bhimarupa) also known as Bargabhima
    		 Sarvanand
    45 Virat Nagar district, Alwar, near Bharatpur, India Rajasthan Fingers of Left Leg Ambika Amritaksha
    46 Katyayani Shaktipeeth, Vrindavan, district Mathura Uttar Pradesh Ringlets of hair Uma Bhutesh
    47 Devi Talab Mandir, District Jalandhar Punjab Left Breast Tripurmalini Bhishan
    48 Baidyanath Dham Jharkhand Heart Jaya Durga Baidyanath
    49 Adhi Kamakshi Amman Temple behind Kamakshi Amman Temple, situated at Kanchipuram Town, Kanchipuram District Tamil Nadu Odyanam (Navel) Kamakshi Egaambraswara  
    50 Jogadya (যোগাদ্যা), at Kshirgram (ক্ষীরগ্রাম) near Kaichar under Burdwan district West Bengal Great toe Jogadya (যোগাদ্যা) Ksheer Kantak (ক্ষীর কন্টক)
    51 Pithapuram under Kakinada Port Town Andhra Pradesh Hip part Purohotika Durvasa
    52 Ambaji at Anart Gujarat Heart Amba Batuk Bhairav
    53 Jwaladevi Temple, Shaktinagar, Sonbhadra Uttar Pradesh Tongue Jwala Devi Rudra
    54 Chandika Sthan, near Munger town Bihar Left eye Chandika Devi Chandala
    55 Danteshwari Temple, Dantewada Chhattisgarh Tooth or daant Danteshwari devi Kapalbhairav
    56 Juranpur, Nadia West Bengal Forehead(কপাল) Jaya Durga Bhairav
    57 Tara Tarini, Purushottampur, Ganjam Odisha Breast/Sthan Maa Tara Tarini Tumbeswar
    58 Nalhateswari, Nalhati West Bengal Stomach/Nauli Kalika Jogesh
    59 Vaishno Devi Temple, Katra Jammu & Kashmir Vaishno Devi Bhaironath  
    60 Mankachar, 266 km from Guwahati Assam Little finger Devi Deva
    61 Vimala Temple, Inside Jagannath Temple, Puri Odisha Foot Vimala Jagannath
    62 Anjanakshi, inside Marundeeswarar Temple, Thirukachur on Mount Rudragiri in Aadhi Kanchi, Thirukachoor, Chengalpattu District or Marundeeswarar Temple Tamil Nadu Skin Anjanakshi Marundeeswarar (Oushadheeshwar)
    63 Jayanti Maha Shakti Peeth Jayanti, Alipurduar, West bengal Left Shank Jayanti Kramadishwar
    64 Shri Hatta Kali Temple, Shri Shail (also known as Mahalakshmi Griva Peeth) Gotatikar, Kalagul tea state, Dakshin Surma Upazila, Sylhet, Bangladesh Neck Mahalakshmi Sambaranand
    65 Dhakeshwari Temple (now relocated at Dhakeswari Mata Temple) Dhaka, Bangladesh Gem of Sati's Crown Dhakeshwari (a form of Katyani Mahishasurmardini Durga) Shiva  
    66 Tarapith Rampurhat West Bengal Third eye Maa Tara (second mahavidya) (main form of Parvati) Chandrachur bhairav
    67 Lalta Maata Mandir Neemsaar, Sitapur Uttar Pradesh heart Maa lalta devi mandir (goddess heart) (main heart form of Parvati) Lalita/laltaa mata
    68 Chhinnamastika Shaktipeeth at Chintpurni, in Una District of Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh Foot Chhinnamastika Rudra Mahadev  
    69 Dirgheswari Mandir at North Guwahati, in the Sitachal hills in Guwahati Assam Femur Dirgheswari Manikarneswara  

    Other claimed Shakti PeethasEdit

    These are not recognised as the Shakti Peethas, but still claimed by the followers, for various reasons.

    1. Jwala devi Jobner

    2. Jayanti Kali Temple

    There are disputes about the position of this peetha. Based on most presented manuscripts and facts it is situated in jaintiapur upazila, Bangladesh, which was previously the capital of jaintia hills tribe kingdom, which became the jaintia hills district of Meghalaya, India, excluding jaintiapur. However, some people say that it is the nartiang Durga temple which is the real jayanti shaktipeeth, though there is shortage of corroborating evidences. Some other people[24] argue the actual peetha is at Amta in West Bengal, where the Devi is worshiped as Maa Melai Chandi in Melai Chandi Mandir. But this fact can not be corroborated with any evidences. Moreover, refuting most text, in Melai Chandi Mandir the Bhairava is Durgeshwar rather than Kramadishwar. Some also relates Jayanti Devi with the Mahakal cave temple situated in the village Jayanti of Alipurduar,[25][26] where many status were created by Stalagmite and Stalactite (combination of limes with water), but strong historical support is also absent here.

    3. Vindhyavasini Shakti Peetha

    The Vindhyavasini Shakti Peetha is considered a Shakti Peetha despite the fact that any body parts of Sati did not fall there. Vindhyavasini Devi is ultimate form of goddess , she is called as aadi shakti. Maa Vindhyavasini consists of all of the dus mahavidya & all other devi present in this universe, she is tripura sundari herself. Many legends are associated with Maa vindhyavasini, she is Mahishaasurmardani . She is combined form all the 108 shaktipeeth as Devi Bhagwath mentions. This is because it is the place where Devi chose to reside after her birth in Dvapara Yuga.[27] At the time of birth of Lord Krishna to Devaki and Vasudeva, the Yogamaya(Devi) took birth in Gokul to Nanda Baba and Yashoda as per instruction of Lord Vishnu.The Vasudeva replaced his son Krishna with this girl child of Yashoda. When Kansa tried to kill the girl she slipped from his hands and assumed the form of Mahadevi Adishakti. Thereafter Devi chose Vindhya Mountains as her abode to live on the earth.[28]

    See alsoEdit

    Further readingEdit

    • Dineschandra Sircar (1998). The Śākta Pīṭhas. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-0879-9.

    NotesEdit

    1. ^ Also known as Sati, Parvati and Durga

    ReferencesEdit

    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. Archived from the original on 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
    2. ^ a b Vanamali (2008). Shakti: Realm of the Divine Mother. Inner Traditions. pp. 83–84, 143–144. ISBN 978-1-59477-785-1. Archived from the original on 2016-04-29. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
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    External linksEdit

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