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
Vimala Temple	Puri	Odisha	navel
Taratarini Temple	Berhampur	Odisha	breast
Kamakhya Temple	Guwahati	Assam	yoni (genitals)
Kalighat Kali Temple	Kolkata	West Bengal	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	part of Koneswaram temple	Trincomalee	Sri Lanka	Sankari Peetham	Groin	Sankari Devi
2	Kamakshi Amman Temple	Kanchi	Tamil Nadu	Adi Kamakshi Devi Temple(or Kaliyambal Temple) behind Kama koti peetam	Back	Kamakshi
3		Pandua, Hoogly district	West Bengal	Pradyumna Peetham	Stomach	Shrinkala Devi
4	Chamundeshwari Temple	Mysore	Karnataka	Krounja Peetham	Hair	Chamundeshwari
5		Alampur, Gadwal district	Telangana	Yogini Peetham	Upper Teeth	Jogulamba Devi (Yogamba)
6	Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple	Srisailam,	Andhra Pradesh	Srisaila Peetham	Neck	Bhramaramba
7	Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur	Kolhapur	Maharashtra	Shri Peetham	Eyes	Ambabai
8	Ekvira Temple	Hirvai	Maharashtra		Right Hand	Ekavirika Devi
9	Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga	Ujjain	Madhya Pradesh	Ujjaini Peetham	Upper Lip	Mahakali
10	Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple	Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh)	Andhra Pradesh	Pushkarini Peetham	Left Hand	Puruhutika
11	Biraja Temple	Jajpur	Odisha	Oddyana Peetham	Naval(Navi)	Biraja
12	part of Kumararama Bhimeswara Temple	Draksharamam	Andhra Pradesh	Draksharama Peetham	Left Cheek	Manikyamba devi
13	Kamakhya Temple	Guwahati	Assam	Kamarupa Peetham	Vulva	Kamarupa
14	Alopi Devi Mandir	Prayaga	Uttar Pradesh	Prayaga Peetham	Fingers	Madhaveswari Devi
15.	Jwalamukhi Devi Temple	Jawalamukhi	Himachal Pradesh	Jwalamukhi Peetham	Head	Jwalamukhi
16.	Mangla Gauri Temple	Gaya	Bihar	Gaya Peetham	Breast	Sarvamangala
17.	Vishalakshi Temple	Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh	Varanasi Peetham	Wrist	Vishalakshi
18.	Sharada Peeth	PoK Pakistani occupied Kashmir	Pakistan	Sharada Peeth (Abandoned, now in ruins)	Right Hand	Sharada

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

·         Comprehensive guide on 51 Shakti Peethas

·         Daksha Yagna - The story of Daksha's sacrifice and the origin of the Shakti Pithas

Vaishno Devi

Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta and Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of the Hindu Goddess Mata Adi Shakti, also known as Chandi/Durga. Vaishno Devi Mandir is located in Katra at the Trikuta Mountains in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The first mention of the Mother Goddess is in the epic Mahabharat. When the armies of Pandavs and Kaurvas were arrayed in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjun, the chief warrior of Pandavs upon advice of Sri Krishna; meditated upon the Mother Goddess and sought Her blessings for victory. This is when Arjun addresses the Mother Goddess as ‘Jambookatak Chityaishu Nityam Sannihitalaye’, which means ‘you who always dwell in the temple on the slope of the mountain in Jamboo’ (probably referring to the present day Jammu).

It is also generally believed that the Pandavs were the first to build the temples at Kol Kandoli and Bhawan in reverence and gratitude for the Mother Goddess. On a mountain, just adjacent to the Trikuta Mountain and overlooking the Holy Cave are five stone structures, which are believed to be the rock symbols of the five Pandavs.

Some traditions believe this Shrine to be the holiest of all Shaktipeeths (a place where the Mother Goddess, the Eternal Energy has Her abode) since the skull of Mata Sati fell here. Others believe that her right arm had fallen here. But some scriptures do not agree with it. They do agree that at a place called Gandarbal in Kashmir, the right arm of Sati had fallen. Nevertheless, in the Holy Cave of Shri Mata Vaishno Deviji, one does find stone remains of a human hand, popularly known as Varad Hast (the hand that grants boons and blessings).

While various versions of the origin and legend of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji are prevalent, there seems to be unanimity on the discovery of Shrine around 700 years back by the same Pandit Shridhar, at whose place Mata had helped organize a Bhandaara. When she left amidst the Bhandaara to escape Bhairon Nath, Pandit Shridhar is said to have felt as if he had lost everything in his life. He felt immense grief and gave up the intake of food or even water and closed himself in a room of his house, fervently praying for Vaishnavi to reappear.

