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TheShakta pithas, also calledShakti pithas orSati pithas (Sanskrit:शाक्त पीठ,Śakta Pīṭha,seats of Shakti[1]), are significantshrines and pilgrimage destinations inShaktism, themother goddess denomination inHinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms ofAdi Shakti.[a] VariousPuranas such asSrimad Devi Bhagavatam state the existence of a varying number of 51, 52, 64 and 108 Shakta pithas[2][3] of which 18 are named as AstadashaMaha (major) in medieval Hindu texts.[2]
Legends abound about how the Shakta pithas came into existence. The most popular is based on the story of the death ofSati, a deity according to Hinduism. Shiva carried Sati's body, reminiscing about their moments as a couple, and roamed around the universe with it. Vishnu cut her body into 51 body parts, using hisSudarshana Chakra, which fell on earth to become sacred sites where all the people can pay homage to the goddess. To complete this task, Shiva took the form ofBhairava.
Most of these historic places of goddess worship are inNepal and India, but there are seven inBangladesh, two inPakistan, and one each inTibet,Sri Lanka[3] andBhutan.[6] 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.
Maximum number of Shakta pithas are present in theBengal region. During partition the numbers wereWest Bengal (18, 1 disputed asShrinkhala Devi Temple) andBangladesh (7). After the secret transfer of Dhakeshwari Shakta pitha to Kolkata the numbers stand as West Bengal (19,1 disputed Shrinkhala Devi Temple) and Bangladesh (6).
TheBrahmanda Purana, one of the major eighteenPuranas mentions 64 Shakta pithas of the goddessParvati in theBharat orGreater 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 theShakta Pitha Stotram, written byAdi Shankara, the 9th-century Hindu philosopher.[7]
According to the manuscriptMahapithapurana (c. 1690–1720 CE), there are 52 such places. Among them, 23 are located in theBengal region, 14 of these are located in what is nowWest Bengal, India, 1 in Baster (Chhattisgarh), while 7 are in what is nowBangladesh.
According to legend, lordBrahma once conducted a hugeyajna (ritual sacrifice), where all the prajapatis, deities, and kings of the world were invited. Shiva and Sati were also called on to participate in the yajna. All of them came for the yajna, and sat in the ceremonial place. Daksha came last. When he arrived, everyone in the yajna, with the exception of Brahma and Shiva, stood up, showing their reverence for him.[8] Brahma, being Daksha's father, did not rise. Shiva, being Daksha's son-in-law, and also due to the fact that he considered himself superior in stature to Daksha, remained seated. Daksha misunderstood Shiva's gesture, and considered this act an insult. Daksha vowed to take revenge on the insult in the same manner.[9]
Daksha performed a yajna with a desire to take revenge on 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 hisVirabhadraavatar 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 theTandava, the celestial dance of destruction, across all creation. Frightened, the other deities requestedVishnu to intervene to stop this destruction. As a recourse, Vishnu used theSudarshana Chakra on Sati's corpse. This caused various parts of Sati's body to fall at several spots across the world.[10]
The history ofDaksha yajna and Sati's self-immolation had immense significance in shaping the ancientSanskrit literature and influenced the culture of India. Each of the places on Earth where Sati's body parts were known to have fallen were then considered as Shakta pithas and were deemed places of great spiritual importance.[11] Several stories in the Puranas and other Hindu religious books refer to the Daksha yajna. It is an important incident in bothShaivism andShaktism, and marks the replacement ofSati withParvati, 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 andGanesha.[12]
Each temple has shrines for Shakti andKalabhairava, and most Shakti and Kalabhairava in different Shakta pithas have different names.
