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TheShakta pithas, also calledShakti pithas orSati pithas (Sanskrit:शाक्त पीठ,Śakta Pīṭha,seats of Devi Sati[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) and 4 are named as ChatasrahAadi (first) in medieval Hindu texts. (Devanagari: चतस्रः आदि)[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 inIndia, but there are some inNepal, 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.
The greatest number of Shakta pithas are present in theBengal region. During partition the numbers wereWest Bengal (19) andBangladesh (7). After the secret transfer ofDhakeshwari Shakta pitha fromDhaka toKolkata the numbers stand as West Bengal (20) 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 because he is 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 Shakti pithas as sites where most of the energy is. The first pitha is Odra (Biraja andVimala) where the pair of feet fell along with pair of thighs , the second pitha is Jalasaila (Chandi) where the pair of breasts fell, the third pitha isPurnagiri (Purneswari) where the arms along with the neck fell, and the fourth is Kamrupa (Kamakhaya) where the genitals fell. These four places originated from the lifeless body of Devi Sati.
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.[13] In South India,Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd-century temple.[14]
There are believed to be 64 locations.Adi Shankara'sAshtadasha Shakti Pitha stotram mentions 18 locations known as theMaha Shakti Pithas.[citation needed] Among these, the Shakti Pithas atGuwahati,Gaya andUjjain are regarded as the most sacred as they symbolize the three most important duties of the Mother Goddess viz. Creation (Kamakhya Devi), Nourishment (Sarvamangala Devi), and Annihilation (Mahakali Devi).
Sharadha pitha is currently in a ruined state.[15] Only ruins are found in these places. Its ruins are near theLine of Control (LOC)[16] 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[17] as a confidence-building measure, by increasing the people-to-people cross-border interaction.[16]
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 India.
As per Sankara Samhita ofSkanda Purana,[18]
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In the listings[19][20][21][22] below:
More details on this are available in the text 'Tantrachūḍamanī'[23] where Parvati tells these details to her sonSkanda.
Important notes:
| Sr. No. | Place | State in India/Country | Body part or ornament | Shakti | Bhairava | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A.Amarnath Temple, fromSrinagar throughPahalgam B. Shri Parvat inLadakh | Jammu and Kashmir | A. Throat B.Anklet | Mahamaya Devi | Trisandhyeshwar (Amarnath) |  |
| 2 | Attahas Temple,Birbhum | West Bengal | Lips | Phullara Devi | Vishweshwar |   |
| 3 | Bahula Temple,Purba Bardhaman | West Bengal | Left arm | Goddess Bahuladevi | Bhirukeshwar |  |
| 4 | Bakreshwar TempleBirbhum | West Bengal | Portion between the eyebrows | Mahishamardini devi | Vakranatheshwar |  |
| 5 | Avanti Temple,Ujjain | Madhya Pradesh | Elbow | Avanti Devi | Lambkarneshwar | |
| 6 | Bhabanipur Temple,Rajshahi | Bangladesh | Leftanklet (ornament) | Aparna Devi | Vamaneshwar | .jpg) |
| 7 | Biraja Temple,Jajpur | Odisha | Navel | Biraja Devi | Varaheshwar (Varaha) | _Temple_as_per_list_of_State_Protected_Monuments_in_Odisha._Serial_Number_S-OR-105.jpg) |
| 8 | Mithila, nearJanakpur (This place is worshipped as the birthplace of GoddessSita) | Nepal | Left shoulder | Uma Devi | Mahodareshwar | |
| 9 | Mahamaya Temple,Kathmandu.[25] | Nepal | Both knees | Mahamaya[26] Devi | Kapali | |
| 10 | Guhyeshwari Temple, near the bank of theBagmati river, east of thePashupatinath temple. | Nepal | Anus[27][28] | Guhyakali Devi | Pashupati | .jpg) |
