Sati, also known as Dakshayani, is the Hindu goddess of marital felicity and longevity, and is worshipped as an aspect of the mother goddess Shakti. Sati was the first wife of Shiva, the other being Parvati, who was Sati's reincarnation after her death.
The Shakti Pithas or the Shakti Peethas are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the goddess-centric denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms of Adi Shakti. Various Puranas such as Srimad Devi Bhagavatam state the existence of a varying number of 51, 52, 64 and 108 Shakti Pithas of which 18 are named as Astadasha Maha (major) in medieval Hindu texts.
Ambaji (Ambājī) is a census town in Banaskantha district in the state of Gujarat, India.
Jawalamukhi, or Jwalamukhi also Jawalaji, is a temple town and a nagar parishad in Kangra district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Hindu genealogy registers are kept here like that of Haridwar. The town takes its name from the holy Jwalamukhi Temple, located in Jawalamukhi. Firuz Shah Tughlaq during his campaign of Nagarkot collected 1300 Sanskrit Manuscripts from this temple's library and got them translated into Persian language, becoming the first Sultan to do such translation.
Tripura Sundari Temple is a Hindu temple of the Goddess Tripura Sundari, better known locally as Devi Tripureshwari. The temple is situated in the ancient city of Udaipur, about 55 km from Agartala, Tripura and can be reached by train and road from Agartala. It is believed to be one of the holiest Hindu shrines in this part of the country and witnesses the highest number of visitors for a temple in North-East India, after Kamakhya Temple in Assam. The state of Tripura is named after this temple. Popularly known as Matabari, the shrine is set upon a small hillock that resembles the hump of a tortoise (Kurma). This shape called Kurmapṛṣṭhākṛti is considered the holiest possible site for a Shakti temple, hence also bestowing the name of Kurma Pīṭha. The Goddess is served by traditional Brahmin priests.
The Vishalakshi Temple or Vishalakshi Gauri Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the goddess Vishalakshi, at Mir Ghat on the banks of the Ganges at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is generally regarded as a Shakti Pitha, the most sacred temples dedicated to the Hindu Divine Mother.
Chintpurni is a small town in the Una district of Himachal Pradesh about 40 km north of Una, not far from the border with the Indian state of Punjab. The elevation is about 977 meters. It is home to the Maa Chintpurni Temple which is a major pilgrimage site as one of the Shakti Peethas in India. The Hindu genealogy registers at Chintpurni, Himachal Pradesh are kept here. North of Chintpurni are the western Himalayas. Chintpurni lies within the much lower Shiwalik range.
Guhyeshwari Temple, also spelled Guheswari or Guhjeshwari, is one of the revered holy temples in Kathmandu, Nepal. This temple is dedicated to Guhyeshwari or Adi Shakti. The temple is also a Shakti Peetha and it's about 1 km east of Pashupatinath Temple and is located on the southern bank of the Bagmati River. It is said that this temple is the Shakti chair of Pashupatinath Temple. It is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus, especially for Tantric worshipers. King Pratap Malla renovated this temple in the 17th century. The goddess is also called Guhyekali.
Tara Tarini Temple is a Hindu shrine of Adi Shakti in the Kumari hills on the bank of Rushikulya river near Purushottampur in Ganjam district of Odisha, around 28km from Brahmapur city. Maa Tara Tarini is worshipped as the Breast Shrine of Adi Shakti Sati Devi there.
Chandranath Temple, located on top of the Chandranath Hill, is a famous Shakti Peeth located near Chittagong in Bangladesh where, as per Hindu sacred texts, the right arm of Deiti Sati fell. Chandranath Temple is a pilgrimage site for Hindus. Its height about 1,020 feet (310 m) above sea level.
Shivaharkaray or Karavipur is a Shakti Peeth dedicated to the Hindu Goddess Durga, located near Parkai railway station, near Karachi, Pakistan. It is one of the three Shakti Peethas in Pakistan, other two being Hinglaj Mata mandir and Sharada Peeth. The Puranas describe that the three eyes of the Goddess fell here after she committed Sati. The Goddess is worshipped as Mahishasuramardini, or the slayer of the Demon Mahishasur. Her consort, the Hindu God Shiva, is worshipped in Ragi form as Krodhish, personification of anger. Shivaharkaray is third in the list of 51 Peethas identified in the Puranas.
Bhabanipur is a Hindu temple complex in northwestern Bangladesh located about 33 kilometres (21 mi) from Bogra. It is located in Sherpur Upazila of Bogra District, Rajshahi Division. It is one of the Shakti Pithas of the Indian subcontinent.
Manikarnika Ghat is one of the holiest cremation grounds among the sacred riverfronts (ghats), located on the banks of River Ganga, in the city of Varanasi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In Hinduism, death is considered a gateway to another life marked by the result of one's karma. It is believed that a human's soul attains moksha, and hence breaks the cycle of rebirth when cremated here.
Chandika Sthan is a Hindu temple situated in Munger, in the India state of Bihar. It is one of the fifty-one Shakti Peethas, places of worship consecrated to the goddess Shakti. On the Northeast corner of Munger, Chandika Sthan is just two kilometers away from the Munger town. Being a Siddhi-Peetha, Chandika Sthan is considered to be one of the most sacred and sanctified temples, as important as the Kamakshya temple near Guwahati. Sati's left eye fell here and it is believed that those who worship here get rid of eye pain. It is one of the major Hindu pilgrimage centre in Ang Pradesh region of Bihar.
Shri Shri Mahalakshmi Bhairabi Griba Maha Peetha is one of the Shakti Peeths, at Joinpur village, Dakshin Surma, near Gotatikar, 3 km south-east of Sylhet town, Bangladesh. The Hindu Goddess Sati's neck fell here. The Goddess is worshipped as Mahalakshmi and the Bhairav form is Sambaranand.
Sugandha Shaktipeeth, a temple of the Goddess Sunanda, is located in the village of Shikarpur, 10 miles north of Barisal, in Bangladesh. This Hindu temple is one of the Shakti Peethas.
The temple of Attahas, is believed to be one of the 51 Shakti Peethas at which the body parts and jewelry of the Hindu goddess Shakti fell to Earth. The goddess is so large that the lower lip is about 15 to 18 feet wide. The temple is a site of Hindu pilgrimage throughout the year. December is a particularly popular time for visitors to picnic at the site.
Dakṣayajña is an important event in Hindu mythology that is narrated in various Hindu scriptures. It refers to a yajna (ritual-sacrifice) organised by Daksha, where his daughter, Sati, immolates herself. The wrath of the god Shiva, Sati's husband, thereafter destroys the sacrificial ceremony. The tale is also called Daksha-Yajna-Nasha. The legend forms the liturgical basis of the establishment of the Shakti Pithas, the temples of Mahadevi, the supreme deity of Shaktism. It also becomes a prelude to the legend of Parvati, Sati's reincarnation, who later marries Shiva.
Maa Tara Chandi Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Maa Shakti or Maa Durga, located in Sasaram, Bihar, India. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peetha.
Nandikeshwari Temple, also known as Nandikeshwari Tala, is located in Sainthia city of West Bengal. This temple is part of the famous Shakti Peethas in Indian Subcontinent.
