Sunday, January 13, 2019

Shakti Peetha



The Shakti Peeth (seat of Shakti) are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the goddess-focused Hindu tradition. There are 51 or 108 Shakti peethas by various accounts, of which between 4 and 18 are named as Maha (major) in medieval Hindu texts. 
Most of these historic places of goddess worship are in India, but there are seven in Bangladesh, three in Pakistan, two in Nepal, and one each in Tibet and Sri Lanka. 
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, Shiva carried Sati's body, reminiscing about their moments as a couple, and roamed around the universe with it. Vishnu had cut her body into 52 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.

Legend

Lord Brahma performed a yajna (Vedic ritual of fire sacrifice) to please Shakti and Shiva. Goddess Shakti emerged, separating from Shiva and helped Brahma in the creation of the universe. Brahma decided to give Shakti back to Shiva. Therefore, his son Daksha performed several yagnas to obtain Shakti as his daughter in the form of Sati. It was then decided that Sati was brought into this world with the motive of getting married to Shiva.
However, due to Lord Shiva's curse to Brahma that his fifth head was cut off due to his lie in front of Shiva, Daksha started hating Lord Shiva and decided not to let Lord Shiva and Sati get married.
However, Sati got attracted to Shiva and finally one day Shiva and Sati got married. This marriage only increased Daksha's hatred towards Lord Shiva.
Daksha performed a yagna with a desire to take revenge on Lord Shiva. Daksha invited all the deities to the yajna except Lord Shiva and Sati. The fact that she was not invited did not deter Sati from attending the yagna. She expressed her desire to attend the yagna to Shiva, who tried his best to dissuade her from going. Shiva eventually relented and Sati went to the yagna. Sati, being an uninvited guest, was not given any respect at the yagna. Furthermore, Daksha insulted Shiva. Sati was unable to bear her father's insults toward her husband, so she immolated herself.
Enraged at the insult and the injury, Shiva in his Virabhadra avatar destroyed Daksha's yagna, cut off Daksha's head, and later replaced it with that of a male goat as he restored him to life.Virabhadra didn't stop fighting; he kept raging with anger. Gods prayed to lord Vishnu. He came there and started fighting him. 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 Sati's corpse. 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 her consort, Lord Bhairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva). Shakti is an aspect of the Supreme Being Adi parashakti, the mother of the trimurti, the holy trinity in Hindu religion & scriptures.

Sati's self-immolation

The history of Daksha yajna and Sati's self-immolation had immense significance in shaping the ancient Sanskrit literature and even influenced the culture of India. It led to the development of the concept of Shakti Peethas and thereby strengthened Shaktism. Enormous numbers of stories in the Puranas and other Hindu religious books took the Daksha yagna as the reason for their origin. It is an important incident in Shaivism, resulting in the emergence of Parvati in the place of Sati Devi and making Shiva a grihastashrami (house holder), leading to the origin of Ganesha and Kartikeya.

Shakti Peethas are shrines or divine places of the Mother Goddess. These are places that are believed to have been blessed with the presence of Shakti due to the falling of body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi, when Lord Shiva carried it and wandered throughout Aryavartha in sorrow. There are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit. Each temple has shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava, and most Shakti and Kalabhairava in different Shakti Peeth have different names.

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 Peethas (centers), like Bimala (Pada Khanda) (inside the Jagannath Temple of Puri, Odisha), Tara Tarini (Sthana Khanda, Purnagiri, Breasts) (Near Berhampur, Odisha), Kamakhya Temple (Yoni Khanda) (Near Guwahati, Assam) and Dakshina Kalika (Mukha Khanda) (Kolkata, West Bengal) originated from the parts of the corpse of Mata Sati in the Satya Yuga.
The Ashtashakti and Kalika Purana says (in Sanskrit):
"Bimala Pada khandancha,
Stana khandancha Tarini (Tara Tarini),
Kamakhya 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 (in Sanskrit)
"Rushikulya Tatae Devi,
Tarakashya Mahagiri,
Tashya Srunga Stitha Tara
Vasishta Rajitapara" (Rushikulya is a holy river flowing on the foothill of the Tara Tarini Hill Shrine).
In the listings below:
·         "Shakthi" refers to the Goddess worshiped at each location, all being manifestations of Dakshayani (Sati), Parvati or Durga;
·         "Body Part or Ornament" refers to the body part or piece of jewelry that fell to earth, at the location on which the respective temple is built.
Temple
City/Town
State in India
Body Part
navel
breast
yoni (genitals)
right toe
Apart from these 4 there are 51 other famous Peethas recognized by religious texts. According to the Pithanirnaya Tantra the 51 peethas are scattered all over 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. One of the few in South India, Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd-century temple.

