Shakti Peethas

The Shakti Peethas (holy places of cosmic power) are places of worship consecrated to the goddess Shakti, the female principal ofHinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect. They are sprinkled throughout the Indian subcontinent.[1]
This goddess Shakti is the incarnation of Gowri / Parvati, the benevolent goddess of harmony, marital felicity and longevity, with Durga, goddess of strength and valour, and with Mahakali, goddess of destruction of the evil.

Legend

According to legend, at some time in the 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 prayers of all demi gods and Brahmaji. Still immersed in grief, he picked up the remains of Sati's body, and danced the dance of destruction through the Universe. The other gods intervened to stop this dance, and the Vishnu 's weapon, or Sudarshana Chakra, cut through the corpse of Shakti. The various parts of the body fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed sites which are known as Shakti Peethastoday.
At all Shakti Peethas, the Goddess Shakti is accompanied by Lord Bhairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva).

Four Adi Shakti Peethas

Some of the great religious texts like the Shiva Purana, the Devi Bhagavat the Kalika Purana and the AstaShakti recognize four major Shakti Peethas (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 Peethas the "Brihat Samhita" also gives the location of these Peethas 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).

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 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.. One of the few in South India, Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd century temple.

The 52 Shakti Peethas

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.PlaceBody Part or OrnamentShaktiBhairava1 Kanchipuram, Kamakshi temple, Kamakoti Peetam mentioned in Lalita Sahasram, Trishati, Astothram etc. Ottiyana (Ornament covering stomach) Kamakshi Kaal Bhairav 2 Sri Lanka, in Nainativu, Jaffna Anklets Indrakshi (more commonly known as Nagapooshani in Tamil) Rakshaseshwar (Nagathambiran) 3 Shivaharkaray, a little distance from Sukkur Station from Karachi, Pakistan 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 Amarnath in Kashmir, India from Srinagar through Pahalgam 94 km by Bus,Chandanwari 16 km by walk Throat Mahamaya Trisandhyeshwar 6 Jwalamukhi, Kangra, India from Pathankot alight at Jwalamukhi Road Station from there 20 km Tongue Siddhida (Ambika) Unmatta Bhairav 7 Ambaji, at Anart, Gujarat, India Heart Ambaji 8 Nepal, near Pashupatinath Temple at Guhyeshwari Temple Both knees Mahashira Kapali 9 Manas, under Tibet at the foot of Mount Kailash in Lake Mansarovar, a piece of Stone Right hand Dakshayani Amar 10 Bardhaman in West Bengal, India Navel Mata Sarbamangala Devi Bhagwan Shiv/Mahadev 11 Gandaki in Pokhara, Nepal about 125 km on the banks of Gandaki river where Muktinath temple is situated Temple Gandaki Chandi Chakrapani 12 Bahula, on the banks of Ajay river at Ketugram, 8 km from Katwa, Burdwan,West Bengal, India Left arm Goddess Bahula Bhiruk 13 Ujaani, 16 km from Guskara station under Burdwan district of West Bengal,India Right wrist Mangal Chandika Kapilambar 14 Udaipur, Tripura, at the top of the hills known as Tripura Sundari temple nearRadhakishorepur village, a little distance away from Udaipur town of Tripura,India Right leg Tripura Sundari 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 Kamgiri, Kamakhya, in the Neelachal hills near Guwahati, capital of Assam,India Genitals Kamakhya Umanand 18 yoga adya at Khirgram under Burdwan district, West Bengal, India Big Toe (Right) Jugaadya Ksheer Khandak 19 Kalipeeth, (Kalighat, Kolkata), India Right Toes Kalika Nakuleshwar 20 Prayag near Sangam at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India Finger Alopi Devi Mandir or Madhaveswari Bhava 21 Jayanti at Kalajore Baurbhag village of Falzur Pargana under Jayantia Thana of Sylhet district, Bangladesh. This Shakti Peetha is locally known as Falizur Kalibari. 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 Varanasi at Manikarnika Ghat on banks of the Ganges at Kashi, Uttar Pradesh, India Earring Vishalakshi & Manikarni Kalbhairav 24 Kanyashram, Kanyakumari the Bhadrakali temple within the precincts ofKumari temple, Tamil Nadu, India (also thought to be situated in Chittagong, Bangladesh) Back Sarvani Nimish 25 Present day Kurukshetra town or Thanesar ancient Sthaneshwar, atHaryana, India Ankle bone Savitri Sthanu 26 Manibandh, at Gayatri hills near Pushkar 11 km north-west of Ajmer,Rajasthan, India 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 Kankaleshwari West Bengal, India Bone Devgarbha Ruru 29 Kalmadhav on the banks of Shon river in a cave over hills near toAmarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India Left buttock Kali Asitang 30 Shondesh, at the source point of Narmada River in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India Right buttock Narmada Bhadrasen 31 Ramgiri, at Chitrakuta on the Jhansi Manikpur railway line in Uttar Pradesh,India Right breast Shivani Chanda 32 Vrindavan, near new bus stand on Bhuteshwar road within Bhuteshwar Mahadev Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India http://www.katyayanipeeth.org.in/  Ringlets of hair Uma Bhutesh 33 Shuchi, in a Shiva temple at Suchindrum 11 km on Kanyakumari Trivandrumroad, Tamil Nadu, India Upper teeth Narayani Sanhar 34 Panchsagar exact location not known (thought to be near Haridwar) Bottom teeth Varahi Maharudra 35 Bhabanipur union, at Karatoyatat, 28 km distance from interior Sherpurupazila, Bogra District, Bangladesh Left anklet (ornament) Arpana Vaman 36 Shri Parvat, near Ladak, Kashmir, India. Another belief: at Srisailam inShriparvat hills under Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India Right anklet (ornament) Shrisundari Sundaranand 37 Vibhash, at Tamluk under district Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India Left ankle Kapalini (Bhimarupa) Sarvanand 38 Prabhas, 4 km from Veraval station near Somnath temple in Junagadhdistrict of Gujarat, India 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 Goddess Saptashrungi (Goddess with seven arms), at Vani in Nasik,Maharashtra, India Chin (2 parts) Bhramari Vikritaksh 41 Sarvashail or Godavaritir, at Kotilingeswar temple on the banks of Godavaririver near Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh, India Cheeks Rakini or Vishweshwari Vatsnabh or Dandpani 42 Birat, near Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India Left toes Ambika Amriteshwar 43 Locally known as Anandamayee Temple. Ratnavali, on the banks ofRatnakar river at Khanakul-Krishnanagar, district Hooghly, West Bengal,India Right Shoulder Kumari Shiva 44 Mithila, near Janakpur railway station on the border of India and Nepal 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 Katwarailway 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 ofGawadar and about 125 km towards North-west from Karachi, Pakistan Bramharandhra (Part of the head) Kottari Bhimlochan 52 Danestwari (Kuldevi Of Bastar state ), Dantewada 80 km from JagdalpurTehsil, Chhattisgarh Daant (teeth) Danteshwari Kapalbhairv 53 Vajreshwari , Kangra 18 km from Dharamshala Tehsil, Kangra left Breast (teeth) Vajreshwari Kalbhairv 53 [Padmavati Devi] (Padmavatipuri Dham), Panns 80 km from Satna Madhya Pradesh Padm Padmavati Devi Kapalbhairv 54 Tarapith, on the banks of Dwarka river, about 6 km from Rampurhat sub-division, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India Third eye or spiritual eye (Tara)

