Shakta pithas

Hindu literature

The Brahmanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas mentions 64 Shakta pithas of the goddess Parvati in the Bharat or Greater India including present-day India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, some parts of Southern Tibet in China and parts of southern Pakistan. Another text which gives a listing of these shrines is the Shakta pitha stotram, written by Adi Shankara, the 9th-century Hindu philosopher.^[10]

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

Daksha yajna

Prajapati Daksha organized a yajna but did not invite his daughter, Sati, or her husband, Shiva.^[11][7] Dakṣa said that Shiva is a kapālin, the king of goblins, and an inauspicious entity unworthy of receiving sacrificial shares. Despite Shiva's warnings that attending uninvited would lead to severe insult, Satī proceeded to her father's sacrificial enclosure. Upon arrival, Sati was subjected to further insults from Daksha regarding her husband. Unable to tolerate the disrespect, she resolved to abandon her physical body. Scriptural accounts vary on her method of death: some texts state she threw herself into the sacrificial fire, while others describe her using yogic concentration to release her life force. The Mahabhagavata Purana provides a specific variation, stating that Sati created a shadow-form to enter the flames and disrupt the ritual.^[12][7]

Upon learning of Sati's death, an enraged Shiva created Virabhadra, who was accompanied by Bhadrakali and Pramathas. Under Shiva's orders, Virabhadra destroyed the sacrificial grounds and decapitated Daksha. Later, after being pacified by Brahma and the other deities, Shiva revived Daksha by replacing his severed head with that of a goat.^[5][11][6]

Overwhelmed by grief, Lord Śiva placed the burnt corpse of Satī upon his shoulder and wandered through the cosmos. As he traversed the earth, the limbs and ornaments of the Goddess's body fell in various locations, transforming those sites into sacred Siddhapīṭhas or Śakti Pīṭhas. While the Mahabhagavata Purana enumerates 51 such sites, highlighting Kamakhya in Kamarupa as the prominent location where her yoni fell other scriptures, such as the Devi Bhagavata Purana, list 108 sacred Pithas.^{[6][5][12][7]}

Map of India's Shakta pithas

Biraja

Kamakhya

Vimala

Tara Tarini

Shankari

Kamakshi

Shrinkhala Devi

Chamundeshwari

Jogulamba

Bhramarambha

Ambabai

Renuka

Mahakaleshwar

Puruhutika

Manikyamba

Maa Madhaveswari

Purneshwari

Jwalamukhi

Sarvamangala

Vishalakshi

Sharada

Shakambari Devi

Aranya Devi

Hinglaj Mata

Dhakeshwari

Mahalakshmi

Mahamaya

Vaishnodevi

Meenakshi

Mahishmardini

Bargabhima Devi

Phullora

Bahula

Aparna

Chinnamasta

Gandaki Chandi

Saptashrungi

Jayanti

Jeshoreshwari

Dakshayani

Tripura Sundari

Tripuramalini

Chandrabhaga

Devgarbha

Kanya Kumari

Uma

Nagapooshani

Guhyeshwari

Maha Lakshmi

Mahamaya

Bhawani

Varahi

Bhadrakali

Shivani

Danteshwari

Chandika

Amba

Naina Devi

Nandini

Narayani

Sugandha

Jaya Durga

Katyayani

Ambika

Shaila/Shona

Tulja Bhawani

Shri Padmakshi Renuka

Sati Devi

Mahakali devi

Shakti names at locations of Shakta pithas
Blue: Adi Shakta pithas; Red: Ashtadasha Maha Shakta pithas; Yellow: Daksha yagna site; Green: Maha Shakta pithas

List of 4 Adi Shakti Pithas

The scriptures, which include the Devi Bhagvatam Purana, Kalika Purana, recognize four Shakti pithas as sites where most of the energy is. The first pitha is Kamakhya (Assam, Yoni Khaṇḍa - genitals), Vimala (Puri, Pada Khaṇḍa - feet/lower limbs), Kalighat (West Bengal, Dakṣiṇa Padāṅguli - toes of right foot) and Tara Tarini (Berhampur, Stana Khaṇḍa - breasts).

Apart from these 4 there are 48 other famous pithas recognized by religious texts. According to the Pithanirnaya Tantra the 51 pithas are in the present day countries of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Pakistan. The Shivacharita besides listing 51 maha-pithas, speaks about 26 more upa-pithas. The Bengali almanac, Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika too describes the 51 pithas including the present modified addresses. A few of the several accepted listings are given below. In South India, Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd-century temple.