The List of Shakti Pithas

In the listings below (of only major):
·         "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.

Sr. No.
Place
State in India/Country
Body Part or Ornament
Shakti
Bhairava
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
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, on the banks of Ajay river at Ketugram, 8 km from Katwa, Burdwan
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, at Bhairav hills on the banks of Shipra river in the city of Ujjaini. These Shaktpeeth known as Harsiddi temple.
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
Chhinnamastika Shaktipeeth at Chintpurni, in Una District of Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh
Feet
Chhinnamastika
Rudra Mahadev
8
Muktinath Temple[10]
Nepal
Temple
Gandaki Chandi
Chakrapani
9
Goddess Bhadrakali on banks of Godavari in Nashik city (Saptashrungi)
Maharashtra
Chin (2 parts)
Bhramari
Vikritaksh
10
Hinglaj
Pakistan
Bramharandhra (Part of the head)
Kottari
Bhimlochan
11
Jayanti at Nartiang village in the Jaintia Hills district. This Shakthi Peetha is locally known as the Nartiang Durga Temple.
Meghalaya
Left thigh
Jayanti
Kramadishwar
12
Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple
Bangladesh
Palms of hands and soles of the feet
Jashoreshwari
Chanda
13
Jwalaji, Kangra from Pathankot alight at Jwalamukhi Road Station from there 20 km
Himachal Pradesh
Tongue
Siddhida (Ambika)
Unmatta Bhairav
14
Kalipeeth, (Kalighat, Kolkata)
West Bengal
Right Toes
Kalika
Nakuleshwar
15
Kalmadhav on the banks of Son River in a cave over hills near to Amarkantak
Madhya Pradesh
Left buttock
Kali
Asitang
16
Kamgiri, Kamakhya, in the Neelachal hills in Guwahati
Assam
Genitals
Kamakhya
Umanand
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
Kanyashram of Balaambika - The Bhagavathy temple in Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of mainland India, Tamil Nadu (also thought to be situated in Yunnan province, China)
Tamil Nadu
Back
Sarvani
Nimish
19
Karnat, Brajeshwari Devi, Kangra
Himachal Pradesh
Ears
Jayadurga
Abhiru
20
Kireet at Kireetkona village, 3 km from Lalbag Court Road station under district Murshidabad
West Bengal
Crown
Vimla
Sanwart
21
Locally known as Anandamayee Temple. Ratnavali, on the banks of Ratnakar river at Khanakul I Krishnanagar, district Hooghly
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.
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. Naga 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
Bhawani
Chandrashekhar
29
Panchsagar Near Lohaghat (in Champawat District of Uttarakhand) nearly 100 km from nearest railway station Tanakpur. पूर्णागिरी / DeviDhura 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.
Gujarat
Stomach
Chandrabhaga
Vakratund
31
Prayaga Madhaveswari known as Alopi Mata near Sangam at Allahabad
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[11]
Shivani
Chanda
34
Nandikeshwari Temple
West Bengal
Necklace
Nandini
Nandikeshwar
35
Kotilingeswar Ghat temple on the banks of Godavari river near Rajamundry
Andhra Pradesh
Cheeks
Rakini 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
Srisailam in Shriparvat hills under Kurnool district
Andhra Pradesh
Right anklet (ornament)
Shrisundari
Sundaranand
39
Sri Sailam, at Nallamalai hills, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh, India
Neck
Mahalaxmi
Sambaranand
40
Shuchi, in a Shiva temple at Suchindrum 11 km on Kanyakumari Trivandrum road
Tamil Nadu
Upper teeth
Narayani
Sanhar
41
Sugandha, situated in Shikarpur, Gournadi, about 20 km from Barisal town, on the banks of Sonda river.
Bangladesh
Nose
Sugandha
Trayambak
42
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
43
Ujaani, at Mangalkot 16 km from Guskara station under Burdwan district
West Bengal
Right wrist
Mangal Chandika
Kapilambar
44
Varanasi at Manikarnika Ghat on banks of the Ganges at Kashi
Uttar Pradesh
Earring
Vishalakshi & Manikarni
Kalbhairav
45
Vibhash, at Tamluk under district Purba Medinipur
West Bengal
Left ankle
Kapalini (Bhimarupa)
Sarvanand
46
virat nagar district alwar, near Bharatpur, India, or Virat Nagar Patiram area Of South Dinajpur District,
Rajasthan Or West Bengal
Fingers of Left Leg
Ambika
Amritaksha
47
Vrindavan, near new bus stand on Bhuteshwar road within Bhuteshwar Mahadev Temple, Katyayanipeeth. Vrindavan www.katyayanipeeth.org.in
Uttar Pradesh
Ringlets of hair
Uma
Bhutesh
48
Jalandhar, from Jalandhar Cantonment Station to Devi Talab.
Punjab
Left Breast
Tripurmalini
Bhishan
49
Baidyanath Dham
Jharkhand
Heart
Jaya Durga
Baidyanath
50
Kamakshi Amman Temple
Tamil Nadu
Odyanam(Navel)
Kamakshi
51
Jogadya (যোগাদ্যা), at Kshirgram (ক্ষীরগ্রাম) near Kaichar under Burdwan district
West Bengal
Great Toe
Jogadya (যোগাদ্যা)
Ksheer Kantak (ক্ষীরকন্টক)
52
Pithapuram under Kakinada Port Town
Andhra Pradesh
Hip Part
Purohotika
53
Ambaji at Anart
Gujarat
Heart
Amba
Batuk Bhairav
54
Jwaladevi Temple, Shaktinagar, Sonbhadra
Uttar Pradesh
Tongue
Jwala Devi
55
Chandika Sthan, near Munger town
Bihar
Left Eye
Chandika Devi
56
Danteshwari Temple, Dantewada
Chhattisgarh
Tooth or daant
Danteshwari devi
Kapalbhairav
57
Juranpur, Nadia
West Bengal
58
Tara Tarini, Berhampur, Ganjam
Odisha
Breast/Sthan
Maa Taratarini
Tumbeswar
59
Nalhateswari, Nalhati
West Bengal
Stomach/Nauli
Kalika
Jogesh