The scriptures, which include theKalika Purana, recognize four Shakta pithas as sites where most of the energy is.Vimala where the feet fell (Pada Khanda),Tara Tarini housing the breasts (Stana Khanda),Kamakhya, where the genitals fell (Yoni Khanda) andDakshina Kalika, where the toes of right foot fell. These four temples originated from the lifeless body of Sati.[13]
Apart from these 4 there are 48 other famous pithas recognized by religious texts. According to thePithanirnaya Tantra the 51 pithas are in the present day countries of India,Sri Lanka,Bangladesh,Nepal, Tibet,Bhutan and Pakistan. TheShivacharita besides listing 51 maha-pithas, speaks about 26 more upa-pithas. The Bengalialmanac,Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika too describes the 51 pithas including the present modified addresses. A few of the several accepted listings are given below.[14] In South India,Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd-century temple.[15]
There are believed to be 64 locations.Adi Shankara'sAshtadasha Shakta pitha Stotram mentions 18 locations known as theMaha Shakta pithas.[16][17] Among these, the Shakta pithas atKamakhya,Gaya andUjjain 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).
Sharadha pitha is currently in a ruined state.[18] Only ruins are found in these places. Its ruins are near theLine of Control (LOC)[19] between the Indian and Pakistani-controlled portions of the formerprincely state ofKashmir and Jammu. Instead,Sringeri Sharada pitham,Sringeri in Karnataka even though not a Shakta pithas, is this aspect of the goddess. It is believed that Goddess Sharada moved from her ruined temple in Kashmir to live in the new temple in Sringeri. 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 ministerL. K. Advani to the Pakistan authorities[20] as a confidence-building measure, by increasing the people-to-people cross-border interaction.[19]
Currently, a new Sharada pitha temple has been inaugurated and consecrated by the Indian Government and theSringeri Sharada Peetham in 2023, in Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir, on the other side of the LOC and much farther from the original temple. The Indian Government is planning an international corridor between the old Sharada pitha and mainland India.
As per Sankara Samhita ofSkanda Purana,[21]
![]() | This sectionneeds attention from an expert in Hinduism. The specific problem is:Listing confusion and unverifiable other information.WikiProject Hinduism may be able to help recruit an expert.(November 2019) |
This sectionis missing information about List of Shakta pithas. The total listing is 108. Please expand the section to include this information. Further details may exist on thetalk page.(July 2022) |
In the listings[22][23][24][25] below:
More details on this are available in the text 'Tantrachūḍamanī'[26] where Parvati tells these details to her sonSkanda.
Important: 1) The main idol of the Dhakeshwari Shaktipeeth inBangladesh is currently relocated to the Kumartuli Dhakeshwari Temple inKolkata,West Bengal. The temple priest fled to India with the main idol during thepartition via a specially chartered train. While in the original shrine, a replica is placed. The original holy gem of Goddess Sati was lost long before (the factual date is unknown). So for the actual idol, visit theKumartoli shrine.
2) The Shrinkhala Shaktipeeth (one of 18 Maha Shakti Peethas) inHooghly,West Bengal, is a disputed site. The original shrine was destroyed during thepartition of India in 1947 and an IslamicMinar was built there by the Muslims. Years later, a door claimed by the locals as the door to the sanctum of the temple is closed by theASI. The Hindus claim that the temple was destroyed and the minar was built there. It is claimed that the idol of Goddess Shrinkhala was taken toSringeri in Karnataka but no such evidence exists there to date because a different Sharada Devi Temple was built there byAdi Shankaracharya. At present in the Hooghly district, only the Ratnabali Shaktipeeth is present.