It is then that Mata Vaishnavi appeared in his vision (dream) and told him to search for her at the Holy Cave situated amidst the folds of the Trikuta Mountain. She showed him the way to the Holy Cave and insisted him to break his fast. Pandit Shridhar then went on to discover the Holy Cave in the mountains. Every time he seemed to lose the way, the vision of his dreams reappeared before his eyes and finally he reached his destination. Upon entering the Cave he found a rock form with three heads atop it. At that moment Mata Vaishno Devi appeared before him in all her glory (another version says that the Supreme Energies of Mata Maha Saraswati, Mata Maha Lakshmi and Mata Maha Kali appeared in the Holy Cave) and introduced him to the three heads (now known as the Holy Pindies) of the rock form along with various other identification marks in the Holy Cave. She blessed him with a boon of four sons and a right to worship her manifestation and asked him to spread the glory of the Holy Shrine all over. Pandit Shridhar then spent his remaining life in the service of Mata at the Holy Cave.

As per the legend, during the period when the Goddess was busy in annihiliting the Asuras, Her three main manifestations viz. Mata Maha Kali, Mata Maha Lakshmi and Mata Maha Saraswati got together one day and pooled their collective Tejas or spiritual strength. A stunningly bright light emanated from the place where the Tejas of the three manifestations coalesced and a beautiful young girl emerged out of this Tejas. The young girl asked them, "Why have I been created?'' The Devis explained to her that they had created her so that she would live on earth and spend her time in upholding righteousness.

The Devis added, "Now, go and take birth in the house of Ratankar and his wife who reside in the southern part of India, and who are great devotees of ours. Live on earth. Uphold righteousness and evolve yourself spiritually so that you reach higher levels of consciousness. Once you have attained the appropriate level of consciousness you will merge into Vishnu and become one with him.'' So saying they blessed the girl. Sometimes later a very beautiful girl child was born to Ratankar and his wife. The couple named the child Vaishnavi. The girl right from her childhood displayed a hunger for knowledge which was like a vortex and which no amount of teaching and learning could sufficiently satiate. Subsequently, Vaishnavi started looking into her inner self for knowledge, and soon learned the art of meditation and realized that meditation and penance only could bring her close to her greater objective. Vaishnavi thus relinquished all household comforts and went deep into the forest for Tapasaya (meditation). Meanwhile, Lord Rama, during his fourteen years of exile happened to visit Vaishnavi who recognized him immediately as no ordinary being but the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and immediately asked him to merge her into himself so that she could become one with the supreme creator.

However Lord Rama, knowing that it was not the appropriate time, dissuaded her by saying that he would visit her again after the end of his exile, and at that time if she succeeded in recognizing him, he would fulfill her wish. True to his words, Rama visited her again after being victorious in the battle, but this time he did so in the disguise of an old man. Unfortunately, Vaishnavi was unable to recognize him this time and was distraught. Upon this, Lord Rama consoled her that the appropriate time for her being one with the creator had not come, and that time would come eventually in 'Kaliyug' when He (Rama) would be in his incarnation of 'Kalki'. Rama also directed her to meditate, and set up an Ashram at the base of Trikuta hills, to elevate her level of spirituality so as to bless mankind and rid the poor and destitute of their sufferings.Only then would 'Vishnu' merge her into himself. Vaishnavi, immediately set off for the northern part and after immense hardships, reached the foot of the Trikuta Hills. After reaching there she set up her ashram there and began to meditate.

As predicted by Lord Rama, her glory spread far and wide, and people began to flock to her Ashram to seek her blessings. As time passed,  MahaYogi Guru Goraksh Nath ji who had a vision of the episode between Lord Rama and Vaishnavi in the retrospective time frame, became curious to find out whether Vaishnavi has been able to attain a high level of spirituality or not. He, therefore, sent his most able disciple 'Bhairon Nath' to find out the truth. Bhairon Nath on locating the ashram started observing Vaishnavi secretly, and realised that though a 'Sadhvi' she always carried bow and arrows with her, and was always surrounded by langoors (apes) and a ferocious looking lion. Bhairon Nath was enamored by Vaishnavi's extraordinary beauty, and losing all good sense he began to pester Vaishnavi to marry him. Meanwhile a staunch devotee of Vaiashnavi, Mata Sridhar organised a Bhandara (Community meal) in which the whole village and MahaYogi Guru Goraksh Nath ji along with all his followers including Bhairon were invited. During the course of Bhandara Bhairon Nath attempted to grab Vaishnavi but she tried her best to daunt him. On failing to do so, Vaishnavi decided to flee away into the mountains to continue her Tapasaya undisturbed. Bhairon Nath however chased her to her destination.

The goddess after halting at (present day) Banganga, Charan Paduka, and Adhkwari, finally reached the holy cave Shrine. When Bhairon Nath continued to follow her despite the goddess trying to avoid a confrontation, the goddess was compelled to kill him. Bhairon Nath met his ultimate fate when the goddess, just outside the mouth of the cave, beheaded him. The severed head of Bhairon fell with a force at a distant hilltop. Bhairon Nath upon death realised the futility of his mission and prayed to the deity to forgive him. The almighty Mata (Mother Goddess) had mercy on Bhairon and gave him a boon that every devotee of the goddess would have to have the Darshans of Bhairon after having the Darshans of the Goddess and only then would the yatra of a devotee be complete. Meanwhile, Vaishnavi decided to shed off her human form and assuming the face of a rock she immersed herself into meditation forever. Thus Vaishnavi, in the form of a five and a half feet tall rock with three heads or the Pindies on the top is the ultimate destination of a devotee. These Pindies constitute the Sanctum Sanctorum of the holy cave known as the shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji, which is revered by one and all.

