Shakti Peethas
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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.[1]
This goddess is often associated both with Gowrī/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.
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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 wish. 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 Dākshāyani invoked her yogic powers and immolated herself.
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] 4 Adi Shakti Peethas
Some of the great religious texts like the Shiva Purana, the Kalika Purana, the Devi Bhagavat and the AstaShakti recognize four major Shakti Peethas(centers), like Bimala (Pada Khanda), 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.
The Astashakti and Kalika Purana clearly says (IN SANSKRIT):
“Bimala Pada khandancha,
Sthana khandancha Tarini (Tara Tarini),
Kamakshya Yoni khandancha,
Mukha khandancha Kalika (Dakshina Kalika)
Anga pratyanga sanghena
'Vishnu Chakra Kshyta nacha”.'
Further explaining the importance of these four Peethas the Brihat Samhita also gives the geographical location of these Peethas. For Example:
'"Rushikulya**Tatae Devi,
Tarakashya Mahagiri,
Tashya Srunga Stitha Tara,
Vasishta rajitapara."'
(**Rushikulya: A River flowing on the foot hill of the Tara Tarini Hill Shrine).
So,there is absolutely no dispute regarding these four famous Adi Peethas.
Apart from these four there are 52 other famous Peethas recognised by religious Texts. According to the Pithanirnaya Tantra the 52 peethas 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 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 below:
- "Sati" refers to the Goddess worshipped at each location, all being manifestations of Dakshayani/Parvati/Durga);
- "Bhairava" refers to the corresponding consort, each 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.
4 Adi Shakti Peethas
| Sr. No.,Place,Organ,Shakti
1,________, Pada,Bimala 2,Near Berhampur-Orissa,Sthana khanda, Tara Tarini, 3,Guwahati-Assam,Yoni khanda, Kamakshya 4,Kolkata- West Bengal, Mukha khanda,Dakshina Kalika' [edit] The 52 Shakti Peethas
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- Khanakul Hooghly (kmarshal),Fullara in Birbhum district are also considered to be a shakti peetha.[4]
- Nainadevi in Himachal Pradesh is also considered a shakti peetha, where Sati's eyes fell. Naina Devi Temple
- Sharda Devi Temple at Maihar near Jabalpur is also considered a shakti peeth where the necklace of Sati fell.
[edit] Historical notes
First relating to Brahmanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas, it mentions 64 Shakthi Peeta of Goddess Parvati in the Bharat or Greater India including present day India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.Another text which gives a listing of these shrines, is the Shakthi Peetha Stotram, written by Adi Shankara, the 9th century Hindu philosopher [5].
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.
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[citation needed] that these 64 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 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[2]. This list contains 18 such locations which are often referred to as Maha Shakthi Peeths [3]. Sr. No. Place Part of the Body fallen Name of Shakti 1 Trimkomali(Srilanka) Groin Sankari devi 2 Kanchi (Tamil Nadu) Back Part Kamakshi Devi 3 Praddyumnam(Gujarat) Stomach part Sri srunkala devi 4 Mysore (Karnataka) Head hairs Chamundeswari devi 5 Alampur (Andhra Pradesh) Upper teeth rows Jogulamba devi 6 Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) Neck part Bhramramba devi 7 Nainital (Uttarakhand) Eyes Mahalakshmi devi 8 Nanded (Maharastra) Right hand Ekavenika devi 9 Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) Upper lip Mahakali devi 10 Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh) Left hand Puruhutika devi 11 Cuttack (Orissa) Navel Girija devi 12 Draksharamam (Andhra Pradesh) Left cheek Manikyamba devi 13 Gauhathi(Assam) Vulva Kamarupa devi 14 Prayaga (Uttar Pradesh) Fingers(hand) Madhaveswari devi 15 Jwala(Himachal Pradesh) Head part Vaishnavi devi 16 Gaya (Bihar) Breast part Sarvamangala devi 17 Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) Wrist Visalaksi devi 18 Kashmir Right Hand Saraswathi devi Among these, the Shakti Peeths 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.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Article, from Banglapedia.
- ^ 52 Pithas of Parvati - From Hindunet
- ^ Shakti Pitha sites in India.
- ^ "Labhpur". Birbhum District administration. http://birbhum.gov.in/birtour2.htm. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Shakthi Peetha Stotram Vedanta Spiritual Library.
[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
- 51 Nav Durga Shaktipeeths- Legend and listing Zee News
[edit] External links
- Shaktipeeth- Website on Shakti peethas
- 52 shakti peethas map
- 18 shakti peethas map
- 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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