Out of 52 Shakti Peeths which were created as a result of Sati’s body parts fallen to various places. Following are the places where Shakti Peeths are found in West Bengal.
1. Bahula – Ketugram (On the Banks of Ajay river.)
2. Ujaani – Near Guskara.
3. Trisrota – Jalpaiguri distt.
4. Yogaadya – Khirgram.
5. Kireet – KireetKona.
6. Kankalitala – Birbhum.
7. Vibhash – Medinipur.
8. Ratnavali – Hooghly.
9. Nalhati – Nalateshwari temple, Birbhum.
10. Bakreshwar – Birbhum distt.
11. Attahas Village
12. Sainthia – Birbhum Distt.
13. Kalipeeth – Kalighat.
Pic from Kalighat Temple
Birbhum district appears to have special aashirvaad of ‘Maa’. The Shakti peeths have originated from the parts of Maa Sati. This happened when Bhagwan Vishnu used his sudarshan chakra. For full story read the article Sati and Shakti Peeths.
Shakti Peeths have been formed when Devi Sati’s body parts fell on earth. Bhagwan Vishnu’s cut the body of Sati into pieces with sudarshan chakra when Lord Shiva was angry and dancing while carrying her. There are total 51 places where Sati’s body parts have fallen, though there is some dispute on the numbers. Patna or Patliputra is one of those places where Sati’s body parts have fallen.
Bari Patan devi
Devi Sati’s right thigh fell in the city of Patna. This place is known as Patan Devi. It is also believed that Patna is named after Patan devi.
The places where parts of Sati have fallen are known as Shakti Peeths. City of Patna used to be known by the name “Magadha” in earlier times. Devi’s right thigh fell here and the idols are Devi as Sarvanandkari and Shiva as Vyomkesha.
There are chhoti(small) Patan devi and bari (big) Patan devi temples.
Bari Patan Devi
The temple of Bari Patan Devi, Patna faces North, towards the Ganges river. The statues of the temple is in black stone. At the entrance of the temple there is a portico of dimension 1.5′ x 15′. After that there is a room of about 8′ x 8′ for gods namely, Mahakali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswati and Bhairav. All the idols are kept on simhasans (thrones) of about 4 square in cross section and have a height of about 7 feet. The goddesses are attired in sarees.
Idols of Maha Kali, Maha Laxmi and Maha Sarawati
In Hindu mythology, these Goddesses protected Putraka, who was the founder of Pataliputra. A strange stone image has been found in a tank near the Bari Patan Devi Temple, Patna. That image has been kept in the eastern veranda of the main temple where this stone is being worshiped regularly.
Devotees can go to the temple at any time of the day. The temple does not distinguish between any caste or creed and hence is open for all religions and castes. Tuesday is a special day for the devotees and a large number of worshipers visit the temple. Promises are being made before the Goddess and on the fulfillment of the wishes devotees offer gifts and sarees in the temple.
Lord Hanumana at Patan Devi
Chhoti Patan Devi
This temple is situated in the Chowk area of Patna City. Once was considered as the main presiding deity of Patna. Over the years it has slipped to the second position of eminence, after the Bari Patan Devi temple, as city’s presiding deity, with epithet ‘Chhoti’ (smaller) to the more popular one, the Bari (bigger) Patan Devi. But according to a historian, this very temple (Chhoti Patendevi) which held the primary position as the city’s presiding deity during 18th and early 19th century.
The temple houses a host of intact and severed Brahmanical images, including, Ganesh, Vishnu and Surya. Beyond the temple, but within its precincts, lie in open fragments of door jumbs/lintels and yet other set of images. Of these, an impressive, but broken sun-image is the most prominent. According to many historians, it is very likely that some early medieval temple was built here.
Patna is also famous for other holy places and places of historical importance. Temple of Sikh’s tenth Guru Gobind Singh Ji is also in patna. Golghar is another tourist attraction. Mahavir Mandir just near to Patna railway station is also a must to visit place.
Earlier, Patna was also called Azimabad, as derived from the name of Ajima Sahab. Lots of people suffering from small pox and chicken pox come here for cure. Vijayadashami is the most important festival celebrated here.
Golghar – Patna
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Ambaji mata temple is one among the 52 Shakti Peethof India. It is situated at a distance of approximately 65 kilometers from Palanpur and 45 kilometers from Mount Abu and 20 kilometers from Abu Road near the Gujarat and Rajasthan border.
Following the destruction of Daksha’s sacrifice and the Rudra Tandava of Shiva, various parts of Sati’s body fell at several places throughout India. and these places are revered as Shakti peeths.
This sati shakti peeth is the Centre of Cosmic Power of India and it is the original holy place of Mata Ambaji, where the piece of the heart of the dead body of Devi Sati fell at the top of the gabber holy hill. The original seat of Ambaji mata is on gabbar hilltop in the town. The temple is known as Arasuri Ambaji mata temple.
