Shakti Peethas (Shakti Temples) - Ashta Dasa Shakthi Peeta

The Shakti Peethas (holy places of cosmic power) are places of worship consecrated to the goddess 'Sati', the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect. They are sprinkled throughout the Indian subcontinent.

This goddess is often associated both with Gowri/Parvati, the benevolent goddess of harmony, marital felicity and longevity, with Durga, goddess of strength and valour, and with Mahakali, goddess of destruction of the evil.

Shakthi Peetas:

There was a great king called Daksha Prajapati who was the son of Lord Brahma, He had 27 daughters. Sati devi was one of them. Daksha gave his daughter Sati in marriage to Lord Shiva. During the conduct of a fire sacrifice, when Daksha entered the arena, every one except Lord Shiva stood up to respect him. Daksha felt very insulted by Lord Shiva's behaviour. So when he conducted a yaga again, he did not invite his daughter Sati and his son in law Lord Shiva. Sati felt sad because of this and went to the Yaga against the wishes of Lord Shiva. She was badly insulted by her father Daksha and jumped in to the sacrificial fire.

Shiva hearing this rushed to the place but could not save Parvathi. He cut off the head of Daksha and took the body of Sati in his hand and started dancing furiously. To bring down his anger, Lord Vishnu cut the body of Sati in to many pieces and these pieces fell down in different places of India. These places are called Shakthi Peetas.

Adi Shakti Peetas:

The Astashakti and Kalika Purana:

“Bimala Pada khandancha,
Sthana khandancha Tarini (Tara Tarini),
Kamakshya Yoni khandancha,
Mukha khandancha Kalika (Dakshina Kalika)
Anga pratyanga sanghena
Vishnu Chakra Kshyta nacha.'

Four major Shakti Peetas(centers) are;

Bimala (Pada Khanda)(inside the Jgannath temple of Puri,Orissa),

Tara Tarini (Stana Khanda,Breasts)(Near Berhampur,Orissa),

Kamakshi (Yoni khanda)(Near Guwahati, Assam) and

Dakhina Kalika (Mukha khanda)(Kolkata, West Bengal) originated from the limbs of the Corpse of Mata Sati in the Satya Yuga.

Maha Shakthi Peetas:

From the Stotra by Adi Shankaracharya, Ashta Dasa Shakthi Peeta Stotram:

"Lankayam Shankari devi, Kamakshi Kanchika pure
Pradyumne Shrinkhala devi, Chamunda Krouncha pattane

Alampure Jogulamba, Sri shaile Bhramarambika
Kolha pure Maha lakshmi, Mahurye Ekaveerika

Ujjainyam Maha kali, Peethikayam Puruhutika
Odhyane Girija devi, Manikya Daksha vatike

Hari kshetre Kama rupi, Prayage Madhaveshwari
Jwalayam Vishnavi devi, Gaya Mangalya gourika

Varanasyam Vishalakshi, Kashmire tu Saraswati
Ashtadasha Shakti peethani, Yoginamapi durlabham

Sayamkale pathennityam, Sarva shatri vinashanam
Sarva roga ha.ram divyam, Sarva sampatkaram shubham"

The stotra written by Ahi Shankaracharya names the places of Shakthi Peetas and the name of the Goddess in temples there.

This list contains 18 such locations which are often referred to as Maha Shakthi Peets.

Part of the body fallen - Place - Name of Shakthi;

1. Groin - Trimkomali (Sri Lanka) - Sankari devi
2. Back Part - Kanchi (Tamilnadu) - Kamakshi devi
3. Stomach part - Praddyumnam (Gujarat) - Sri Srunkala devi
4. Head hairs - Mysore (Karnataka) - Chamundeswari devi
5. Upper teeth rows - Alampur (Andhra Pradesh) - Jogulamba devi
6. Neck part - Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) - Bhramramba devi
7. Eyes - Sholapur (Maharastra) - Mahalakmi devi
8. Right hand - Nanded (Maharastra) - Ekavenika devi
9. Upper lip - Ujjain (Madya Pradesh) - Mahakalai devi
10. Left hand - Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh) - Puruhutika devi
11. Navel - Cuttack (Orissa) - Girija devi
12. Left cheek - Draksharamam (Andhra Pradesh) - Manikyamba devi
13. Vulva - Gauhathi (Assam) - Kamarupa devi
14. Fingers (hand) - Prayaga (Uttar Pradesh) - Madhaveswari devi
15. Head part - Jwala (Himachal Pradesh) - Vaishnavi devi
16. Breast part - Gaya (Bihar) - Sarvamangala devi
17. Wrist - Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) - Visalaksi devi
18. Right Hand - Kashmir - Saraswathi devi

Other versions on number of Shakthi Peetas:

Brahmanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas mentions 64 Shakthi Peeta of Goddess Parvati in the Bharat or Greater India including present day India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

According to the manuscript Mahapithapurana (circa 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 (Chattisgarh), while 7 are in what is now Bangladesh.

According to the Pitanirnaya Tantra the 52 peetas are scattered all over India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and Pakistan. The Shivacharita besides listing 52 maha-peethas, speaks about 26 more upa-peethas. The Bengali almanac, Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika too describes the 52 peetas.

Dear Viewers/Friends, we will concentrating on Adi Shankaracharya's Ashta Dasa Shakthi Peethas in coming days. We will covering all 18 temples one by one. If possible we will try to cover all 52 Shakti Peethas further, so visit us daily for spiritual yantra on 18 Shakti Peethas.