Shaktipeeths in India: Significance of Hindu Pilgrimage Sites

SHAKTIPEETHS IN THE COUNTRY

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Context

Sangeet Natak Akademi, as part of its Kala Pravah series, is organizing the 'Shakti: A Festival of Music and Dance' during the auspicious Navaratri period, starting from April 9, 2024.

Details

Navaratri, symbolizing the power of nine goddesses, serves as the inspiration for the festival.
The festival will celebrate temple traditions across seven different Shaktipeeths from April 9 to April 17, 2024, in various parts of the country.

Shakti Pithas

Shakti Pithas, also known as Shakti Peethas, are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations within Shaktism, the goddess-centric denomination in Hinduism. These shrines are dedicated to various forms of Adi Shakti.

Number and Significance

Various Puranas mention differing numbers of Shakti Pithas, ranging from 51, 52, 64 to 108.
Among these, 18 are recognized as Astadasha Maha (major) Shakti Pithas in medieval Hindu texts.

Distribution of Shakti Pithas

While most Shakti Pithas are in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan also house such sites.
The exact number and location of these sites vary in ancient and modern sources, with some sites being more prominent than others.

List of 51 Shakti Peethas

S.No.	Shakti Peeth	Description
1	Kamakhya / Kamrup-Kamakhya temple / Kamakhya Devalaya	Goddess Sati's yoni, is worshipped at this shrine, which is located in Guwahati, Assam.
2	Avanti / Mahakali Devi	Mother's upper lips fell on the Bhairav mountain near the banks of river Shipra in Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh.
3	Lalita / Alopi Mata / Prayag Shakti Peeth	Mother's finger fell on Sangam beach of Allahabad city in Uttar Pradesh. This Shaktipeeth is also known as Lalitha and Prayad Temple.
4	Vishalakshi / Manikarnika	Mother's earrings fell on the Manikarnika Ghat in Kashi, Uttar Pradesh. Also known as Vishalakshi Gauri Temple
5	Bhabanipur Shaktipeeth /Aparna	Aparna Shakti Peeth is a place where the left anklet (Ornament) of Goddess Mata Sati fell. Located in Bangladesh Goddess is worshiped as arpana or Arpan.
6	Bahula / Bahula Devi Mandir	Bahula Shakti Peeth is situated on the banks of the invincible river, 8 km from Bardhaman district from Bengal where the left hand of Mata Sati fell.
7	Bhawani - Chandranath Temple	It is said that the right hand of Mata Sati fell here. It is located at Sitakunda Railway Station in Chittagong district, Bangladesh.
8	Trisrota Maa Bhramari Shakti Peeth / Bhramari	Mother's left leg was dropped at Trisrota Maa Bhramari Sakti Peeth in Salbari village of Bengal. We cannot reach Panchgarh by air or rail. The road distance between Dhaka and Panchgarh is 344 km. Hino-chair coach services (private sector) are available from Ghatpoli, Shemoli and Mirpur road bus terminals in Dhaka to Panchagarh city.
9	Jansthan / Bhramari	Mother's chin fell on Nashik Nagar in Maharashtra. The nearest railway station and airport is located at Nashik.
10	Prabhas - Chandrabhaga	Mother's abdomen fell in the Prabhas area of Somnath temple located in Junagadh district of Gujarat. In terms of airways, both international and national airports are located near Junagadh. Trains from every part of the country come to this city.
11	Maa Chintpurni Temple / Chhinmastika	Located in Una district of Himachal Pradesh, Feet of Goddes has fell here.
12	Manasa / Dakshayani	This Shakti Peeth of Mata is established near Mansarovar located in Tibet. At this place, the right hand of Mata Mata Sati fell. A limited number of Indian pilgrims are allowed to visit Kailash Mansarovar every year.
13	Gandaki chandi - Muktinath Temple	Muktinath Shaktipeeth is located in Nepal at the place called Pokhara on the banks of Gandaki river where the forehead or shrine of Mother was dropped.