Sr. No. | Place | State in India/Country | Body part or ornament | Shakti | Bhairava | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | A.Amarnath Temple, fromSrinagar throughPahalgam 94 km by Bus,Chandanwari 16 km by walk B. Shri Parvat inLadakh | Jammu and Kashmir | A. Throat B.Anklet | Mahamaya Devi | Trisandhyeshwar (Amarnath) | ![]() |
2 |
| West Bengal | Lips | Phullara Devi | Vishveshwar | ![]() ![]() |
3 | Bahula Temple atKetugram, 8 km fromKatwa,Purba Bardhaman | West Bengal | Left arm | Goddess Bahuladevi | Bhirukeshwar[27] | ![]() |
4 | Bakreshwar, on the banks ofPaaphara river, 24 km distance from Siuri Town [a district headquarter], districtBirbhum, 7 km from Dubrajpur Rly. Station | West Bengal | Portion between the eyebrows | Mahishamardini devi | Vakranatheshwar | ![]() |
5 | Avanti, also known as Harsiddhi, at Bhairav hills on the banks ofShipra river in the city ofUjjaini. | Madhya Pradesh | Elbow | Avanti Devi | Lambkarneshwar | |
6 | Bhabanipur, located in the Upazila ofSherpur,Bogra,Rajshahi Division. Also located at Karatoyatat, it is about 28 km distance from the town of Sherpur. | Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh | Leftanklet (ornament) | Aparna Devi | Vamaneshwar | ![]() |
7 | Biraja Temple atJajpur, inJajpur District | Odisha | Navel | Biraja Devi | Varaheshwar (Baraha) | ![]() |
8 | Muktinath Temple[28] | Nepal | Head | Gandaki Chandi | Chakrapani | ![]() |
9 | Goddess Bhadrakali on banks of Godavari inNashik city (Saptashrungi) | Maharashtra | Chin (2 parts) | Bhadrakali devi | Vikritaksheshwar | ![]() |
10 | Hinglaj Mata Temple | Pakistan | Bramharandhra (Part of the head) | Kottari Devi | Bhimalochaneshwar | ![]() |
11 | Jayanti at Nartiang village in theJaintia Hills district. This Shakta pitha is locally known as theNartiang Durga Temple. | Meghalaya | Leftthigh | Jayanti Devi | Kramadishwar | ![]() |
12 | Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple | Bangladesh | Palms of hands and soles of the feet | Jashoreshwari | Chandeshwar | ![]() |
13 | Jwalaji,Kangra fromPathankot alight atJwalamukhi Road Station from there 20 km | Himachal Pradesh | Tongue | Jwalamukhi (Ambika) | Unmatta Bhairaveshwar | |
14 | Kalipeeth, (Kalighat,Kolkata) | West Bengal | Right toes | Kali Devi | Nakuleshwar | ![]() |
15 | Kamgiri, Kamakhya, in theNeelachal hills inGuwahati | Assam | Genitals | Kamakhya Devi | Umanandeshwar or Bhayanandeshwar | ![]() |
16 | Kankalitala, on the banks ofKopai River 10 km north-east ofBolpur station inBirbhum district, Devi locally known as Kankaleshwari | West Bengal | waist | Devgarbha Devi | Rurunatheshwar | ![]() |
17 | AKanyashram of Balaambika – TheBhagavathy temple inKanyakumari, the southernmost tip of mainland India,Tamil Nadu | Tamil Nadu | Back | Sarvani | Nimisheshwar | ![]() |
18 | Vajreshwari Temple, Nagarkot, district Kangra | Himachal Pradesh | left Breast | Jayadurga Devi | Abhirunatheshwar | |
19 | Kiriteswari Temple at Kiritkona village, 3 km fromLalbag Court Road railway station inMurshidabad district | West Bengal | Crown | Vimala Devi | Sanvarteshwar | ![]() |
20 | Ratnavali, on the banks ofRatnakar river atKhanakul IKrishnanagar, districtHooghly (locally known as Anandamayee Tala) | West Bengal | RightShoulder | Kumari Devi | Ghanteshwar | ![]() |
