Shakti Peethas
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The Shakti Peethas (places of strength) are places of worship consecrated to the goddess 'Shakti', the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect. They are sprinkled throughout the Indian subcontinent.[1]
This goddess is often associated both with Gowrī/Parvati, the goddess of marital felicity and longevity, and with Durga, goddess of strength and valour.
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[edit] Legend
According to legend, at some time in the Satya Yuga, Daksha performed a yagna (named Vrihaspati) with a desire of taking revenge on Lord Shiva. Daksha was angry because his daughter Sati 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 (followers).
But Sati, being an uninvited guest, was not given any respect. Furthermore, Daksha insulted Shiva. Sati was unable to bear her father's insults toward her husband, so she committed suicide by jumping into the pyre.
Enraged at the insult and the injury, Shiva destroyed Daksha's sacrifice, cut off Daksha's head, and replaced it with that of a goat as he restored him to life. Still crazed with grief, he picked up the remains of Sati's body, and danced the dance of destruction through the Universe. The other gods intervened to stop this dance, and the Vishnu's disk, or Sudarshana Chakra, cut through the corpse of Sati. 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 Shakti Peethas, the Goddess Shakti is accompanied by Lord Bhairava (a manifestation of Lord Shiva).
[edit] Historical notes
According to the manuscript old manuscript Mahapithapurana (circa 1690-1720 CE), there are 51 such places. Among them, 23 are located in the Bengal region. 14 of these are located in what is now West Bengal, India, while 7 are in what is now Bangladesh.
Preserving the mortal relics of famous and respected individuals was a common practice in ancient India - seen in the Buddhist stupas which preserve the relics of Gautama Buddha. It is believed by some that these 51 peethas preserve the remains of some ancient female sage from whom the legend of Kali could have emerged and then merged with the Purusha- Prakriti (Shiva Shakti) model of Hindu thought.
[edit] Locations
The modern cities or towns that correspond to these 51 locations can be a matter of dispute, but there are a few that are totally unambiguous - for example, Kalighat in Kolkata/Calcutta and Kamakhya in Assam. According to the Pithanirnaya Tantra the 51 peethas are scattered all over India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet 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.[2]. One of the few in South India, Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd century temple. [3]
In the listings:
- "Shakti" refers to the Goddess woshipped (invaribly, in this case, a manifestation of Dakshayani/Parvati/Durga);
- "Bhairava" refers to her consort, a manifestation of Shiva;
- "Organ 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.
[edit] The 51 Shakti Peethas
| Sr. No. | Place | Organ or Ornament | Shakti | Bhairava |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sri Lanka, in Nainativu, Jaffna | Anklets | Indrakshi / Nagapooshani | Rakshaseshwar / Nanthanperan |
| 2 | Naina, a little distance from Sukkur Station from Karachi, Pakistan | Eyes | Mahishmardini | Krodhish |
| 3 | Sugandha, situated in Shikarpur, Gournadi, about 20 km from Barisal town, Bangladesh, on the banks of Sonda river. | Nose | Sunanda | Trayambak |
| 4 | Amarnath in Kashmir, India from Srinagar through Pahalgam 94 km by Bus, Chandanwari 16 km by walk | Throat | Mahamaya | Trisandhyeshwar |
| 5 | Jwalamukhi, Kangra, India from Pathankot alight at Jwalamukhi Road Station from there 20 km | Tongue | Siddhida (Ambika) | Unmatta Bhairav |
| 6 | Jalandhar, India from Jalandhar Cantonment Station to Devi Talab | Left Breast | Tripurmalini | Bhishan |