List of 18 Ashtadasha Maha Shakt Pithas

There are believed to be 64 locations. Adi Shankara's Ashtadasha Shakti Pitha stotram mentions 18 locations known as the Maha Shakti Pithas.^{[citation needed]} Among these, the Shakti Pithas at Guwahati, Gaya and Ujjain are regarded as the most sacred as they symbolize the three most important duties of the Mother Goddess viz. Creation (Kamakhya Devi), Nourishment (Sarvamangala Devi), and Annihilation (Mahakali Devi).

More information Sr. No., Temple ...

Sr. No.	Temple	Place	State in India/Country	Appellation	Part of the body fallen	Shakti	Image
1	Historically unknown Recent claims : Koneswaram Temple (no Devi shrine)	Lanka Historically undetermined Recent claims : Trincomalee (Thirukonamalai)	Sri Lanka	Shankari Pitham	Groin	Goddess Shankari
2	Kamakshi Amman Temple	Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu	Kamakoti Pitham	Part of Abdomen	Goddess Kamakshi
3	Shrinkala Temple	Pradmunyee(Pandua)	West Bengal	Bhavatārini Pitham	Part of stomach	Goddess Shrinkhala
4	Chamundeshwari Temple	Mysuru	Karnataka	Krouncha Pitham	Hair	Goddess Chamundeshwari
5	Jogulamba Devi	Alampuram	Telangana	Yogini Pitham	Teeth	Goddess Jogulamba (Yogamba Thalli)
6	Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple	Srisailam	Andhra Pradesh	Srisaila Pitham	Neck	Goddess Bhramarambika
7	Mahalakshmi Temple	Kolhapur	Maharashtra	Shri Pitham	eye	Goddess Mahalakshmi (Aai Ambabai Devi)
8	Renuka	Mahur	Maharashtra	Moola Pitham	Left hand	Goddess Renuka
9	Mahakaleswar Temple	Ujjain	Madhya Pradesh	Ujjaini Pitham	Upper lip	Goddess Mahakali
10	Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple	Pithapuram	Andhra Pradesh	Pushkarini Pitham	Back	Goddess Puruhutika
11	Biraja Temple	Jajpur	Odisha	Oddyana Pitham	Navel	Goddess Biraja
12	Bhimeswara Temple	Draksharamam	Andhra Pradesh	Daksharama Pitham	Left cheek	Goddess Manikyamba
13	Kamakhya Temple	Guwahati	Assam	Kamarupa Pitham	Genitals	Goddess Kamakhya
14	Alopi Devi Mandir	Prayagraj	Uttar Pradesh	Prayaga Pitham	Fingers	Goddess Madhaveshwari
15	Jwalamukhi Temple	Jwalamukhi	Himachal Pradesh	Jwalamukhi Pitham	Tongue	Goddess Jwala
16	Mangla Gauri Temple	Gaya	Bihar	Gaya Pitham	Breast	Goddess Sarvamangala
17	Vishalakshi Temple	Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh	Varanasi Pitham	Earrings	Goddess Vishalakshi
18	Sharada Peeth	Sharda	Pakistan	Sharada Pitham	Right hand	Goddess Sharada

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Sharada Peeth is currently in a ruined state.^[13] Only ruins are found in these places. Its ruins are near the Line of Control (LOC)^[14] between the Indian and Pakistani-controlled portions of the former princely state of Kashmir and Jammu. Instead, Sringeri Sharada pitham, Sringeri in Karnataka even though not a Shakta pithas, is this aspect of the goddess. It is believed that Goddess Sharada moved from her ruined temple in Kashmir to live in the new temple in Sringeri. Requests have been made by the Hindu community in Pakistan to the Pakistani government to renovate the temple, the issue being raised by former Indian Home minister L. K. Advani to the Pakistan authorities^[15] as a confidence-building measure, by increasing the people-to-people cross-border interaction.^[14]

Currently, a new Sharada pitha temple has been inaugurated and consecrated by the Indian Government and the Sringeri Sharada Peetham in 2023, in Kupwara district, Jammu and Kashmir, on the other side of the LOC and much farther from the original temple. The Indian Government is planning an international corridor between the old Sharada pitha and India.

