Shakti Peethas From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The Shakti Pithas (Sanskrit:

, Telugu: , Bengali: , akti Pha, seat of Shakti[1]) are places of worship consecrated to the goddess Shakti or Parvati or Sati or Durga, 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 parashakti, 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

Shiva carrying the corpse of Dakshayani When Lord Bhrahma was tired creating the universe, he performed a yagya to make Lord Shiva happy and then Lord Shiva appeared and sacrificed Shakti which helped Bhrahma in the creation of the universe.

Then Brhama decided that one day Shakti would be given back to Lord Shiva. Therefore, Daksh (son of Bhrahma) performed several yagya's to obtain Shakti as her daughter in the form of Sati. It was then decided that Sati was brought into this world with the motive of getting married to Siva. However, due to Lord Shiva's curse to Bhrahma that he would not be worshiped and also his fourth head head was cut off due to his lie in front of Lord Shiva..... Daksha started hating Lord Shiva and changed his will that at any cost he will not let Lord Shiva and Sati married. But Destiny has its on fate, series of incidents happenned due to which Sati got attracted to Lord Shiva and finally one day Lord Shiva and Sati got married. This however not reduced Daksh's hatred towards Lord Shiva, on the contrary it started increasing. Hence 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 for Shiva and Shakti. The fact that she was not invited did not deter Shakti from attending the yagna. She had expressed her desire to attend to Shiva who had tried his best to dissuade her from going. Shiva eventually allowed her to go escorted by his followers. But Shakti, being an uninvited guest, was not given any respect. Furthermore, Daksha insulted Shiva. Shakti was unable to bear her father's insults toward her husband, so Dakshayani (the other name of Shakti 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 requested Vishnu 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 Lord Bhairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva). 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 Pithas (centers), like Vimala (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. The Astashakti and Kalika Purana says (in Sanscrit): "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. Place Body Part or Ornament Shakti Bimala Tara Tarini Kamakshya Dakshina Kalika

Sr. No. 1 2 3 4

In Puri, Orissa (inside Pada Jagannath Temple complex) Near Berhampur-Orissa Sthana khanda Guwahati-Assam Yoni khanda Kolkata- West Bengal Mukha khanda

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 and Pakistan. The Shivacharita besides listing 52 mahapeethas, 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] [edit] The 52 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. Place Body Part or Ornament Shakti Bhairava

Sr. No.

Kanchipuram, Kamakshi temple, Ottiyana Kamakoti (Ornament Peetam covering mentioned in stomach) Lalita Sahasram, Trishati, Astothram etc. Nainativu, Silambu Northern (Anklets) 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

Kamakshi

Kaal Bhairav

Indrakshi Rakshaseshwar (Nagapooshani (Nayanair) )

consecrated and worshipped by Lord Indra. The protagonist, Lord Rama and antagonist, Ravana of the Sanskrit epic Ramayana have offered obeisances to the Goddess. Nga and Garuda of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata have also worshipped this Goddess. Shivaharkaray, a little distance from Sukkur Eyes Station from Karachi, Pakistan Sugandha, situated in Shikarpur, Gournadi, about 20 km from Nose Barisal town, Bangladesh, on the banks of Sonda river.

Mahishmardini Krodhish

Sugandha

Trayambak

Amarnath in Kashmir, India from Srinagar through 5 Throat Pahalgam 94 km by Bus, Chandanwari 16 km by walk Jwalamukhi, Kangra, India from Pathankot alight at 6 Tongue Jwalamukhi Road Station from there 20 km Ambaji, at 7 Anart, Gujarat, Heart India Nepal, near Pashupatinath 8 Temple at Both knees Guhyeshwari Temple Manas, under Tibet at the foot of Mount 9 Right hand Kailash in Lake Mansarovar, a piece of Stone Bardhaman in 10 West Bengal, Navel India

Mahamaya

Trisandhyeshwar

Siddhida (Ambika)

Unmatta Bhairav

Ambaji

Mahashira

Kapali

Dakshayani

Amar

Mata Bhagwan Sarbamangala Shiv/Mahadev Devi

11

12

13

14

Gandaki in Pokhara, Nepal about 125 km on the banks of Gandaki river Temple where Muktinath temple is situated Bahula, on the banks of Ajay river at Ketugram, 8 km Left arm from Katwa, Burdwan, West Bengal, India Ujaani, 16 km from Guskara station under Right wrist Burdwan district of West Bengal, India Udaipur, Tripura, at the top of the hills known as Tripura Sundari temple near Right leg Radhakishorepu r village, a little distance away from Udaipur town of Tripura, India