In the holy temple of “Arasuri Ambaji”, there is no image or statue of goddess. The holy “Shree Visa Yantra” is worshiped as the main deity in this temple. No one can see the yantra with naked eye. The photography of the yantra is is not allowed. The worship of this Visa Shree Yantra is done only after tying a bandage on the eyes.A triangular Yantra, inscribed with figures and the syllable Shree in the center, represents the deity.
Legends asscociated with Arasuri temple
There is a legend said in the Ramayana which says about the importance of this temple. Lord Rama and Laxman came to Ashram of Shrungi Rushi in search of Sitaji. They were told to worship Devi Ambaji at Gabbar. Lord Rama did so and Jagat Mata Shakti (The Mother of Energy of the whole Universe) Devi Ambaji gave him an miraculous arrow. With the help of this weapon “Ajay”, Rama conquered and killed his enemy Ravan in the war.
Lord Krishna’s mundan at this temple
As per a legend, hairs of holy child Lord Krishna were also removed here on this Gabbar hill , as a holy ritual ceremony of hair removing Mundan. in presence of his foster parents Nand and Yashoda, who had worshiped Devi Ambaji and Lord Shiva, during the period of Dwapar yug or Mahabharat.
Kalighat, a Hindu temple and one from the 52 shakti peeths of India. This temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali. The temple is situated in kolkata on the bank of river Hoogly(bhagirathi).
Sati was daughter of king Daksha she married Lord Shiva against the wish of her father. Once King Dakha was having a yagna and he didn’t invite Lord Shiva and Sati. When Sati went to her father’s palace, he insulted Lord Shiva and Sati. Unable to bear this disrespect for her husband she killed herself, when Shiva came to know this he was enraged, he began to wonder holding the dead body of Sati in his arms and he started the dance of distruction of universe. Lord Vishnu in order to save the universe and to break this attachment of Lord Shiva cut off Sati’s body into pieces with his sudarshan chakra. Sati’s body fell at different places these places are called shakti peeth. It is believed that right toe of sati fell here. A devotee discovered a luminant ray of light coming from the Bhagirathi river bed, and upon investigating its source came upon a piece of stone carved in the form of a human toe. He also found a Svayambhu Lingam of Nakuleshwar Bhairav nearby, and started worshiping Kali in the midst of a thick jungle.
Kalighat is also associated with the worship offered to Kali by a Dasanami Monk by name Chowranga Giri, and the Chowringee area of Kolkata is said to have been named after him. Kalighat kali temple is always over crowded with devotees from all over the world.
The original temple was a small hut. In early sixteenth century a small temple was constructed by King Manasingha, present day temple was constructed in 1809.
Mahakali at Kalighat
The Idol of Kali in this temple is unique and different from other Kali idols of Bengal. The idol is made of black stone and decorated with silver and gold. It has three huge eyes and a long protruding tongue made of gold and four hands, in two hands she holds a sword and a severed head and other two hands are blessing positions.
The goddess is offered a ceremonial bath every year on the snan-yatra day, the rituals being performed by the head priest. Kali represents the destructive side of Siva’s consort and demands daily sacrifices; therefore in the morning goats have their throats slit here to satisfy the goddess’s blood lust.
kalighat
It is believed that any one who worshipped here with true is heart is always saved by her.
Kamakhya Temple, Assam is one among the 52 shakti peeths of India. Kamakhya Temple is situated at the top of Ninanchal Hill ( 800 feets above sea level) in the western part of Guwahati city in Assam, India.There is no image of Shakti here. Within a corner of a cave in the temple, there is a sculptored image of the Yoni of the Goddess, which is the object of reverence. A natural spring keeps the stone moist. Other temples on the Neelachala hill include those of Tara, Bhairavi, Bhuvaneswari and Ghantakarna. This temple was destroyed in early 16th century, and then rebuilt in the 17th century by King Nara Narayana, of Cooch Bihar.
Kamakhya temple
This current temple has a beehive-like shikhara with delightful sculptured panels and images of Ganesha and other Hindu gods and goddesses on the outside. The temple consists of three major chambers. The western chamber is large and rectangular and is not used by the general pilgrims for worship. The middle chamber is a square, with a small idol of the Goddess, a later addition. The walls of this chamber contain sculpted images of Naranarayana, related inscriptions and other gods. The middle chamber leads to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in the form of a cave, which consists of no image but a natural underground spring that flows through a yoni-shaped cleft in the bedrock.
