Key Takeaways
- The list names each Shakti Peetha and where it’s located.
- It shows which part of Devi Sati’s body is linked to each Peetha.
- These places are spread across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
- Every Peetha honors a form of the goddess tied to the specific body part that fell there.
- These sites are essential for religious ceremonies in the Shakti tradition of Hinduism.
Exploring the Shakti Peethas reveals deep insights into Hindu spirituality and culture. These sacred sites mark where parts of the goddess Sati fell. They remind us of the powerful stories at the heart of Hindu worship.
Each site is more than just a location; it’s a lively place of pilgrimage. People from various backgrounds visit these sites seeking blessings and spiritual growth. The influence of the peethas goes beyond religion, shaping local traditions and cultural practices. They stand as symbols of divine female power and show how spiritual tales are woven into their regions’ social and cultural fabric.
What are Shakti Peethas?
Significance in Hinduism
Why are Shakti Peethas important in Hinduism? These sacred places honor the divine feminine, Shakti or Devi. Each Shakti Peetha marks where a part of Devi Sati’s body fell, making these spots deeply sacred.
They are potent centers where people feel the goddess’s energy strongly. More than just travel spots, they are places where people learn and practice rituals that honor goddesses in Hindu stories. They celebrate women’s sacredness and creative power, reflecting Hindu culture’s deep respect for the feminine.
Origin and history
Shakti Peethas originated from ancient Hindu stories. They tell of a tragic event involving the goddess Sati, who was married to Shiva. Sati killed herself in a fire to protest her father Daksha’s lack of respect for Shiva. Distraught, Shiva carried her body and performed a destructive dance. To stop the destruction, Lord Vishnu cut Sati’s body into pieces with his weapon, the Sudarshan Chakra.
The places where her pieces fell became known as Shakti Peethas. These spots, scattered across the Indian subcontinent, are powerful centers dedicated to worshipping the divine feminine. They are important pilgrimage sites for many people.
List of 51 Shakti Peethas
Sure! Here is a table with the given data:
| 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. |
Names, locations, and body parts of Devi Sati
The 51 Shakti Peethas are sacred sites where parts of Devi Sati’s body fell. They are located across the Indian subcontinent, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Each site honors a different body part, from her head to her toes. These places are essential for their religious stories and the specific forms of the goddess Shakti and Lord Shiva worshipped there. The names of these forms often reflect the body part found at each site, linking each location deeply with cultural and spiritual stories.
Details about each Shakti Peetha
In Hindu tradition, 51 Shakti Peethas are crucial, each marking where parts of Devi Sati’s body landed. These sacred places are across India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Believers visit these sites to honor Goddess Shakti in her many forms and Lord Shiva, her divine partner and guardian.
- Kamakhya Temple: Celebrates the divine feminine, symbolized by the yoni, representing fertility and power.
- Kalighat: Honors the toes of Sati.
- Jwalamukhi: Where Sati’s tongue fell, revered as the deity with a flaming mouth.
- Vishalakshi Temple: Focuses on the eyes, representing vision and insight.
- Hinglaj Mata Temple: Dedicated to Sati’s head, emphasizing sacrifice and spiritual freedom.
Conclusion
Shakti Peethas are vital places of spiritual power and cultural importance, deeply connected to Hindu worship. These sacred spots honor the story of Devi Sati and Lord Shiva, and celebrate the power of the Divine Feminine. Each site provides a unique look into the diverse beliefs and rituals from different areas, making them essential for both spiritual growth and cultural tourism.
Deepak Sharma is a passionate writer and avid traveler who specializes in uncovering the beauty and history of India’s attractions and temples. A graduate of Delhi University, Deepak has a deep-rooted love for his country and its rich cultural heritage.