21 | Locally known as Trishrota/Bhramari Devi inJalpaiguri near a small village Boda on the bank of riverTeesta or Tri-shrota (combination of three flows) mentioned in Puranas | West Bengal | Left leg | Bhramari Devi | Ambareshwar | ![]() |
22 | Manas, underTibet at the foot ofMount Kailash inLake Manasarovar, a piece of Stone | China | Right hand | Dakshayani Devi | Amareshwar | |
23 | Manibandh, at Gayatri hills nearPushkar 11 km north-west ofAjmer. People know this temple as Chamunda Mata Temple or Shri Raj Rajeshwari Puruhuta Manivedic Shaktipitha. | Rajasthan | Wrists | Gayatri Devi | Sarvanandeshwar | |
24 | Mithila, nearJanakpur railway station on the border of India andNepal | Nepal | Left shoulder | Uma Devi | Mahodareshwar | |
25 | Nainativu (Manipallavam),Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Located 36 km from the ancient capital of theJaffna kingdom,Nallur. Themurti of the Goddess is believed to have been consecrated and worshipped byIndra. The protagonist,Lord Rama and antagonist,Ravana of theSanskrit epicRamayana have offered obeisances to the Goddess.Nāga andGaruda of theSanskrit epicMahabharata; resolved their longstanding feuds after worshipping this Goddess. | Sri Lanka | Silambu (Anklets) | Indrakshi (Nagapooshani /Bhuvaneshvari) | Rakshaseshwar (Nayanair) | |
26 | Guhyeshwari Temple | Nepal | Both knees | Mahashira Devi | Kapalishwar | |
27 | Chattal Bhawani Shaktipeeth/Chandranath Temple | Chittagong-Bangladesh | upper teeth | Chattal Bhawani Devi | Chandrashekhar | ![]() |
28 | Panchsagar Near Lohaghat (inChampawat District of Uttarakhand) just 12 km from nearest railway station Tanakpur.पूर्णागिरीChampawat Varahi Devi | Uttarakhand | Lower teeth/ Navel | Varahi Devi | Maharudra | |
29 | NearSomnath temple,Veraval,Gir Somnath district. Local People call this temple as Kali Mandir, It is nearbyTriveni Sangam.[29] | Gujarat | Stomach | Chandrabhaga | Vakratundeshwar | |
30 | Alopi Devi Mandir nearSangam at Prayagraj | Uttar Pradesh | Finger | Lalita Devi | Bhaveshwar | |
31 | Present dayKurukshetra town orThanesar ancient Sthaneshwar | Haryana | Ankle bone | Bhadrakali Devi | Sthanu | |
32 | Maa Sharda Mandir on top Trikoot Hill, atMaihar | Madhya Pradesh | necklace[30] | Shivani Devi | Chandeshwar | |
33 | Nandikeshwari Temple is located inSainthia city | West Bengal | Necklace | Nandini | Nandikeshwar | ![]() |
34 | (Manikya Amba Shaktipeeth / Bheemeswara Swami Temple)DraksharamamKakinada | Andhra Pradesh | Navel | Manikyamba | Bheemeshwar | |
35 | Naina Devi Temple | Himachal Pradesh | Right eye | Mahishamardini Devi | Krodhishwar | |
36 | Shondesh/Shon/Maa Narmada temple, at the source point ofNarmada River inAmarkantak | Madhya Pradesh | Right buttock | Narmada | Bhadraseneshwar | |
37 | Srisailam, at Nallamala hills,Andhra Pradesh | Andhra Pradesh, India | Neck | Bhramarambika Devi | Mallikarjuna | |
38 | Shuchi, in aShiva temple atSuchindrum 11 km onKanyakumariTrivandrum road | Tamil Nadu | Upper teeth | Narayani | Sihareshwar | |
39 | Sugandha, situated in Shikarpur, Gournadi, about 20 km fromBarisal town, on the banks of Sonda river.8 | Bangladesh | Nose | Sugandha | Trayambakeshwar | ![]() |
40 | Udaipur, Tripura, at the top of the hills known asTripura Sundari temple near Radhakishorepur village, a little distance away fromUdaipur town | Tripura | Right leg | Raja Rajeshwari Lalita Tripura Sundari | Tripureshwar | |