14	Manibandh - Gayatri	Manibandh, also known as Manivedika Shakti Peeth and Gayatri Temple, is located 11 km north-west of Ajmer near Gayatri Pahar near Pushkar, Rajasthan where Mata's wrist fell. The nearest airport from Pushkar is in Jaipur.
15	Indrakshi / Nagapooshani / Bhuvaneswari	Mata's anklet fell in Trincomalee in Sri Lanka.
16	Yashore / Yashoreswari / Jeshoreshwari	Mother's palm fell at Yashore in Ishwaripur in Khulna district of Bangladesh. The nearest airport is located in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and the airport has provision for both national and international flights. There is no rail route between the two countries, so there are some buses that go from major cities of India to this holy site.
17	Baidyanath / Vaidyanath / Jayadurga	Mother's heart fell on Baidyanath Dham located in Jharkhand. Here the form of mother is known as Jai Mata and Bhairava as Vaidyanath or Baidaynath.
18	Brajeshwari Devi Temple / Karnat / Jayadurga	Brajeshwari Devi Temple is located in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, where both the ears of Mata Sati fell. Here the goddess is worshiped as Jayadurga or Jayadurga and Lord Shiva as Abhiru.
19	Jayanti - Nartiang Durga Temple	Nartiang Shakti Peeth is located on the Jaintia hill of Meghalaya where the left thigh of Goddess Mata Sati fell. Here Goddess Mata Sati is worshiped as Jayanti and Lord Shiva as Kramashishwara.
20	Yugandya Temple / Kshirgram	The thumb of the right leg of the mother was dropped on the Bardhaman district of West Bengal. It is also known as Kshirgram Shakti Peeth.
21	Kalmadhav / Devi Kali	Mother's left buttock fell near the river Shon in Kalamadhav Temple in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh.
22	Kalighat Kali Temple / Kalika	Mother's right toe fell in Kalighat, located in Kolkata city of West Bengal. The nearest bus stand is Nalhati bus stand and The nearest railway station is Nalhati Junction. The nearest airport is at Dumdum, Kolkata.
23	Kankaleshwari / Devgrabha / Kankalitala	Kankalitala, 10 km northeast of Bolpur station in Birbhum district, West Bengal, on the banks of the Koppai river, the goddess is locally known as Kankaleshwari, where the mother's pelvis fell.
24	Vibhash / Kapalini	Mother's left ankle fell at East Medinipur district in West Bengal. It is about 90 kilometers from Kolkata, and is situated on the banks of the Rupnarayan River close to the Bay of Bengal.
25	Hinglaj - Kottari	Hingla or Hinglaj Shakti Peeth is located in Baluchistan, Pakistan. Mata Sati's head fell here.
26	Ratnavali - Kumari	Mother's right shoulder fell on the Khanakul-Krishnanagar road in Hooghly district of Bengal. Rail road transport is the most common mode of transport in this part of the country. It is also known as Anandamayee Shakti Peeth
27	Shri Shail - Mahalaxmi / Bhairab Griba Shhakti Peeth	Mother's neck was dropped at a place called Shail near Sylhet district of Bangladesh. The national airport is in Dhaka, which is 20 km from the city.
28	Amarnath/ Mahamaya	Mother's neck fell near Pahalgam district in Kashmir. This Shaktipeeth is known as Mahamaya.
29	Mahashira Shakti Peeth / Kapali / Guhyeshwari Temple	Mother both knees fell on this Shakti Peeth located in Pashupatinath Nath, Nepal. It is popularly known as Guhyeshwari Temple
30	Bakreshwar Temple, Birbhum / Mahishmardini Shaktipeeth Shri	The temple lies on the banks of the Paaphra River in the district of Birbhum, Bangladesh. It is said to be that Sati's portion between the eyebrows fell here.
31	Shivaharkaray / Mahishamardini Shivaharkaray (Karavipur)	Located at Karachi near near Sukkur Station, Pakistan, eyes of the Goddess fell here.
32	Ujani Shaktipeeth Shri Mangal Chandi Temple	Mother's right wrist fell at a place called Ujani in Bardhaman district in Bengal.
33	Nandikeshwari Temple, Sainthia / Nandipur Shakti Peeth / Nandini	Mata's necklace was lost in Birbhum district of West Bengal. Birbhum has a number of direct buses starting from various places. This Shakti Peeth is only 10 minutes away from the local railway station.
34	Suchindram Temple /Shuchi / Narayani	On the Kanyakumari-Thiruvananthapuram route in Tamil Nadu, there is the Shuchi Theertham Shiva temple, where the upper dental of the mother fell. From Kanyakumari, local transportation is required to reach the Suchindram Temple. The nearest airport is Trivandrum.
35	Attahas / Phullara / Fullara	Mata's lower labia fell at the Attahas location of West Bengal.
36	Rakini / Godavari Tir / Sarvashail	Mother's left Hand (cheek) fell on Kotilingeshwara on the banks of Godavari river in Rajahmundry region of Andhra Pradesh.
37	Kanyashram - Sarvani	Mother's back fell in Kanyashram. This Shaktipeeth is known as Sarvani. Kanyashram is also known as Kalikasram or Kanyakumari Shakti Peeth.
38	Savitri / Bhadrakali Shaktipeeth Shri Devikoop Temple, Kurukshetra	Mother's ankle fell in Kurukshetra district of Haryana.
39	Ramgiri - Shivani	Mother's right breast fell at Ramgiri place near Chitrakoot in Uttar Pradesh.
40	Shriparvat - Shrisundari	Mother's right foot fell on the mountain in Ladakh region of Kashmir. July to September is considered the best time to go by road. The nearest railway station is Jammu Tawi which is 700 km from Ladakh. The nearest airport is at Leh. Another Belief: It is located in Kurnool Andhra Pradesh.
41	Jwalaji / Siddhida (Ambika)	Mata Mata Sati's tongue fell in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh. This Shaktipeeth is called Jwalaji Sthan. It is located 30 km south of Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh, 60 km from Dharamshala.
42	Sugandha Shaktipeeth / Sunanda	Sugandha Shaktipeeth is a temple dedicated to Goddess Sunanda. It is located in Shikharpur village of Bulisal, 10 km north of Bangladesh. It is said that Maa Sati's nose fell here.
43	Tripura Sundari temple / Tripureshwari Temple	Mother's right foot was dropped at Radhakishorepur village near Udaipur in Tripura.
44	Tripurmalini / Shri Devi Talab Mandir	Devi Talab is near Jalandhar Cantonment in Punjab where the left breast of the mother was dropped. It is about 1 kilometer from the nearest railway station and is located in the city center.
45	Katyayani Shakti Peeth	The ringlets of mother's hair fell in Vrindavan tehsil of Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh.
46	Mithila Shakti Peeth	Located near Janakpur Station Darbhanga on the border of Bihar, India- Nepal. Left shoulder of the goddess here.
47	Panchsagar - Varahi	Panchasagar Shakti Peeth, where the lower teeth (Jaw) of Mother Sati fell. It is located near Haridwar in Uttrakhand.
48	Vimala / Kiriteswari Temple	Mother's crown fell near Kireetkona village in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
49	Biraja temple / Birija Kshetra	Biraja temple or Biraja Kshetra is one of the beautiful temples of Jajpur, located in the Indian state of Odisha. It is considered that Mother’s naval fell in this place.
50	Shri Ambika Shaktipeeth / Virat	Located in Virat, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, It is said to be that leet feel fingers fell here.
51	Maa Narmada Temple / Shona Shaktipeeth	Mother's right buttock was dropped at the origin of Narmada located in Amarkantak district of Madhya Pradesh.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Discuss the significance of Shakti Peethas in Hinduism, their legends, and their impact today. Evaluate their distribution across South Asia and their role in cultural exchange.