In Hindu mythology, after Goddess Sati sacrifices herself, her consort, Lord Shiva, mourns her passing by carrying the body of his beloved and roaming the entire universe. It was Lord Vishnu’s chakra that cut up the Goddess’s corpse into 52 parts that fell down on to our Earth and are now sacred sites, which people throng in order to pay their respects to the Goddess. This, perhaps, is the most popular explanation about the existence of Shakti Peethas.
Kamakhya Temple
Location: Guwahati, Assam
Shakti/Goddess: Kamakhya
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Genitals (Yoni khanda)
Bhairava/Consort: Umanand
Vimala Temple
Location: Puri, Odisha
Shakti/Goddess: Vimala
BodyPart/Ornament That Descended: Feet (Pada khanda)
Bhairava/Consort: Jagannath
Kalighat Kali Temple
Location: Kolkata, West Bengal
Shakti/Goddess: Dakshina Kali
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: The face (Mukha khanda)
Taratarini Temple
Location: Ganjam District, Odhisa
Shakti/Goddess: Goddesses Tara and Tarini
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: The breasts (Stana khanda)
While the Shakti Peethas and their exact numbers differ in various religious texts, these four temples are widely regarded as the main ones because four major body parts of Sati’s corpse are believed to have fallen there. These are known as the Adi Shakti Peethas.
The remaining ones have debatable and disputed status as Shakti Peethas. As per the Ashadashapitha, there are 18 Maha Shakti Peethas. Among these, only the Kamakhya temple retains its status from the Adi Shakti Peethas list.
Sankari Peetham, Koneswaram Temple
Location: Trincomalee, Eastern Sri Lanka
Shakti/Goddess: Sankari Devi
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Groin
Kanchi Kamakodi Peetham, Kamakshi Ammam Temple
Location: Kanchipuram, Chennai
Shakti/Goddess: Goddess Kamakshi
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Naval
Pradyumna Peetham
(No temple at present, only ruins)
Location: Pandua, Hugli District, West Bengal
Shakti/Goddess: Shrinkala
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Stomach
Krounja Peetham, Chamundeshwari Temple
Location: Mysore, Karnataka
Shakti/Goddess: Chamundeshwari
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Hair
Yogini Peetham
Location: Alampur, Telangana
Shakti/Goddess: Jogulamba
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Upper Teeth
Srisaila Peetham, Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple
Location: Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh
Shakti/Goddess: Bhramaramba
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Neck
Shri Peetham, Mahalakshmi Temple
Location: Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Shakti/Goddess: Mahalakshmi
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Left eye
Ekavira Temple
Location: Hirvai, Maharashtra
Shakti/Goddess: Ekavirika
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Back
Ujjaini Peetham
Location: Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
Shakti/Goddess: Mahakali
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Elbow
Pushkarini Peetham, Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple
Location: Pithapuram, Andhra Pradesh
Shakti/Goddess: Puruhutika
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Left hand
Oddyana Peetham, Biraja Temple
Location: Jajpur, Odisha
Shakti/Goddess: Biraja
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Naval (Navi)
Draksharama Peetham, Kumararama Bhimeswara Temple
Location: Draksharamam, Andhra Pradesh
Shakti/Goddess: Manikyamba devi
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Navel
Kamarupa Peetham, Kamakhya Temple
Location: Guwahati, Assam
Shakti/Goddess: Kamarupa
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Vulva
Prayaga Peetham, Alopi Devi Temple
Location: Alopibagh, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
Shakti/Goddess: Madhaveswari devi
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Fingers
Jwalamukhi Peetham, Jwalamukhi Devi Temple
Location: Jawalamukhi, Himachal Pradesh
Shakti/Goddess: Jwalamukhi
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Head
Gaya Peetham, Mangla Gauri Temple
Location: Gaya, Bihar
Shakti/Goddess: Sarvamangala
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Breasts
Varanasi Peetham, Vishalakshi Temple
Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Shakti/Goddess: Vishalakshi
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Earrings/Third Eye/Throat/Face (Disputed)
Sharada Peetham
(Destroyed, Abandoned, Ruins remain)
Location: Sharda, Azad Kashmir
Shakti/Goddess: Sharada
Body Part/Ornament That Descended: Lips
Among these 18 Maha Shakti Peethas, the ones at Kamakhya, Gaya and Ujjain are regarded as the most sacred because their Shakti/Goddesses represent Creation, Nourishment and Annihilation respectively.