List of all Shakta pithas

In the listings^{[17][18][19][20]} below:

• "Shakti" refers to the Goddess worshipped at each location, all being manifestations of Goddess Sati; later known as Parvati or Durga;
• "Bhairava" refers to the corresponding consort, each a manifestation of Shiva;
• "Body Part 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.

More details on this are available in the text 'Tantrachūḍamanī'^[21] where Parvati tells these details to her son Skanda.

Important notes:

• The Guhyeshwari temple should not be confused with the Shakta pitha mentioned in the Peethanirnaya from Tantra Chudamani, where Sati's both knees are said to have fallen in Nepal and the presiding deity is Mahamaya. According to the Nepal Mahatmya 11.107 and 1.38, Sati's both knees fell near the confluence of the Vishnumati and Bagmati rivers, where the presiding deity is Mahamaya, while the Anus fell near the Bagmati river close to the Mrigasthali of the Pashupati temple, and the deity is Guhyeshwari or Guhyakali.^[22]

• The main idol of the Dhakeshwari Shakta pitha in Bangladesh is currently located to the Kumartuli Dhakeshwari Temple in Kolkata, West Bengal. The temple priest fled to India with the main idol during the partition via a specially chartered train. While in the original shrine, a replica is placed. The original holy gem of Goddess Sati was lost long before (the factual date is unknown). So for the actual idol, visit the Kumartoli shrine.

More information Sr. No., Place ...