Gandaki Chandi

Chakrapani

Goddess Bahula

Bhiruk

Mangal Chandika

Kapilambar

Tripura Sundari

Tripuresh

15

16

17

18

On Chandranath hill near Sitakunda station of Chittagong District, Bangladesh. The famous Right arm Chandranath Temple on the top of the hill is the Bhairav temple of this Shakti Peetha, not the Shakti Peeth itself. Locally known as Bhramari Devi. Behind a rice mill, near Left leg Jalpesh Temple in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India. Kamgiri, Kamakhya, in the Neelachal hills near Genitals Guwahati, capital of Assam, India yoga adya at Big Toe Khirgram under (Right) Burdwan

Bhawani

Chandrashekhar

Bhraamari

Ambar

Kamakhya

Umanand

Jugaadya

Ksheer Khandak

19

20

21

22

23

district, West Bengal, India Kalipeeth, (Kalighat, Right Toes Kolkata), India Prayag near Sangam at Finger Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India Jayanti at Nartiang village in the Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya state, Left thigh India. This Shakti Peetha is locally known as the Nartiang Durga Temple. Kireet at Kireetkona village, 3 km from Lalbag Court Road Crown station under district Murshidabad, West Bengal, India Varanasi at Earring Manikarnika Ghat on banks of the Ganges at

Kalika

Nakuleshwar

Alopi Devi Mandir or Bhava Madhaveswari

Jayanti

Kramadishwar

Vimla

Sanwart

Vishalakshi & Kalbhairav Manikarni

24

25

26

27

Kashi, Uttar Pradesh, India Kanyashram, Kanyakumari the Bhadrakali temple within the precincts of Kumari temple, Back Tamil Nadu, India (also thought to be situated in Chittagong, Bangladesh) Present day Kurukshetra town or Ankle bone Thanesar ancient Sthaneshwar, at Haryana, India Manibandh, at Gayatri hills near Pushkar Two Bracelets 11 km northwest of Ajmer, Rajasthan, India Shri Shail, at Joinpur village, Dakshin Surma, near Gotatikar, Neck 3 km north-east of Sylhet town, Bangladesh

Sarvani

Nimish

Savitri

Sthanu

Gayatri

Sarvanand

Mahalaxmi

Sambaranand

28

29

30

31

32

Kankalitala, on the banks of Kopai River 10 km north-east of Bolpur station in Birbhum Bone district, Devi locally known as Kankaleshwari West Bengal, India Kalmadhav on the banks of Shon river in a cave over hills Left buttock near to Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India Shondesh, at the source point of Narmada River Right buttock in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India Ramgiri, at Chitrakuta on the Jhansi Manikpur Right breast railway line in Uttar Pradesh, India Vrindavan, near Ringlets of

Devgarbha

Ruru

Kali

Asitang

Narmada

Bhadrasen

Shivani

Chanda

Uma

Bhutesh

33

34

35

36

new bus stand on Bhuteshwar road within Bhuteshwar hair Mahadev Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India Shuchi, in a Shiva temple at Suchindrum 11 km on Upper teeth Kanyakumari Trivandrum road, Tamil Nadu, India Panchsagar exact location not known Bottom teeth (thought to be near Haridwar) Bhavanipur union, at Karatoyatat, 28 km distance Left anklet from interior (ornament) Sherpur upazila, Bogra District, Bangladesh Shri Parvat, near Right anklet Ladak, Kashmir, (ornament) India. Another belief: at

Narayani

Sanhar

Varahi

Maharudra

Arpana

Vaman

Shrisundari

Sundaranand

37

38

39

40

41

Srisailam in Shriparvat hills under Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India Vibhash, at Tamluk under district Purba Left ankle Medinipur, West Bengal, India Prabhas, 4 km from Veraval station near Somnath temple Stomach in Junagadh district of Gujarat, India Bhairavparvat, at Bhairav hills on the banks of Shipra river a Upper lips little distance from Ujjaini town, Madhya Pradesh, India Goddess Saptashrungi (Goddess with seven arms)]], at Chin (2 parts) Vani in Nasik, Maharashtra, India Sarvashail or Cheeks