41 | Ujaani, at Mangalkot 16 km fromGuskara station inPurba Bardhaman district | West Bengal | Right wrist | Mangal Chandika | Kapilambareshwar | ![]() |
42 | Varanasi atManikarnikaGhat on banks of theGanges atKashi | Uttar Pradesh | Earring | Vishalakshi Devi | Kala Bhairaveshwar | |
43 | Vibhash Shaktipeeth, atTamluk under districtPurba Medinipur | West Bengal | Left ankle | Kapalini Devi (Bhimarupa) also known as Bargabhima Devi | Sarvanandeshwar | ![]() |
44 | Ambika Shaktipeeth, Virat Nagar district, Alwar, nearBharatpur, India | Rajasthan | Fingers of Left Leg | Ambika Devi | Amritaksheshwar | |
45 | Katyayani Shakta pitha, Vrindavan, district Mathura | Uttar Pradesh | Ringlets of hair | Uma Devi | Bhuteshwar | |
46 | Devi Talab Mandir, District Jalandhar | Punjab | Left Breast | Tripuramalini Devi | Bhishaneshwar | |
47 | Baidyanath Dham | Jharkhand | Heart | Jayadurga Devi | Baidyanath | |
48 | Adi Kamakshi Amman Temple behindKamakshi Amman Temple, situated atKanchipuram Town,Kanchipuram District | Tamil Nadu | Odyanam (Navel) | Kamakshi Devi (Elavarkuzhali) | Ekambareshwar | ![]() |
49 | Jogadya (যোগাদ্যা), at Kshirgram (ক্ষীরগ্রাম) near Kaichar under Burdwan district | West Bengal | Great toe | Jogadya Devi | Ksheerkantakeshwar | ![]() |
50 | Puruhutika shaktipeeth /kukkutshwara Swamy Temple Kakinada Port Town | Peethapuram Andhra Pradesh | Hip part | Puruhutika | Durvaseshwar | |
51 | ArasuriAmbaji Shaktipeeth at Gabbar Hill (Golden Temple of Gujarat) | Gujarat | Heart | Amba | Batuka Bhairava | |
52 | Danteshwari Temple,Dantewada | Chhattisgarh | Tooth | Danteshwari Devi | Kapala Bhairava | |
53 | Tara Tarini,Purushottampur,Ganjam | Odisha | Breast | Tara Tarini Devi | Tumbeshwar | |
54 | Nalhateswari,Nalhati | West Bengal | Stomach/Nauli | Kalika Devi | Jogeshwar | ![]() |
55 | Vimala Temple, InsideJagannath Temple, Puri | Odisha | Foot | Vimala Devi | Jagannatheshwar | |
56 | Shankari Maha Shaktipeeth, originally located in an unknown place inLanka. This peetha is now associated by some with the city ofTricomalee. | Sri Lanka | Groin | Shankari Devi | Trikoneshwar | |
57 | Shri Mahalakshmi Griva Peeth,Shri Shail (also known as Mahalakshmi Griva pitha) | Gotatikar,Kalagul tea state,Dakshin Surma Upazila,Sylhet, Bangladesh | Neck | Mahalakshmi | Sambaranandeshwar | |
58 | Dhakeshwari Temple (now relocated atDhakeswari Mata Temple) During the 1947 partition, Hindu temples were attacked and vandalised inBangladesh (thenEast Pakistan) and WestPakistan, so the temple priest secretly bought the main idol of Dhakeshwari toKolkata,West Bengal in India to a wealthy Bengali Hindu family and established a temple in Kumartoli. Now the descendants of the priest worship the idol in Kumartoli. | Dhaka, Bangladesh Currently inKumartoli Kolkata, West Bengal | Gem of Sati's Crown | Dhakeshwari (a form of Katyayini MahishasurmardiniDurga) | Shiva | ![]() |
59 | TarapithRampurhat | West Bengal | Third eye | MaaTara (secondmahavidya) (main form ofParvati) | Chandrachuda Bhairava | ![]() |
60 | Chhinnamastika Shakta pitha atChintpurni, Chintpurni ofHimachal Pradesh | Himachal Pradesh | Foot | Chhinnamastika Devi | Rudra Mahadeva | |
61 | Kaali Mandir at Pavagarh hill in Panchmahal district with in ChampanerPavagadh Archaeological Park. | Gujarat | Right leg toe | Mahakali Devi | Batuka Bhairava | |
62 | Aranya Devi Mandir at Badi Devisthan Shish Mahal Chowk inArrah. | Bihar | Right thigh[31] | Aranyani | Bhuma Bhairava | ![]() |
63 | Tuljabhavani Temple atTuljapur,Dharashiv district | Maharashtra | Tuljabhavani Devi | Bhairava | ||
64 | Mata Vaishno Devi Temple in Katra ,Jammu | Jammu and Kashmir | Skull/Right arm[32] | Vaishno Devi | Bhairava Baba | |
65 | त्रिपुर सुंदरी मंदिर, बांसवाड़ा | Rajasthan | Aanand Bhairava | |||
66 | Jnanakshi Rajarajeshwari Temple | Bengaluru,Karnataka | Ear (Karnabhaga)[26][33] | GoddessTripura Sundari as Rajarajeshwari | AbiruBhairava | ![]() |
Other Shakipeeths:-
The following shrines are not recognised as the Shakti Peethas, but are still claimed by the devotees and priests, for various reasons.
1. Jwala Devi Temple inJobner,Rajasthan, India
2. Jayanti Kali Temple (location disputed)
3. Asamai Devi Temple inKabul,Afghanistan
4.Juranpur Kali Temple in West Bengal, India
5. Sarbamangala Temple inBurdwan, West Bengal (the temple priests claim that Goddess Sati's body part fell here)
There are disputes about the location of the Jayanti Shakti Pitha. Based on most presented manuscripts and facts it is situated in the namesakeJaintiapur Upazila town,Bangladesh, which was previously the capital of the Jaintia Hills tribe kingdom, in 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 Temple, though there is a shortage of evidence. Some other people[34] argue the actual shrine is atAmta in West Bengal, where the goddess is worshiped asMaa Melai Chandi inMelai Chandi Mandir. But this fact can not be corroborated with any evidence. Moreover, refuting most texts, in Melai Chandi Mandir, the Bhairava isDurgeshwar rather thanKramadishwar. Some also identify the Jayanti shrine with theMahakal cave temple situated in the villageJayanti ofAlipurduar in India,[35][36] where many statues were created byStalagmites andStalactites (natural rock formations), but there is no evidence.
TheVindhyavasini Shakta pitha is considered a Shakta pitha even though any body parts of Sati did not fall there. Vindhyavasini is the ultimate and the highest form of the goddess, she is calledAdi Parashakti. Goddess Vindhyavasini is considered the embodiment of all of theMahavidyas,Navadurgas,Matrikas,Yoginis and all the other goddesses present in this universe, she isTripura Sundari herself. Many legends are associated with Vindhyavasini, she is also calledMahadurga. She is the combined form of all 108 Shakta pithas as mentioned in theDevi Bhagavata Purana text. This is because it is the place where the goddess chose to reside after her birth inDvapara Yuga.[37]At the time of the birth ofKrishna toDevaki andVasudeva,Vindhyavasini took birth inGokula toNanda andYashoda as per the instruction of LordVishnu. Vasudeva replaced his son Krishna with this girl child of Yashoda so that Krishna could escape his demon uncleKamsa, whom he would kill later according to a prophecy. When Kamsa tried to kill the girl, she slipped from his hands, assumed her true form and warned Kamsa that his killer (Krishna) still lived on. She leftMathura and the goddess chose theVindhya Mountains as her abode to live on the earth. It is also believed that Vindhyavasini is the sister of Krishna.[37]