Sr. No.	Place	State in India/Country	Body part or ornament	Shakti	Bhairava	Image
1	A. Amarnath Temple, from Srinagar through Pahalgam B. Shri Parvat in Ladakh	Jammu and Kashmir	A. Throat B. Anklet	Mahamaya Devi	Trisandhyeshwar (Amarnath)
2	Attahas Temple, Birbhum	West Bengal	Lips	Phullara Devi	Vishweshwar
3	Bahula Temple, Purba Bardhaman	West Bengal	Left arm	Goddess Bahuladevi	Bhirukeshwar
4	Bakreshwar Temple Birbhum	West Bengal	Portion between the eyebrows	Mahishamardini devi	Vakranatheshwar
5	Vimala Temple, (Inside Jagannath Temple), Puri,(Only place where both a shakti peeth and a dham exists together)	Odisha	Foot	Vimala Devi	Jagannatheshwar
6	Bhabanipur Temple, Rajshahi	Bangladesh	Left anklet (ornament)	Aparna Devi	Vamaneshwar
7	Biraja Temple, Jajpur	Odisha	Navel	Biraja Devi	Varaheshwar (Varaha)
8	Mithila, near Janakpur (This place is worshipped as the birthplace of Goddess Sita)	Nepal	Left shoulder	Uma Devi	Mahodareshwar
9	Mahamaya Temple, Kathmandu.[23]	Nepal	Both knees	Mahamaya[24] Devi	Kapali
10	Guhyeshwari Temple, near the bank of the Bagmati river, east of the Pashupatinath temple.	Nepal	Anus[25][26]	Guhyakali Devi	Pashupati
11	Muktinath Temple.[27] (This temple is also worshipped by Vaishnavites).	Nepal	Head	Gandaki Chandi Devi (avatar of Goddess Lakshmi)	Chakrapani (also worshipped as Lord Vishnu)
12	Saptashrungi Temple, Nashik	Maharashtra	Chin (2 parts)	Bhadrakali Saptashrungi Devi	Vikritaksheshwar
13	Hinglaj Mata Temple, Balochistan	Pakistan	Brahmarandhra (soft back part of the head)	Hinglaj Devi	Bhimalochaneshwar
14	Kalipeeth Temple, Kalighat, Kolkata	West Bengal	Right toes	Kali Devi	Nakuleshwar
15	Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati	Assam	Yoni (genitals)	Kamakhya Devi	Umanandeshwar or Bhayanandeshwar
16	Kankalitala Temple, Birbhum	West Bengal	Waist	Devgarbha Devi	Rurunatheshwar
17	Kanya Kumari Temple, Kanyakumari	Tamil Nadu	Back	Kanyakumari Devi	Nimisheshwar
18	Bajreshwari Mata Temple, Kangra	Himachal Pradesh	Left Breast	Jayadurga Devi	Abhirunatheshwar
19	Kiriteswari Temple, Murshidabad	West Bengal	Crown	Kiriteshwari Devi	Sanvarteshwar
20	Ratnavali Temple, Hooghly (locally known as Anandamayee Tala)	West Bengal	Right Shoulder	Kumari Devi	Ghanteshwar
21	Bhramari Devi Temple, Jalpaiguri	West Bengal	Left leg	Bhramari Devi	Ambareshwar
22	Holy stone shrine near Mansarovar Lake, Mount Kailash, Tibet	China	Right hand	Dakshayani Devi	Kailashnath
23	Ugratara Asthan Temple	Bihar	Left Eye	Goddess Tara	Saharsa
24	Manibandh Temple, Pushkar	Rajasthan	Wrists	Gayatri Devi	Sarvanandeshwar
25	Indrakshi Temple, Nainativu	Sri Lanka	Silambu (Anklets)	Indrakshi Devi (Nagapooshani / Bhuvaneshvari)	Rakshaseshwar (Nayanair)
26	Jayanti Durga Temple, Nartiang Jaintia Hills district.	Meghalaya	Left thigh	Jayanti Devi	Kramadishwar
27	Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple	Bangladesh	Palms of hands and soles of the feet	Jeshoreshwari Devi	Chandeshwar
28	Jwalamukhi Temple, Kangra	Himachal Pradesh	Tongue	Jwalamukhi Devi (Ambika)	Unmatta Bhairaveshwar
29	Panchsagar Temple, Champawat	Uttarakhand	Lower teeth/ Navel	Varahi Devi	Maharudra
30	Near Somnath temple, Veraval, Gir Somnath district. It is nearby Triveni Sangam.	Gujarat	Stomach	Chandrabhaga Devi	Vakratundeshwar
31	Alopi Devi Mandir near Sangam at Prayagraj	Uttar Pradesh	Finger	Alopi Devi	Bhaveshwar
32	Bhadrakali Temple, either in Kurukshetra or Thanesar	Haryana	Ankle bone	Bhadrakali Devi	Sthanu
33	Maa Sharda Mandir, Maihar	Madhya Pradesh	Necklace[28]	Sharada Devi	Chandeshwar
34	Nandikeshwari Temple, Sainthia city	West Bengal	Necklace	Nandini Devi	Nandikeshwar
35	Manikyamba Temple, Draksharamam, Kakinada	Andhra Pradesh	Navel	Manikyamba	Bheemeshwar
36	Naina Devi Temple	Himachal Pradesh	Right eye	Mahishamardini Devi	Krodhishwar
37	Narmada temple, at the source point of Narmada River in Amarkantak	Madhya Pradesh	Right buttock	Narmada Devi	Bhadraseneshwar
38	Bhramaramba Temple, Srisailam	Andhra Pradesh, India	Neck	Bhramarambika Devi	Mallikarjuna
39	Narayani Temple, Suchindram	Tamil Nadu	Upper teeth	Narayani Devi	Sihareshwar
40	Sugandha Temple, situated in Shikarpur, Gournadi, about 20 km from Barisal town	Bangladesh	Nose	Sugandha Devi	Trayambakeshwar
41	Tripura Sundari temple, Udaipur	Tripura	Right leg	Tripura Sundari (Third mahavidya) (main form of Parvati)	Kameshwar
42	Ujaani, Purba Bardhaman district	West Bengal	Right wrist	Mangal Chandika	Kapilambareshwar
43	Vishalakshi Temple, Varanasi	Uttar Pradesh	Earring	Vishalakshi Devi	Kala Bhairaveshwar
44	Vibhash Shakta pitha, Purba Medinipur	West Bengal	Left ankle	Kapalini Devi (Bhimarupa) also known as Bargabhima Devi	Sarvanandeshwar
45	Ambika Shakti pitha, Bharatpur, India	Rajasthan	Fingers of Left Leg	Ambika Devi	Amritaksheshwar
46	Katyayini Shakti pitha, Vrindavan	Uttar Pradesh	Ringlets of hair	Katyayini Devi	Bhuteshwar
47	Devi Talab Mandir, Jalandhar	Punjab	Left Breast	Tripuramalini Devi	Bhishaneshwar
48	Baidyanath Dham, Deoghar	Jharkhand	Heart	Jayadurga Devi	Vaidyanath
49	Adi Kamakshi Amman Temple (behind Kamakshi Amman Temple), Kanchipuram	Tamil Nadu	Odyanam (Navel)	Kamakshi Devi (Saumya Kali)	Ekambareshwar
50	Jogadya, Burdwan district	West Bengal	Big Toe	Jogadya Devi	Ksheerkantakeshwar
51	Puruhutika Temple, Kakinada, Pithapuram	Andhra Pradesh	Hip part	Puruhutika	Durvaseshwar
52	Arasuri Ambaji Shakta pitha at Gabbar Hill (Golden Temple of Gujarat)	Gujarat	Heart	Amba	Batuka Bhairava
53	Danteshwari Temple, Dantewada	Chhattisgarh	Tooth	Danteshwari Devi	Kapala Bhairava
54	Tara Tarini, Purushottampur, Ganjam	Odisha	Breast	Tara Tarini Devi	Tumbeshwar
55	Nalhateswari, Nalhati	West Bengal	Stomach/Nauli	Kalika Devi	Jogeshwar
56	Avanti Temple, Ujjain	Madhya Pradesh	Elbow	Avanti Devi	Lambkarneshwar
57	Shankari Temple, originally located in an unknown place. This shrine is now identified with Koneswaram Temple in Trincomalee.	Sri Lanka	Groin	Shankari Devi	Trikoneshwar
58	Mahalakshmi Temple, Shri Shail, Sylhet	Bangladesh	Neck	Mahalakshmi	Sambaranandeshwar
59	Dhakeshwari Temple (now relocated at Dhakeswari Mata Temple), Kumartoli	Dhaka, Bangladesh Currently in West Bengal, India	Gem of Sati's Crown	Dhakeshwari Devi (a form of Durga)	Shiva
60	Tarapith Rampurhat	West Bengal	Third eye	Tara Devi (second mahavidya)	Chandrachuda Bhairava
61	Chinnamastika Temple, Chintpurni	Himachal Pradesh	Foot	Chhinnamastika Devi	Rudra Mahadeva
62	Kaali Mandir,Pavagadh Archaeological Park.	Gujarat	Right leg toe	Mahakali Devi	Batuka Bhairava
63	Aranya Devi Temple, Arrah	Bihar	Right thigh[29]	Aranyani	Bhuma Bhairava
64	Tuljabhavani Temple, Tuljapur	Maharashtra		Tuljabhavani Devi	Bhairava
65	Vaishno Devi Temple, Katra	Jammu and Kashmir	Skull/Right arm[30]	Vaishno Devi	Bhairava
66	Tripura Sundari Temple, Banswara	Rajasthan	Unknown	Goddess Tripura Sundari	Aanand Bhairava
67	Chattal Bhavani Temple, Chittagong	Bangladesh	Upper teeth	Chattal Bhawani Devi	Chandrashekhar
68	Jnanakshi Rajarajeshwari Temple, Bengaluru	Karnataka	Ear[21][31]	Goddess Tripura Sundari as Rajarajeshwari	Abiru Bhairava