MAHA KALI

Towards the right of the devotee is the Holy Pindi of Mata Maha Kali (the Supreme Energy of Dissolution) in the colour associated with Her i.e. black. The Supreme Energy of dissolution is Mata Maha Kali. She represents the Tam Guna- the quality associated with the darker and unknown realms of life. Tam stands for darkness. Psychology and science state that only a very small per cent of the Universe is conscious. The remaining is still subconscious or unconscious. These unknown realms contain all the mysteries of life. Creation is a phenomenon, which exists within a specific time. However the Energy that transcends the barriers of time is the Eternal Time or Maha Kali. Since man’s knowledge about life is very limited and he remains in the dark about most of it, it is represented by the colour black which is associated with Mata Maha Kali. She is the basic source of all that is mystical and unknown to man. In her attribute of Maha Kali, the Mother Goddess constantly guides her devotees to conquer the forces of darkness.

MAHA LAKSHMI

In the centre is the Holy Pindi of Mata Maha Lakshmi (the Supreme Energy of Maintenance) with a yellowish-red tinge, the colour associated with Mata Maha Lakshmi. Mata Maha Lakshmi is the Supreme Energy of Maintenance. She represents Rajas Guna- the quality of inspiration and effort, and is considered to be the basic source of wealth, prosperity, material gains, quality of life etc. Wealth and prosperity are better represented by the colour of gold, which is yellow, and hence associated with Mata Maha Lakshmi.

MAHA SARASWATI

The Pindi to the extreme left of the viewer is worshipped as the Holy Pindi of Mata Maha Saraswati (the Supreme Energy of Creation). It has a whitish tinge when looked at attentively. White has also been considered the colour associated with Mata Maha Saraswati. Being the Supreme force of Creation, Mata Maha Saraswati is considered to be the basic source of all Creation, Knowledge, Wisdom, Righteousness, Art, Spiritualism, Piousness etc. Since white is a colour that denotes piousness and purity, hence it is associated with Mata Maha Saraswati. She represents the Satva Guna- the quality of purity.

Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Ji is considered to be an incarnation of the three Supreme Energies.

All Human beings contain attributes of the three above mentioned Guns (qualities) and their behavior is determined by the Guna which is predominant in their nature. But, in order to lead a meaningful life, a proper balance among these three is necessary. The Holy Cave is charged with such energy that it helps in creating this vital but rare balance in a person. This is what makes the Holy Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi Ji unique in the entire world. 

Website:

Maa Vaishno Devi Shrine Board

Shani Shingnapur Temple

Shani Shingnapur in Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra state is a village known for its popular temple of Shani, associated with the planet (graha) Saturn. Shingnapur is 35 km from Ahmednagar city.

The temple is believed to be a "jagrut devasthan", meaning that a deity still resides in the temple icon. Villagers believe that god Shani punishes anyone attempting theft. The deity here is "Swayambhu" that is self emerged from earth in form of black, imposing stone. Though no one knows the exact period, it is believed that the Swayambhu Shanaishwara statue was found by shepherds of the then local hamlet. It is believed to be in existence at least since the start of Kali yuga.

The story of the swayambhu statue handed down from generations through word of mouth, goes something like this: When the Shepherd touched the stone with a pointed rod, the stone started bleeding. The shepherds were astounded. Soon the whole village gathered around to watch the miracle. On that night Lord Shanaishwara appeared in the dream of the most devoted and pious of the shepherds.

He told the shepherd that he is "Shaneeshwara". He also told that the unique looking black stone is his swayambhu form. The shepherd prayed and asked the lord whether he should construct a temple for him. To this, Lord Shani Mahatma said there is no need for a roof as the whole sky is his roof and he preferred to be under open sky. He asked the shephered to do daily pooja and 'Tail abhisheka' every Saturday without fail. He also promised the whole hamlet will have no fear of dacoits or burglars or thieves.

The shrine for Shani consists of a five and a half feet high black rock installed on an open-air platform, which symbolizes the god Shani. A Trishula (trident) is placed along the side of the image and a Nandi (bull) image is on the south side. In front are the small images of Shiva and Hanuman.

Generally, the temple has 30–45,000 visitors a day, which swells to around three lakh (i.e. three hundred thousand) on amavasya(the no moon day), believed to be the most auspicious day to appease Shani. The village holds a fair in honour of the deity on this day. A bigger festival is held on new moon days that fall on Saturdays. Devotees bathe Lord Shani's image with water and oil and offer flowers, and udid to him. A palanquin procession of Shani is held on the day of the fair. Other festivals include the birthday of Shani, Shani Jayanti.

Website:

Shani Shingnapur - Shri shanaishwar devasthan Trust, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra