Sati and Shakti peeths

Sati and Shakti Peeths have a significant importance in India. Sati is consort of Lord Shiva and there is a story behind the origin of Shakti peeths. Please read on for details on this interesting mythological story about Sati.

Sati and Shiva
Sati and Shiva

Sati’s Penance

Sati was daughter of Daksh Prajapati who was a ruler. When Sati grew old she performed intense penance to attain Shiva as her husband. She married Lord Shiva against the wish of her father.When Daksha was performing a Yagna, he invited all the deities except Shivji and Sati. Sati was very sad after not receiving an invitation for the yagna. She insisted on attending the function, despite of the disapproval of Lord Shiva.

Daksh insults Shiva and Sati

When Sati entered the palace, king Daksha insulted her. He said that his other daughters were more distinguished and worthy of honour than Shivji and Sati. Sati was unable to bear her father’s disrespect for her husband. Then Goddess Sati approached the sadas (the area of the site of sacrifice where the main priest sits). She thundered: “My husband, the Lord of Lords has been insulted for no good reason. No fault exists in Him. It is claimed in the Scriptures that those who steal knowledge, those who betray a teacher and those who defile the Lord are great sinners and ought to be punished”.After saying these words, Goddess Sati threw herself in glowing sacred fire. Daksha yagna was desecrated.

Shiva and Sati
Shiva and Sati

All the invitees were scared of being avenged, hence disappeared. When Lord Shiva heard this he was enraged. He created a creature Veerbhadra from lock of his hair.Veerbhadra tore off king Daksha head and tossed it in the same sacrificial fire. However it was proclaimed that the yagna should not be left incomplete, so head of goat was placed on Daksha to restore his life.

Lord Vishnu comes to rescue to stop Lord Shiva

Sad Lord Shiva began to wander carrying the dead body of Sati in his arms. He started dance of destruction of universe. In order to save universe and break this attachment of Lord Shiva, Vishnu with his sudarshan chakra and cut Sati’s body into pieces. Sati’s body pieces fell at different places and these are called Shakti Peeths.There are 52 shakti peeths and it is believed that if you worship these places with devotion all desires are fulfilled.
A list of Shakti Peeths as taken from Tantra Chudamani is provided below:

No:Place:Part of the body:Bhirava:Shakti:
1.Hingula (Pakistan)Brahma randhraBhima lochanaKottari
2.Sharkarara (Maha rashtra)TrinetraKrodheeshaMahisha mardini
3.Sugandha (Bangla desh)NasikaTriambakaSunanda
4.Kashmira (Jammu&Kashmir)Kantha deshaTri sandhyeshwaraMaha maya
5.Jwala mukhi (Himachal pradesh)JihwaUnmatta/ VatukeshwaraSiddhida/ Ambica
6.Jalandhara (Punjab)Vama stanaBhishanaTripura malini/ Tripura nashini
7.Vidya natha (Bihar)HridayaVidya nathaJaya durga
8.Nepala (Nepal)Janu dwayaKapaliMaha maya
9.Manasa (Tibet)Dakshina hastaAmara/ HaraDakshaini
10.Utkala/ Viraja (Orissa)NabhiJagannathaVimala/ Vijaya
11.Gandaki (Nepal)Dakshina gandaChakra paniGandaki chandi
12.Bahula (West bebgal)Vama bahuBhiruka/ TivrakaBahula
13.Ujjaini (Madhya pradesh)KurparaKapilambaraMangala chandi
14.Chattala (Bangla desh)Dakshina bahuChandra sekharaBhavani
15.Tripura (Tripura)Dakshina padaTripureshaTripura
16.Trisrota (West bengal)Vama padaAmbara/ EshwaraBhramari
17.Kama giri/ Kama rupa desha (Assam)Maha mudra/ YoniUmanandaKamakhya/ Dasha maha vidya
18.Yugadya/ Ksheera grama (West bengal)Dakshina padangushtaKsheera kantakaBhoota dhatri
19.Kali peetha (West bengal)Dakshina padanguliNakuleeshaKali
20.Prayaga (Uttar pradesh)HastanguliBhavaLalitha
21.Jayanti (Bangladesh)Vama janghaKramadeeshwaraJayanti
22.Kireeta/ Kireeta kona (West bengal)KireetaSamvarta/ Siddha rupaVimala/ Bhuvaneshi
23.Manikarnika/ Varanasi (Uttar pradesh)Karna kundalaKala bhiravaVishalakshi
24.Kanyashrama (Tamil nadu)PrishtaNimishaSharvani
25.Kurukshetra (Haryana)Dakshina gulphaSthanuSavitri
26.Manivedika (Rajasthan)Mani bandhaSarvananda/ SharvanandaGayatri
27.Srisaila/ Sri hatta (Andhra pradesh)GreevaSamvarananda/ ShambaranandaMaha lakshmi
28.Kanchi (Tamil nadu)KankalaRuruDeva garbha/ Veda garbha
29.Kala madhava (Uttar pradesh)Vama nitambaAsitangaKali
30.Shona (Madhya pradesh)Dakshina nitambaBhadra senaNarmada
31.Rama giri/ Raja giri (Uttar pradesh)Dakshina stanaChandaShivani
32.Brindavana (Uttar pradesh)Kesha jalaBhootesha/ Krishna nathaUma/ Katyaini
33.Shuchi/ Anala (Tamil nadu)Oordhwa danta panktiSamhara/ SamkruraNarayani
34.Pancha sagara (Maharashtra)Adho danta panktiMaha rudraVarahi
35.Kara toya tata (Bangladesh)Vama talpaVamanaAparna
36.Sri parvata (Andhra pradesh)Dakshina talpaSundaranandaSundari
37.Vibhasa (West bengal)Vama gulphaSarvanandaKapali/ Bhima rupa
38.Prabhasa (Gujarat)UdaraVakra tundaChandra bhaga
39.Bhirava parvata (Madhya pradesh)OordhvoshtaLamba karnaAvanti
40.Jana sthana (Maharashtra)ChibukaVikritakshaBhramari
41.Godavari teetra (Andhra pradesh)Vama gandaDanda pani/ Vatsa nabhaVishwa matrika/ Rakini
42.Ratnavali (West bengal)Dakshina skandhaShivaKumari
43.Mithila (Nepal)Vama skandhaMahodaraUma devi/ Maha devi
44.Nalahati (West bengal)NalaYogeeshwaraKali
45.Karnata (Karnataka)KaranaAbhiruJaya durga
46.Vakreshwara (West bengal)ManasVakra nathaMahisha mardini
47.Yashora (Bangla desh)Vama hastaChandaYashoreshwari
48.Attahasa (West bengal)AdharoshtaVishweshwaraPullara
49.Nandi pura (West bengal)Kantha haraNandikeshwaraNandini
50.Lanka (Sri lanka)NupuraRakshaseshwaraIndrakshi
51.Virata (Rajasthan)Vama padanguliAmritaAmbika
52.Magadha (Bihar)Dakshina janghaVyoma keshaSarvanandakari

Jai Sati Maa.

Kamakhya temple – Sati Shakti Peeth

Kamakhya Devi – Sati Shakti Peeth

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

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

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.