Shakti Peethas

The Shakti Peethas ("holy places of cosmic power") 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. [ [http://banglapedia.org/HT/S_0033.htm Article] , from Banglapedia.]

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.

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 yajna fire.

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).

Historical notes

According to the manuscript old 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 that these 52 "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.

Locations

The modern cities or towns that correspond to these 52 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 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. [ [http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/resources/pithas.htm 52 Pithas of Parvati] - From Hindunet] . One of the few in South India, Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd century temple. [http://www.sacredsites.com/asia/india/srisailam_shakti_pitha.html Shakti Pitha sites in India] .]

In the listings:
*"Shakti" refers to the Goddess worshipped (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.

The 52 Shakti Peethas

* Fullara in Birbhum district is also considered to be a shakti peetha.cite web | url = http://birbhum.gov.in/birtour2.htm | title = Labhpur| accessdate = 2007-08-24 | last = | first = | work = | publisher = Birbhum District administration]
* Nainadevi in Himachal Pradesh is also considered a shakti peetha, where Sati's eyes fell. [http://www.nainadevi.com Naina Devi Temple]

Notes

References

*Phyllis K. Herman, California State University, Northridge (USA), " [http://www.ramayanainstitute.org/archives/NIU_2001_Conference___Fair/Papers/papers.html 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

External links

* [http://www.dattapeetham.com/india/tours/2005/srilanka/srilanka.html Sri Swamiji visits Sri Lanka for Shankari Temple Darshan]
* [http://www.indiantemples.com/beliefs/daksha.htm Daksha Yagna - The story of Daksha's sacrifice and the origin of the Shakti Pithas]
* [http://www.vatikashaktipeeth.com/home.html Gayatri Shaktipeeth, Vatika: An Introduction]

[hi:शक्ति पीठ]