Shivakumara Swami

Shivakumara Swami was an Indian supercentenarian spiritual leader, humanitarian and educator. He was a religious figure and head of the Siddaganga Matha in Karnataka. He also founded the Sri Siddaganga Education Society. He was referred to as Nadedaaduva Devaru (walking God). 

Shivanna was born on 1 April 1907 in Veerapura, a village near Magadi in the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore (in present-day Ramanagara district of Karnataka state). He was the youngest of thirteen children of Gangamma and Honnegowda. Having been devoted followers of the deities Gangadhareshwara and Honnadevi, Shivanna's parents took him to the shrines in Shivagange, alongside other religious centres around Veerapura. His mother Gangamma died when he was eight.

Shivanna completed his elementary education in a rural anglo-vernacular school in Nagavalli, a village in the present-day Tumkur district. He passed his matriculation in 1926. He was also a resident-student at the Siddaganga Math for a brief span during this time. He enrolled in Central College of Bangalore to study in arts with physics and mathematics as optional subjects, but was unable to earn the bachelor's degree as he was named successor of Uddana Shivayogi Swami to head the Siddaganga Matha. Shivanna was proficient in Kannada, Sanskrit and English languages.

After losing his friend and the heir to head the Siddaganga Matha, Sri Marularadhya, in January 1930, Shivanna was chosen in his place by the incumbent chief Shivayogi Swami. Shivanna, then renamed Shivakumara, entered the viraktashram (the monks' order) on 3 March that year upon formal initiation, and assumed the pontifical name Shivakumara Swami. He assumed charge of the Matha on 11 January 1941, following the death of Shivayogi Swami.

The Swami founded a total of 132 institutions for education and training that range from nursery to colleges for engineering, science, arts and management as well as vocational training. He established educational institutions which offer courses in traditional learning of Sanskrit as well as modern science and technology. He was widely respected by all communities for his philanthropic work.

The Swami's gurukula houses more than 10,000 children from ages five to sixteen years at any point in time and is open to children from all religions, castes, and creeds who are provided free food, education, and shelter (Trivida Dasohi). The pilgrims and visitors to the mutt also receive free meals. Under the pontiff's guidance, an annual agricultural fair is held for the benefit of the local population. The Government of Karnataka announced the institution of Shivakumara Swamiji Prashasti from 2007, the centennial birth anniversary of Swamiji. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, visited him at Tumkur and praised the initiatives of Swami in education and humanitarian work.

On 21 January 2019, he was in a critical condition after his pulse and blood pressure dropped and he was pronounced dead at 11:44 a.m. that day. 

In recognition of his humanitarian work, the Swami was conferred with an honorary degree of Doctor of Literature by the Karnataka University in 1965. On his centenary in 2007, the Government of Karnataka awarded Swami the prestigious Karnataka Ratna award, the highest civilian award of the state. In 2015 the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan.

Shankaracharya Temple

The Shankaracharya Templeor Jyoteshware temple is on top of the Shankaracharya Hill on the Zabarwan Mountain in Srinagar, Kashmir. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is at a height of 1,000 feet (300 m) above the plain, overlooking the city of Srinagar. 

The temple dates to 200 BC, although the present structure probably dates to the 9th century AD. It was visited by Adi Shankara and has ever since been associated with him; this is how the temple got the name Shankaracharya.

According to Pandit Anand Koul (1924) the temple was originally built by the Hindu king "Sandiman" who, according to Koul, reigned in Kashmir from 2629 to 2564 BC.

The earliest historical reference to the hill comes from Kalhana. He called the mountain Gopadri. Kalhana says that King Gopaditya granted the land at the foot of the hill to the Brahmins that had come from the "Araya versh." The land grant was called "GOPA AGRAHARAS". This area is now called Gupkar. Kalhana also mentions that King Gopaditya built the temple on the top of the hill as a shrine to Jyesthesvara (Shiva Jyestharuda) around 371 BC.

It is said that Lalitaditya Muktapida (724-726 AD) of Karakote dynasty did repairs to the temple. The Dogra King Gulab Singh (1846-1857 AD) constructed the steps to the hill from Durga Naag temple side. The Maharaja of Mysore came to Kashmir in 1925 and he made the electrical installations at the temple. In 1961 Shankaracharaya of Dwarkapeetham put the statue of Adi Shankaracharaya in the temple. In 1974 the Government of J&K constructed the road that goes to the top of the hill.

Kashmir is believed to be the seat of Shaivam, the Himalaya Mountains and Sri Kailashagiri as "The massed laughter of Sri Shiva." It was from here that the sweet nectar of Shiva devotion spread in India and around the globe, by the spiritual works of saints like Adi Shankaracharya. Soundarya Lahari was composed by Adi Shankara atop the Gopadari Hill, after accepting the fact that the union of Sri Shiva and Devi Shakti, as in Shaktism, transpired into the Shakti-Shri Chakra, the symbol of Devi (Goddess), as Sri Yantra, as mentioned in 'Shankara Digvijay' - Life history of Shankaracharya, and only when Shiva is united with Shakti does he have the power to create.

The Jyoteshware temple rests on a solid rock. A 20-foot tall octagonal base supports a square building on top. The terrace around the square temple is reached by a stone staircase enclosed between two walls. A doorway on the opposite side of the staircase leads to the interior, which is a small and dark chamber, circular in plan. The ceiling is supported by four octagonal columns, which surround a Basin containing a Lingam encircled by a snake. There are 243 steps leading up to the temple area and another 8-10 steps from there to the temple hall.

Makar Sankranti

Makara Sankranti, is a festival day in the Hindu calendar, in reference to deity Surya (sun). It is observed each year in January. It marks the first day of sun's transit into the Makara (Capricorn), marking the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days. 

Makara Sankranti is one of the few ancient Indian festivals that has been observed according to solar cycles, while most festivals are set by the lunar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar. Being a festival that celebrates the solar cycle, it almost always falls on the same Gregorian date every year (January 14), except in some years when the date shifts by a day for that year.

Makara Sankranti is observed with social festivities such as colorful decorations, rural children going house to house, singing and asking for treats in some areas (or pocket money), melas (fairs), dances, kite flying, bonfires and feasts.

The Magha Mela, is mentioned in the Hindu epic (the Mahabharata), thus placing this festival to be around 5,000 years old.

Makara Sankranti is regarded as important for spiritual practices and accordingly, people take a holy dip at the Prayaga confluence of the River Ganga and River Yamuna at the Kumbha Mela. The bathing is believed to result in merit or absolution of past sins.Every twelve years, the Hindus observe Makar Sankranti with one of the world's largest mass pilgrimages, with an estimated 40 to 100 million people attending the event.

A shared cultural practices found amongst Hindus of various parts of India is making sticky, bound sweets particularly from sesame (til) and a sugar base such as jaggery (gud, gur). This type of sweet is a symbolism for being together in peace and joyfulness, despite the uniqueness and differences between individuals.

For most parts of India, this period is a part of early stages of the Rabi crop and agricultural cycle, where crops have been sown and the hard work in the fields is mostly over. The time thus signifies a period of socializing and families enjoying each other's company, taking care of the cattle, and celebrating around bonfires, flying kites.

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