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, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, some parts of Southern Tibet and parts of southern Pakistan. 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 (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 sages 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 districtWest bengal, India.

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. This list contains 18 such locations which are often referred to as Maha Shakthi Peeths.
Sr. No.
Temple
Place
State in India/Country
Appellation
Part of the body fallen
Shakti
1
Sankari Peetham
Sankari Devi
2
Adi Kamakshi Devi Temple(or Kaliyambal Temple) behind Kama koti peetam
3
Pandua, Hoogly district
Pradyumna Peetham
Shrinkala Devi
4
Krounja Peetham
5
Yogini Peetham
Upper Teeth
Jogulamba Devi (Yogamba)
6
Srisaila Peetham
7
Shri Peetham
8
9
Ujjaini Peetham
Mahakali
10
Pushkarini Peetham
Left Hand
Puruhutika
11
Oddyana Peetham
12
Draksharama Peetham
Manikyamba devi
13
Kamarupa Peetham
14
Prayaga Peetham
15.
Jwalamukhi Peetham
16.
Gaya Peetham
17.
Varanasi Peetham
Vishalakshi
18.
Sharada Peeth (Abandoned, now in ruins)
Sharada Peeth: This temple is currently non-existent. Only ruins are found in these places. Its ruins are near the Line of Control (LOC) 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 Shakthi Peetha, is this aspect of the goddess.
Among these, the Shakthi Peethas at Kamakhya, Gaya and Ujjain are regarded as the most sacred as they symbolise the three most important aspects of the Mother Goddess viz. Creation (Kamarupa Devi), Nourishment (Sarvamangala Devi/Mangalagauri) and Annihilation (Mahakali Devi).

18 Shakthi Peetas

As per Sankara Samhita of Sri Skanda Purana,
1.    Sri Sankari Peetam (at Lanka)
2.    Sri Simhika Peetam (at Simhala)
3.    Sri Manika Peetam (at Dakshavati)
4.    Sri Sudkala Peetam (At Petapur)
5.    Sri Bhramaramba Peetam (Srisailam)
6.    Sri Vijaya Peetam (Vijayapura)
7.    Sri Mahalakshmi Peetam (Kolhapuri)
8.    Sri Kamakshi Peetam ( Kanchipuram)
9.    Sri Kuchananda Peetam (Salagrama)
10. Sri Vikaja Peetam (Odyana)
11. Sri Bhadreswari Peetam (Harmyagiri)
12. Sri Mahakali Peetam (Ujjayini)
13. Sri Vindhyavasini Peetam (The Vindhya mountains)
14. Sri Mahayogi Peetam (Ahicchatra)
15. Sri Kanyaka Peetam (Kanya Kubja)
16. Sri Visalakshi Peetam ( Kashi)
17. Sri Saraswati Peetam (Kashmira)
18. Sri AbhirAmA Peetam (Padmagiri,Dindigul)

Asthadasa sakti Pitha Stotram

Devanagari :
लङ्कायाम्शांकरीदेवीकामाक्षीकाञ्चिकापुरे।
प्रद्युम्नेशृङ्खलादेवीचामुण्दाक्रौञ्चपट्टणे॥
अलम्पुरेजोगुलाम्बश्रीशैलेभ्रमराम्बिक।
कोल्हापुरमहलक्ष्मीमाहुर्यमेकवीरिका॥
उज्जयिन्याम्महाकाळीपीठिकायाम्पुरुहुतिका।
ओड्ढ्यायाम्गिरिजादेवीमाणिक्यादक्षवाटिके॥
हरिक्षेत्रेकामरूपीप्रयागेमाधवेश्वरी।
ज्वालायाम्वैष्णवीदेवीगयामाङ्गल्यगौरिके॥
वारणास्याम्विशालाक्षीकाश्मीरेतुसरस्वती।
अष्ठादशैवपीठानियोनिनामपदुर्लभानिच॥
सायंकालंपठेन्नित्यम्सर्वरोगनिवारणम्।
सर्वपापहरम्दिव्यम्सर्वसम्पत्करम्शुभम्॥
lankayam samkaridevi kamaksi kancikapure
pradyumne srnkhala devi camuṇda krauncapattaṇe

alampure jogulamba srisaile bhramarambika

kolhapuramahalaksmi mahuryamekavirika

ujjayinyam mahakaḻi pithikayam puruhutika

oddhyayam girijadevi manikya daksavatike

hariksetre kamarupi prayage madhavesvari

jvalayam vaisnavidevi gayamangalyagaurike

varanasyam visalaksi kasmiretu sarasvati

asthadasaivapithani yoninamapa durlabhanica

sayamkalam pathennityam sarvaroganivaranam

sarvapapaharam divyam sarvasampatkaram subham

Translation of the stotra

Goddess Shankari in Sri Lanka, Kamakshi in Kanchipuram Goddess Shrinkhala in Pradymna and Chamunda in Mysore
Goddess Jogulamba in Alampur, Goddess Brhamarambika in Sri Shailam Goddess Maha Lakshmi in Kolhapur and Goddess Eka Veera in Mahur
Goddess Maha Kali in Ujjain, Purhuthika in Peethika Goddess Girija in Odhyana and Manikya in the house of Daksha
Goddess Kama Rupi in the temple of Vishnu, Madhaveshwari in Allahabad Goddess giving flame in Jwala Mukhi and Mangala Gowri in Gaya
Goddess Vishalakshi in Varanasi, Saraswati in Kashmir. These are the 18 houses of Shakthi, which are rare even to the Devas
When chanted every evening, all the enemies would get destroyed all the diseases would vanish, and prosperity would be showered.

Websites:

·         51 Shakti Peethas of Ma Durga
·         18 shakti peethas map

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