Kapalini (Bhimarupa)

Sarvanand

Chandrabhaga Vakratund

Avanti

Lambkarna

Bhramari

Vikritaksh

Rakini or

Vatsnabh or

42

43

44

45

Godavaritir, at Kotilingeswar temple on the banks of Godavari river near Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh, India Virat, near Bharatpur, Left toes Rajasthan, India Locally known as Anandamayee Temple. Ratnavali, on the banks of Right Ratnakar river at Shoulder KhanakulKrishnanagar, district Hooghly, West Bengal, India Mithila, near Janakpur railway station Left shoulder on the border of India and Nepal Nalhati, known Vocal chord as with part of "Nalateshwari the tracheae Temple" near Nalhati station

Vishweshwari Dandpani

Ambika

Amriteshwar

Kumari

Shiva

Uma

Mahodar

Kalika Devi

Yogesh

46

47

48

49

of Birbhum district, West Bengal, India Karnat, Kangra, himachalpradesh Both ears . Bakreshwar, on the banks of Paaphara river, 24 km distance from Siuri Portion Town, district between the Birbhum, 7 km eyebrows from Dubrajpur Rly. Station West Bengal, India Jessoreswari, situated at Ishwaripur, Shyamnagar, district Satkhira, Palms of Bangladesh. The hands and temple complex soles of the was built by feet Maharaja Pratapaditya, whose capital was Ishwaripur. Attahas village Lips of Dakshindihi in the district of Bardhaman,

Jayadurga

Abhiru

Mahishmardini Vakranath

Jashoreshwari Chanda

Phullara

Vishvesh

near the Katwa railway station, in West Bengal, India Sainthia, locally Known as "Nandikeshwari " temple. Only 1.5 km from the railway station 50 under a banyan tree within a boundary wall, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India Hinglaj (Or Hingula), southern Baluchistan a few hours North-east of 51 Gawadar and about 125 km towards Northwest from Karachi, Pakistan 52 Danestwari (Kuldevi Of Bastar state ), Dantewada 80 km from Jagdalpur

Necklace

Nandini

Nandikeshwar

Bramharandhr a (Part of the Kottari head)

Bhimlochan

Daant (teeth) Danteshwari

Kapalbhairv

53

53

54

55

56

Tehsil, Chhattisgarh Vajreshwari , Kangra 18 km left Breast from (teeth) Dharamshala Tehsil, Kangra [Padmavati Devi] (Padmavatipuri Dham), Panns Padm 80 km from Satna Madhya Pradesh Tarapith, on the banks of Dwarka river, about 6 km from Third eye or Rampurhat sub- spiritual eye division, (Tara) Birbhum district, West Bengal, India Chandika Sthan or chandisthan, at Munger temple on the Left eye banks of Ganges near Ganga Darshan, Bihar, India Patan Devi , at right thigh Patna near

Vajreshwari

Kalbhairv

Padmavati Devi

Kapalbhairav

Chandika or Chandi devi

Bholeshankar

Badi Patan Devi/chhoti

Bhairav

Magadh, Bihar, Patan Devi India 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 Uttarakhand (Nainital) 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 breast 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. Place No. 1 Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) 2 Kanchi (Tamil Nadu) Pradyumna* (West 3 Bengal) 4 Mysore (Karnataka) Alampur (Andhra 5 Pradesh) Part of the Name of Shakti body fallen Groin Shankari devi Back part Kamakshi Devi Stomach Srunkhala devi part Hair Chamundeshwari devi Upper teeth Jogulamba devi

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) Kolhapur (Maharastra) Nanded (Maharastra) Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh) Purnagiri Temple,Tanakpur State Uttrakhand India]) Draksharamam (Andhra Pradesh) Guwahati (Assam) Prayaga (Uttar Pradesh) Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) Gaya (Bihar) Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) Kashmir*

Neck part

Bhramaramba devi

Eyes Mahalakshmi devi[11] Right hand Ekaveerika devi Upper lip Mahakali devi Left hand Navel Puruhutika devi Purnagiri temple Tanakpur ,Uttrakhand India

Left cheek Manikyamba devi Vulva Fingers Head part Kamarupa devi Lalita devi Vaishnavi devi

Breast part Sarvamangala devi Wrist Vishalakshi devi 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.