| 11 | Muktinath Temple.[29] (This temple is also worshipped byVaishnavites). | Nepal | Head | Gandaki Chandi Devi (avatar of GoddessLakshmi) | Chakrapani (also worshipped as LordVishnu) |  |
| 12 | Saptashrungi Temple,Nashik | Maharashtra | Chin (2 parts) | Bhadrakali Saptashrungi Devi | Vikritaksheshwar |  |
| 13 | Hinglaj Mata Temple,Balochistan | Pakistan | Brahmarandhra (soft back part of the head) | Hinglaj Devi | Bhimalochaneshwar | |
| 14 | Kalipeeth Temple,Kalighat,Kolkata | West Bengal | Right toes | Kali Devi | Nakuleshwar | .jpg) |
| 15 | Kamakhya Temple,Guwahati | Assam | Yoni (genitals) | Kamakhya Devi | Umanandeshwar or Bhayanandeshwar |  |
| 16 | Kankalitala Temple,Birbhum | West Bengal | Waist | Devgarbha Devi | Rurunatheshwar |  |
| 17 | Kanya Kumari Temple,Kanyakumari | Tamil Nadu | Back | Kanyakumari Devi | Nimisheshwar |  |
| 18 | Bajreshwari Mata Temple,Kangra | Himachal Pradesh | Left Breast | Jayadurga Devi | Abhirunatheshwar | |
| 19 | Kiriteswari Temple,Murshidabad | West Bengal | Crown | Kiriteshwari Devi | Sanvarteshwar |  |
| 20 | Ratnavali Temple,Hooghly (locally known as Anandamayee Tala) | West Bengal | RightShoulder | Kumari Devi | Ghanteshwar |  |
| 21 | Bhramari Devi Temple,Jalpaiguri | West Bengal | Left leg | Bhramari Devi | Ambareshwar |  |
| 22 | Holy stone shrine nearMansarovar Lake,Mount Kailash,Tibet | China | Right hand | Dakshayani Devi | Kailashnath |  |
| 23 | Ugratara Asthan Temple | Bihar | Left Eye | Goddess Tara | Saharsa | |
| 24 | Manibandh Temple,Pushkar | Rajasthan | Wrists | Gayatri Devi | Sarvanandeshwar | |
| 25 | Indrakshi Temple,Nainativu | Sri Lanka | Silambu (Anklets) | Indrakshi Devi (Nagapooshani /Bhuvaneshvari) | Rakshaseshwar (Nayanair) | |
| 26 | Jayanti Durga Temple, NartiangJaintia Hills district. | Meghalaya | Leftthigh | Jayanti Devi | Kramadishwar |  |
| 27 | Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple | Bangladesh | Palms of hands and soles of the feet | Jeshoreshwari Devi | Chandeshwar |  |
| 28 | Jwalamukhi Temple,Kangra | Himachal Pradesh | Tongue | Jwalamukhi Devi (Ambika) | Unmatta Bhairaveshwar |  |
| 29 | Panchsagar Temple,Champawat | Uttarakhand | Lower teeth/ Navel | Varahi Devi | Maharudra | |
| 30 | NearSomnath temple,Veraval,Gir Somnath district. It is nearbyTriveni Sangam.[30] | Gujarat | Stomach | Chandrabhaga Devi | Vakratundeshwar | |
| 31 | Alopi Devi Mandir nearSangam at Prayagraj | Uttar Pradesh | Finger | Alopi Devi | Bhaveshwar | |
| 32 | Bhadrakali Temple, either inKurukshetra orThanesar | Haryana | Ankle bone | Bhadrakali Devi | Sthanu | |
| 33 | Maa Sharda Mandir,Maihar | Madhya Pradesh | Necklace[31] | Sharada Devi | Chandeshwar | |
| 34 | Nandikeshwari Temple,Sainthia city | West Bengal | Necklace | Nandini Devi | Nandikeshwar |  |
| 35 | Manikyamba Temple,Draksharamam,Kakinada | Andhra Pradesh | Navel | Manikyamba | Bheemeshwar | |
| 36 | Naina Devi Temple | Himachal Pradesh | Right eye | Mahishamardini Devi | Krodhishwar | |
| 37 | Narmada temple, at the source point ofNarmada River inAmarkantak | Madhya Pradesh | Right buttock | Narmada Devi | Bhadraseneshwar | |
| 38 | Bhramaramba Temple,Srisailam | Andhra Pradesh, India | Neck | Bhramarambika Devi | Mallikarjuna | |
| 39 | Narayani Temple,Suchindram | Tamil Nadu | Upper teeth | Narayani Devi | Sihareshwar | |
| 40 | Sugandha Temple, situated in Shikarpur, Gournadi, about 20 km fromBarisal town | Bangladesh | Nose | Sugandha Devi | Trayambakeshwar |  |
| 41 | Tripura Sundari temple,Udaipur | Tripura | Right leg | Tripura Sundari | Kameshwar | |
| 42 | Ujaani,Purba Bardhaman district | West Bengal | Right wrist | Mangal Chandika | Kapilambareshwar | .jpg) |
| 43 | Vishalakshi Temple,Varanasi | Uttar Pradesh | Earring | Vishalakshi Devi | Kala Bhairaveshwar | |