• Chandi Mandir in (near Memari Rail station) Memari, Bardhaman, Westbengal, Fullara in Birbhum district are also considered to be a shakti peetha.[4]
• Nainadevi in Himachal Pradesh is also considered a shakti peetha, where Sati's eyes fell. Naina Devi Temple
• Sharda Devi Temple at Maihar near Satna Dist.Satna is also considered a shakti peeth where the necklace of Sati fell.
• There is a possible shakti peetha located in Devi Chhinnamastika temple in Shahwazpur village, araria distt. in Bihar, though there has been no confirmation.
• "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 "STHANESHWAR" meaning abode of Shiva. It is believed that the MUNDAN (hair removing) ceremony of Srikrishna and Balarama was also performed in this temple. Ref:http://www.bhadrakalishaktipeeth.com/

The 4 Adi Shakti Peethas
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.PlaceBody Part or OrnamentShakti1 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

Historical notes
First relating to Brahmanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas, it mentions 64 Shakthi Peetha of Goddess Parvati in the Bharat orGreater 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.
According to the manuscript Mahapithapurana (circa 1690-1720 CE), there are 52 such places. Among them, 23 are located in the Bengalregion, 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 Peethas
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.[6] This list contains 18 such locations which are often referred to as Maha Shakthi Peeths[7].
Sr. No.PlacePart of the body fallenName of Shakti1 Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) Groin Shankari devi 2 Kanchi (Tamil Nadu) Back part Kamakshi Devi 3 Praddyumnam (Gujarat) Stomach part Sri Srunkhala devi 4 Mysore (Karnataka) Hair Chamundeshwari devi 5 Alampur (Andhra Pradesh) Upper teeth Jogulamba devi 6 Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) Neck part Bhramaramba devi 7 Kolhapur (Maharastra) Eyes [Mahalakshmi devi][8] 8 Nanded (Maharastra) Right hand Eka Veerika devi 9 Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) Upper lip Mahakali devi 10 Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh) Left hand Puruhutika devi 11 Jajpur (Orissa) Navel Biraja devi 12 Draksharamam (Andhra Pradesh) Left cheek Manikyamba devi 13 Guwahati (Assam) Vulva Kamarupa devi 14 Prayaga (Uttar Pradesh) Fingers Madhaveswari devi 15 Jwala (Himachal Pradesh) Head part Vaishnavi devi 16 Gaya (Bihar) Breast part Sarvamangala devi 17 Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) Wrist Vishalakshi devi 18 Dantewada (Chattisgarh) Tooth Danteswari devi 19 Kashmir Right hand Saraswathi devi
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. Together with Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi, and Kashi Vishalakshi we have the most potent Shat Sakthi Peethams