| 7 | Ambaji, at Anart, Gujarat, India | Heart | Ambaji | |
| 8 | Nepal, near Pashupatinath Temple at Gujyeshwari Temple | Both Knees | Mahashira | Kapali |
| 9 | Manas, under Tibet at the feet of Mount Kailash in Lake Mansarovar, a piece of Stone | Right Hand | Dakshayani | Amar |
| 10 | Biraja in Utkal present Orissa, India | Navel | Vimla | Jagannath |
| 11 | Gandaki from Pokhara, Nepal about 125 km on the banks of Gandaki river where Muktinath temple is situated | Temple | Gandaki Chandi | Chakrapani |
| 12 | Bahula, on the banks of Ajay river, at Ketugram 8 km from Katwa, Burdwan, West Bengal, India | Left Arm | Goddess Bahula | Bhiruk |
| 13 | Ujaani, 16 km from Guskara Station under Burdwan district of West Bengal, India | Right Wrist | Mangal Chandika | Kapilambar |
| 14 | Udaipur, Tripura, at the top of the hills known as Tripura Sundari temple near Radhakishorepur village, a little distance away from Udaipur town of Tripura, India | Right Leg | Tripura Sundari | Tripuresh |
| 15 | On the Chandranath hill near Sitakunda station of Chittagong District, Bangladesh. The famous Chandranath Temple on the top of the hill is the Bhairav temple of this Shakti Peetha, not the Shakti Peeth itself. | Right Arm | Bhawani | Chandrashekhar |
| 16 | Trisrota, at Salbari village under Boda division of Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, India | Left Leg | Bhraamari | Ambar |
| 17 | Kamgiri, Kamakhya, at the Neelachal hills near Guwahati, capital of Assam, India | Genital Organ | Kamakhya | Umanand |
| 18 | Jugaadya at Khirgram under Burdwan district, West Bengal, India | Great Toe (Right) | Jugaadya | Ksheer Khandak |
| 19 | Kalipeeth, (Kalighat, Kolkata), India | Right Toes | Kalika | Nakuleesh |
| 20 | Prayag near Sangam at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India | Finger (Hand) | Lalita | Bhava |
| 21 | Jayanti at Kalajore Baurbhag village of Falzur Pargana under Jayantia Thana of Sylhet district, Bangladesh. This Shakti Peetha is locally known as Falizur Kalibari. | Left Thigh | Jayanti | Kramadishwar |
| 22 | Kireet at Kireetkona village, 3 km from Lalbag Court Road station under district Murshidabad, West Bengal, India | Crown | Vimla | Sanwart |
| 23 | Varanasi at Manikarnika Ghat on banks of Ganga at Kashi, Uttar Pradesh, India | Earring | Vishalakshi & Manikarni | Kalbhairav |
| 24 | Kanyashram, Kanyakumari the Bhadrakali temple within the precincts of Kumari temple, Tamil Nadu, India (also thought to be situated in Chittagong, Bangladesh) | Back | Sarvani | Nimish |
| 25 | Present day Kurukshetra town or Thanesar ancient Sthaneshwar, at Haryana, India | Ankle Bone | Savitri | Sthanu |
| 26 | Manibandh, at Gayatri hills near Pushkar 11 km towards north-west from Ajmer, Rajasthan, India | Two Bracelets | Gayatri | Sarvanand |
| 27 | Shri Shail, at Jainpur village, near Gotatikar, towards north-east 3 km from Sylhet town, Bangladesh | Neck | Mahalaxmi | Sambaranand |
| 28 | Kankalitala, on the banks of Kopai river 10 km towards north-east from Bolpur station of district Birbhum, Devi locally known as KankaleshwariWest Bengal, India | Bone | Devgarbha | Ruru |
| 29 | Kalmadhav on the banks of Shon river in a cave over hills near to Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India | Buttock (Left) | Kali | Asitang |
| 30 | Shondesh, at the source point of Narmada river in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, India | Buttock (Right) | Narmada | Bhadrasen |
| 31 | Ramgiri, at Chitrakuta on the Jhansi Manikpur Railway line in Uttar Pradesh, India | Right Breast | Shivani | Chanda |
| 32 | Vrindavan, near new bus stand on Bhuteshwar road within Bhuteshwar Mahadev Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, India | Ringlets of Hair | Uma | Bhutesh |
| 33 | Shuchi, in a Shiva temple at Shuchitirtham 11 km on Kanyakumari Trivandrum road, Tamil Nadu, India | Teeth (Upper Jaw) | Narayani | Sanhar |
