The Shakti Peethas (holy places of cosmic power) are places of worship consecrated to the goddess 'Shakti', the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakti sect. Shaktipeeth are sprinkled throughout the Indian subcontinent. This goddess is often associated both with Gorri / Parvati, the benevolent goddess of harmony, marital felicity and longevity, with Durga, goddess of strength and valour, and with Mahakali (the black one) , goddess of destruction of the evil.
Legend
According to legend, at some time in Satya Yuga, Daksha (who was the son of Lord Brahma) performed a yagna in a place called Kankhal (near Haridwar) This Yagya was named Vrihaspati Yagna .He performed this Yagna with a desire of taking revenge on Lord Shiva. Daksha was angry because his daughter Sati (one of his 27 daughters) had married the 'yogi' God Shiva against his wishes. Daksha invited all the deities to the yagna except for Shiva and Sati. The fact that she was not invited did not deter Sati from attending the yagna. She had expressed her desire to attend to Shiva, who had tried his best to dissuade her from going. Shiva eventually allowed her to go escorted by his ganas.
But Sati, being an uninvited guest, was not given any respect by his father. Further more, Daksha insulted Shiva. Sati was unable to bear her father's insults toward her husband, so she committed suicide by jumping into the yagna fire (sacrificial fire)
When Lord Shiva heard about her death he became furious. He along with his ganas (followers) went to the place where Daksha was performing his oblation,. The oblation site was completely destroyed by Shiva and his ganas (mainly by the great Veerbhadra) and killed Daksha.
Lord Shiva then carried the corpse of Sati and started dancing furiously all over the place like a lunatic. The other gods intervened to stop this dance.
To bring down his anger, Lord Vishnu severed the dead body with his Sudarshan chakra. Various parts of the body fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed the sites of which are known as Shaktipeeth.
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
S. No. |
Location |
Part of the body fallen |
Name of Shakti |
1 |
Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) |
Groin |
Shankari devi |
2 |
Kanchi (Tamil Nadu) |
Back part |
Kamakshi Devi |
3 |
Pradyumna* (West Bengal) |
Stomach part |
Srunkhala devi |
4 |
Mysore (Karnataka) |
Hair |
Chamundeshwari devi |
5 |
Alampur (Andhra Pradesh) |
Upper teeth |
Jogulamba devi |
6 |
Srisailam(Andhra Pradesh) |
Neck part |
Bhramaramba devi |
7 |
Kolhapur(Maharastra) |
Eyes |
Mahalakshmi devi[9] |
8 |
Nanded(Maharastra) |
Right hand |
Ekaveerika devi |
9 |
Ujjain(Madhya Pradesh) |
Upper lip |
Mahakali devi |
10 |
Pithapuram(Andhra Pradesh) |
Left hand |
Puruhutika devi |
11 |
Purnagiri Temple,Tanakpur State |
Navel |
Purnagiri temple Tanakpur , |
12 |
Draksharamam(Andhra Pradesh) |
Left cheek |
Manikyamba devi |
13 |
Guwahati(Assam) |
Vulva |
Kamarupa devi |
14 |
Prayaga(Uttar Pradesh) |
Fingers |
Madhaveswari devi |
15 |
Kangra(Himachal Pradesh) |
Head part |
Vaishnavi devi |
16 |
Gaya(Bihar) |
Breast part |
Sarvamangala devi |
17 |
Varanasi(Uttar Pradesh) |
Wrist |
Vishalakshi devi |
18 |
Kashmir* |
Right hand |
Saraswathi devi |
[*] The temple is currently non-existent. Only a few ruins are found in these places. Instead, Sringeri in Karnataka is believed to be the Shakti Peeth of this aspect of the goddess.
Among these, the Shakti Peethas at Kamakhya, Gaya and Ujjain are regarded as most sacred as they symbolise three most important aspects of mother Goddess viz. Creation (Kamarupa Devi), Nourishment (Sarvamangala Devi/Mangalagauri) and Annihilation (Mahakali Devi).
When observed carefully one can see that they lie in a perfect straight line from Kamakhya to Ujjain via Gaya symbolizing that every creation in this universe will annihilate one day without fail.
SHAKTIPEETH STROTRA
| Lankayam Shankari devi, Kamakshi Kanchika pure |
| Pradyumne Shrinkhala devi, Chamunda Krouncha pattane |
| Goddess Shankari in Sri lanka, Kamakshi in Kanchipuram, Goddess Shrinkhala in Pradyumna and Chamunda in Mysore |
| Alampure Jogulamba, Sri shaile Bhramarambika Kolha pure Maha lakshmi, Mahurye Ekaveerika |
| Goddess Jogulamba in Alampur, Goddess Brhamarabika in Sri Shailam, Goddess Maha Lakshmi in Kolhapur and Goddess Eka veera in Mahur |
| Ujjainyam Maha kali, Peethikayam Puruhutika Odhyane Girija devi, Manikya Daksha vatike |
| Goddess Maha Kali in Ujjain Purhuthika in Peethika, Goddess Girija in Odhyana and goddess Manikya in the house of Daksha, |
| Hari kshetre Kama rupi, Prayage Madhaveshwari Jwalayam Vishnavi devi, Gaya Mangalya gourika |
| Goddess Kama rupi in the temple of Vishnu, Goddess Madhevaswari in Allahabad, The flame gving Goddess in Jwala muki and Mangala Gouri in Gaya. |
| Varanasyam Vishalakshi, Kashmire tu Saraswati Ashtadasha Shakti peethani, Yoginamapi durlabham |
| Goddess Visalakshi in Varanasi, Goddess Saraswathi in Kashmir, Are the 18 houses of Shakthi, which are rare even to devas. |
| Sayamkale pathennityam, Sarva shatri vinashanam Sarva roga haram divyam, Sarva sampatkaram shubham |
Om Shum…