| 44 | Vibhash Shakta pitha,Purba Medinipur | West Bengal | Left ankle | Kapalini Devi (Bhimarupa) also known asBargabhima Devi | Sarvanandeshwar |  |
| 45 | Ambika Shakti pitha,Bharatpur, India | Rajasthan | Fingers of Left Leg | Ambika Devi | Amritaksheshwar | |
| 46 | Katyayini Shakti pitha,Vrindavan | Uttar Pradesh | Ringlets of hair | Katyayini Devi | Bhuteshwar | |
| 47 | Devi Talab Mandir,Jalandhar | Punjab | Left Breast | Tripuramalini Devi | Bhishaneshwar | |
| 48 | Baidyanath Dham,Deoghar | Jharkhand | Heart | Jayadurga Devi | Vaidyanath |  |
| 49 | Adi Kamakshi Amman Temple (behindKamakshi Amman Temple),Kanchipuram | Tamil Nadu | Odyanam (Navel) | Kamakshi Devi (Saumya Kali) | Ekambareshwar |  |
| 50 | Jogadya, Burdwan district | West Bengal | Big Toe | Jogadya Devi | Ksheerkantakeshwar |  |
| 51 | Puruhutika Temple,Kakinada,Pithapuram | Andhra Pradesh | Hip part | Puruhutika | Durvaseshwar | |
| 52 | ArasuriAmbaji Shakta pitha at Gabbar Hill (Golden Temple of Gujarat) | Gujarat | Heart | Amba | Batuka Bhairava | |
| 53 | Danteshwari Temple,Dantewada | Chhattisgarh | Tooth | Danteshwari Devi | Kapala Bhairava | |
| 54 | Tara Tarini,Purushottampur,Ganjam | Odisha | Breast | Tara Tarini Devi | Tumbeshwar | |
| 55 | Nalhateswari,Nalhati | West Bengal | Stomach/Nauli | Kalika Devi | Jogeshwar |  |
| 56 | Vimala Temple, (InsideJagannath Temple),Puri | Odisha | Foot | Vimala Devi | Jagannatheshwar | |
| 57 | Shankari Temple, originally located in an unknown place. This shrine is now identified withKoneswaram Temple inTrincomalee. | Sri Lanka | Groin | Shankari Devi | Trikoneshwar |  |
| 58 | Mahalakshmi Temple,Shri Shail,Sylhet | Bangladesh | Neck | Mahalakshmi | Sambaranandeshwar | |
| 59 | Dhakeshwari Temple (now relocated atDhakeswari Mata Temple), Kumartoli | Dhaka,Bangladesh Currently inWest Bengal, India | Gem of Sati's Crown | Dhakeshwari Devi (a form ofDurga) | Shiva |  |
| 60 | TarapithRampurhat | West Bengal | Third eye | Tara Devi (secondmahavidya) | Chandrachuda Bhairava |  |
| 61 | Chinnamastika Temple,Chintpurni | Himachal Pradesh | Foot | Chhinnamastika Devi | Rudra Mahadeva | .JPG) |
| 62 | Kaali Mandir,Pavagadh Archaeological Park. | Gujarat | Right leg toe | Mahakali Devi | Batuka Bhairava | |
| 63 | Aranya Devi Temple,Arrah | Bihar | Right thigh[32] | Aranyani | Bhuma Bhairava |  |
| 64 | Tuljabhavani Temple,Tuljapur | Maharashtra | Tuljabhavani Devi | Bhairava |  | |
| 65 | Vaishno Devi Temple, Katra | Jammu and Kashmir | Skull/Right arm[33] | Vaishno Devi | Bhairava |  |
| 66 | Tripura Sundari Temple,Banswara | Rajasthan | Unknown | GoddessTripura Sundari | AanandBhairava |  |
| 67 | Chattal Bhavani Temple,Chittagong | Bangladesh | Upper teeth | Chattal Bhawani Devi | Chandrashekhar | .jpg) |
| 68 | Jnanakshi Rajarajeshwari Temple,Bengaluru | Karnataka | Ear[23][34] | GoddessTripura Sundari as Rajarajeshwari | AbiruBhairava |  |
Other Shakipeeths:-
The following shrines are not recognised as the Shakta pithas, 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. Ambika Bhawani, Saran, Bihar (Yagyashala of Daksh)
5. Sarbamangala Temple inBurdwan, West Bengal (the temple priests claim that Goddess Sati's body part fell here)
6. Jogamaya Shakta pitha in Kalahandi, Odisha, India
There are disputes about the location of the Jayanti Shakta 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 believe that the Nartiang Durga Temple is the true Jayanti Shakta pitha, although historical evidence supporting this claim is limited. Some other people[35] 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,[36][37] 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.[38]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.[38]
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