Ratri Basak Reward Points : 37600 Member Since : Thursday, December 13, 2007
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. I would like to know about each of these Peethas......
Posted On : 4/13/2009 2:42:55 AM
Manpreet Bharara Reward Points : 30900 Member Since : Wednesday, April 08, 2009
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. 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 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. 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 - 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.One of the few in South India, Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd century temple.
Hingula Hinglaj Devi s mind or brain fell here and the idols are Devi as Kotari Durga and Shiva as Bhimlochan Terrible eyed or the third eye . The location is towards 125 km from Karachi, Pakistan. Sharkarare or Karavipur Devi s three eyes fell here and the idols are Devi as Mahishmardini Durga the destroyer of Mahishashur and Shiva as Krodhish the one who can be angry . It is near Karachi in Pakistan, by rail the nearest station is Parkai. Jwalamukhi, Kangra, Devi s tongue fell here and the idols are Devi as Ambika Mother and Shiva as Unmatta Furious . This is located near Pathankot, H.P., Jwalamukhi Road. Sugandha Devi s nose fell here and idols are Devi as Sunanada Pleasing and Shiva as Traimbak Rudra . In the state of Bengal near Barishal in Shivahri Karpur village Devi s temple is located and Shiva s temple is in a village called Ponabalia, nearest railway station is Jhalkati. On Bhairabha mountain near Avanti Devi s upper lips fell here and idols are Devi as Avanti Modest and Shiva as Lambakarna Long eared one . It is located near Ujjain. Attahas laughter Devi s lower lips fell here and the idols are Devi as Fullara Blooming and Shiva as Bhairabhvishesya Lord of the universe . The place is in Bengal near Birbhum. Image of Devi and the Shiva temple is next to the Devi temple. It is a major pilgrimage and tourist attraction. Prabhas Devi s stomach fell here and the idols are Devi as Chandrabhaga Throne of the moon and Shiva as Bakratunda the one with the bent staff . This is near Mumbai where a launch goes to Bharoal which is near Prabhas.
Posted On : 4/16/2009 2:44:29 AM
Sreyoshi Mukherjee Reward Points : 4400 Member Since : Thursday, April 16, 2009
Hello all, This legend is associated with the destruction of Daksha s sacrifice and the origin of the Shakti Peethas of India. This is one of the eight legends portraying Shiva as the destroyer of evil. Sati, the consort of Shiva was the daughter of Daksha Prajaapati a descendant of Bhrama.. Sati had married Shiva against the wishes of her father. The vain Daksha performed a great yagna with the sole aim of insulting Shiva , to which he invited all of the gods and goddesses except his son in law Shiva. Against Shiva s wishes, Sati attended this sacrifice and was insulted by her father. Unable to bear this insult, Sati immolated herself. Enraged at the insult and the injury, Shiva through Veerabhadra, 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 throughout the Universe. The other gods intervened to stop this dance, and the disk of Vishnu cut through the corpse of Sati, whose various parts of the body fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed the sites of what are known as Shakti Peethas today. An image of Dakshaaari Murthy, the slayer of Daksha is enshrined at Tiruppariyalur near Thanjavur. The Veeratteswarar temple here is one of the 8 Veerata stalas celebrating Shiva as the destroyer of evil forces.
Shakti Peethas In India