Shakti peeth – Kamakhya
Legend
Sati married Lord Shiva against the wish of her father, King Daksha. Once King Daksha was having a yagna and he didn’t invited Sati and Lord Shiva. Sati was very sad on not getting an invitation but she still went to her father’s palace. When she reached there her father insulted her and Lord Shiva. Sati was unable to bear this disrespect for her husband, so she jumped in the fire and killed herself. When Lord Shiva came to know this he was very sad, and enraged Shiva started wondering holding the dead body of Sati. He started the dance of distruction of universe. Lord Vishnu in order to save the universe and break this attachment of Lord Shiva, cut the body of Sati into pieces with his sudarshan chakra. Body parts of Sati fell at different places and these places are known as shakti peeths. In kamakhya Temple, Assam yoni of mother goddess fell.
Story about the stair case of the temple. There was a demon Naraka he fell in love with Goddess Kamakhya and wanted to marry her. Goddess put a condition that if he would be able to build a staircase from the bottom of the Nilachal hill to the temple within one night, then she would surely marry him. Naraka took it as a challenge and tried all with his might to do this marathon task. He was almost about to accomplish the job when the Devi, panic-stricken as she was to see this, played a trick on him. She strangled a cock and made it crow untimely to give the impression of dawn to Naraka. Duped by the trick even Naraka thought that it was a futile job and left it half way through. Later he chased the cock and killed it in a place which is now known as Kukurakata, situated in the district of Darrang. The incomplete staircase is known as Mekhelauja path.
Apart from the daily puja offered to the Devi, a number of special pujas are also held round the year in the Kamakhya Temple. These pujas are Durga Puja, Pohan Biya, Durgadeul, Vasanti Puja, Madandeul, Ambuvaci and Manasa Puja.
Durga Puja: This is celebrated annually during Navratri, in the month of sep. oct.
Ambuwasi Puja : this is a fertility festival, it is beleived that mother goes under menstural period and the temple remain closed for 3 days and then opened with great festivity on fourth day.
Pohan Bia : A symbolic marriage between Lord Kamesvara and Kamesvari during the month of Pausa.
Durgadeul : During the month of Phalguna, Durgadeul is observed in the kamakhya temple.
Vasanti Puja : This puja is held at the Kamakhya temple durinh the month of Chaitra.
Madandeul : This deul is observed during the month of Caitra when Lord Kamadeva or Kamesvara is offered special pujas.
Manasa Puja : Manasa puja is observed from the Sankranti of Sravana and continues upto the second day of Bhadra.
Jwalamukhi is one among the 52 shakti peeth in India. This is 30 kms from kangra and 56 kms from Dharamshala. There is no idol, the eternal and shinning blue flame emanating from a rock sanctum is worshipped as manifestation of goddess, which is burning without any fuel or assistance. During March-April and September-October every year colourful fairs are held during the time of navratri.
Legend of Jwalamukhi Temple
Sati was daughter of king Daksha she married Lord Shiva against the wish of her father. Once King Dakha was having a yagna and he didn’t invite Lord Shiva and Sati. When Sati went to her father’s palace, he insulted Lord Shiva and Sati. Unable to bear this disrespect for her husband she killed herself, when Shiva came to know this he was enraged, he began to wonder holding the dead body of Sati in his arms and he started the dance of distruction of universe. Lord Vishnu in order to save the universe and to break this attachment of Lord Shiva cut off Sati’s body into pieces with his sudarshan chakra. Sati’s body fell at different places these places are called shakti peeth.
Jwalamukhi temple is the place where Sati’s tongue fell. These flames are burning without any fuel or assistance from ages. Inside the temple, there is a 3 feet square pit with pathway all around. In the centre of which is a hollowed rock over a primary fissure of flame. This one is regarded as the mouth of Mahakali. Nine flames in total emanate from different points in the pit and represent Saraswati, Annapurna, Chandi, Hing Laj, Vindhya Vasini, Mahalakshmi, Mahakali, Ambika and Anjana-nine form of goddess.
This Indian Temple has some great historical significance, Mughal emperor Akbar was amazed at the continuity of flame so he tried to extinguish them. He ordered to construct water channel to douse the flame, but all in vain. Finally, he submitted to the power of the goddess, he went to the shrine bare footed and presented a golden umbrella to goddess. But when leaving , he looked back with immense pride at the valuable gift he made, but he was mortified to find that the gold turned into a colossal metal.
Dome of Jwalamukhi temple
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Maharaja Ranjit Singh, gilded the roof of the temple as a thanks giving after his success in Afghan war. Later his son Khadak Singh presented a pair of silver plated folding doors to the temple.
Devi Maa at Jwalamukhi temple
There are 102 pujaris in the temple who perform rituals on daily rotation basis. The deity is- offered Bhog of Rabri or thickened milk, Misri or candy, seasonal fruits, milk and arti is done. There is a mystic Yantar or diagram of the goddess, which is covered with, shawls, ornaments and mantras are recited. The puja has different ‘phases’ and goes on practically the whole day. Arti is done five times in the day, Havan is performed once daily and portions of “Durga Saptashati” are recited.