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Other Shakipeeths:-

The following shrines are not recognised as the Shakta pithas, but are still claimed by the devotees and priests, for various reasons.

1. Jwala Devi Temple in Jobner, Rajasthan, India

2. Jayanti Kali Temple (location disputed)

3. Asamai Devi Temple in Kabul, Afghanistan

4. Juranpur Kali Temple in West Bengal, India

5. Ambika Bhawani, Saran, Bihar (Yagyashala of Daksh)

5. Sarbamangala Temple in Burdwan, West Bengal (the temple priests claim that Goddess Sati's body part fell here)

6. Jogamaya Shakta pitha in Kalahandi, Odisha, India

There are disputes about the location of the Jayanti Shakta pitha. Based on most presented manuscripts and facts it is situated in the namesake Jaintiapur Upazila town, Bangladesh, which was previously the capital of the Jaintia Hills tribe kingdom, in the Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya, India, excluding Jaintiapur. However, some believe that the Nartiang Durga Temple is the true Jayanti Shakta pitha, although historical evidence supporting this claim is limited. However there is a temple in near baligaon, kanaighat sylhet which claim to be the true jayanti devi temple, named bam jhangha Kali mandir.

argue the actual shrine is at Amta in West Bengal, where the goddess is worshiped as Maa Melai Chandi in Melai Chandi Mandir. But this fact can not be corroborated with any evidence. Moreover, refuting most texts, in Melai Chandi Mandir, the Bhairava is Durgeshwar rather than Kramadishwar. Some also identify the Jayanti shrine with the Mahakal cave temple situated in the village Jayanti of Alipurduar in India,[32][33] where many statues were created by Stalagmites and Stalactites (natural rock formations), but there is no evidence.