| 34 | Panchsagar place not known (thought to be near Haridwar) | Teeth (Lower Jaw) | Varahi | Maharudra |
| 35 | Karatoyatat, at Bhabanipur village 28 km distance from interior Sherpur. Alight at Bogra station under district Bogra, Bangladesh | Left Anklet (Ornament) | Arpana | Vaman |
| 36 | Shri Parvat, near Ladak, Kashmir, India. Another belief: at Srisailam in Shriparvat hills under Karnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India | Right Anklet (Ornament) | Shrisundari | Sundaranand |
| 37 | Vibhash, at Tamluk under district Purba Medinipur, West Bengal, India | Left Ankle | Kapalini (Bhimarupa) | Sarvanand |
| 38 | Prabhas, 4 km distance from Veraval station near Somnath temple in Junagadh district of Gujarat, India | Stomach | Chandrabhaga | Vakratund |
| 39 | Bhairavparvat, at Bhairav hills on the banks of Shipra river a little distance from Ujjaini town, Madhya Pradesh, India | Upper Lips | Avanti | Lambkarna |
| 40 | Jansthan, at Godavari river valley near Nasik, Maharasthra, India | Chin (Two Parts) | Bhramari | Vikritaksh |
| 41 | Sarvashail or Godavaritir, at Kotilingeswar temple on the banks of Godavari river near Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh, India | Cheeks | Rakini or Vishweshwari | Vatsnabh or Dandpani |
| 42 | Birat, near Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India | Left Feet Fingers | Ambika | Amriteshwar |
| 43 | Ratnavali, on the banks of Ratnakar river at Khanakul-Krishnanagar, district Hooghly, West Bengal, India | Right Shoulder | Kumari | Shiva |
| 44 | Mithila, near Janakpur Railway station on the boarder of India-Nepal | Left Shoulder | Uma | Mahodar |
| 45 | Nalhati,known as "Nalateshwari Temple" near Nalhati station of Birbhum district by rickshaw, West Bengal, India | Tubular Bones of the Feet | Kalika Devi | Yogesh |
| 46 | Karnat place not known | Both Ears | Jayadurga | Abhiru |
| 47 | Bakreshwar, on the banks of Paaphara river, 24 km distance from Siuri Town, district Birbhum,7km from Dubrajpur Rly. Station West Bengal, India | Portion between the eyebrows | Mahishmardini | Vakranath |
| 48 | Jessoreswari, situated at Ishwaripur, Shyamnagar, district Satkhira, Bangladesh. The temple complex was built by Raja Pratapaditya, whose capital was Ishwaripur. | Palms of Hands & Feet | Jashoreshwari | Chanda |
| 49 | Attahas village of Dakshindihi in the district of Bardhaman, near the Katwa Rail Station, in West Bengal, India | Lips | Phullara | Vishvesh |
| 50 | Sainthia, locally Known as "Nandikeshwari" temple. Earlier Nandipur/Now in Sainthia Town. only 1.5 km from Railway Station under a banyan tree within a boundary wall, Birbhum district, West Bengal, India | Necklace | Nandini | Nandikeshwar |
| 51 | Hingula (Or Hinglaj), southern Baluchistan a few hours North-east of Gawadar and about 125 km towards North-west from Karachi, Pakistan | Bramharandhra (Part of the head) | Kottari | Bhimlochan |
- Fullara in Birbhum district is also considered to be a shakti peetha.[4]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Article, from Banglapedia.
- ^ 51 Pithas of Parvati - From Hindunet
- ^ Shakti Pitha sites in India.
- ^ Labhpur. Birbhum District administration. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
[edit] References
- Phyllis K. Herman, California State University, Northridge (USA), "Siting the Power of the Goddess: Sita Rasoi Shrines in Modern India", International Ramayana Conference Held at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL USA, September 21-23, 2001.
- Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions (ISBN 81-208-0379-5) by David Kinsley
[edit] External links
- Sri Swamiji visits Sri Lanka for Shankari Temple Darshan
- Daksha Yagna - The story of Daksha's sacrifice and the origin of the Shakti Pithas
- Gayatri Shaktipeeth, Vatika: An Introduction
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