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 varying number of 51, 52, 64 and 108 Shakti Pithas of which 18 are named as Astadasha Maha (major) in medieval Hindu texts.
The Sri Kamakshi Amman Temple is an ancient Hindu Temple dedicated to the goddess Kamakshi, one of the highest aspects of Adi Parashakti, the mighty goddess in Shaktism. The temple is located in the historic city of Kanchipuram, near Chennai, India. The temple houses one of the 108 Divya Desams of Vishnu and is called Tirukalavanur. The temple is dedicated mainly to Kamakshi and then to Vishnu in his form of Varaha. The temple is glorified by the 6th-9th century Vaishnavite Alvars in the Naalayira Divya Prabandham. Its construction is credited to the Pallava kings, whose capital was in the same city. This temple, along with the goddesses of Madurai and either Varanasi or Thiruvanaikovil, are the important centers of Shaktism in the state of Tamil Nadu. The present temple is also known as Kamakoti Peetha or Kamakota Nayaki Kovil, where Tripura Sundari had settled after killing a demon. This ancient temple was mentioned in Perunaraatrupadai, an ancient Tamil literature that praises the renowned Sangam era. King Thondaiman Ilandiraiyan of the Pallava dynasty, who ruled Kanchipuram, constructed the temple. Kamakshi is worshipped in the shrine in 5 forms, one of them was a golden idol, which was transported to Thanjavur due to the Muslim invasions of Kanchipuram. There are no other goddess temples in the city of Kanchipuram, apart from this one, which is unusual in a city that has hundreds of traditional temples. There are various legends that account for this fact.
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.
Kalighat Kali Temple is a Hindu temple in Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal, India dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. It is one of the Shakti Peethas.
Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple is a famous Hindu temple in Bangladesh, dedicated to the goddess Kali. The temple is located in Ishwaripur, a village in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira. The name "Jeshoreshwari" means "Goddess of Jeshore". The Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi visited this temple in 2021.
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 Goddess Sati fell. Chandranath Temple is a pilgrimage site for Hindus. Its height about 1,020 feet (310 m) above sea level.
Kankalitala is a temple town in Bolpur Sriniketan CD block in Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Jwala Ji is a Hindu goddess. The physical manifestation of Jwala Ji is always a set of eternal flames, and the term Jvala means flame in Sanskrit and ji is an honorific used in the Indian subcontinent.
Manikarnika Ghat is one of the holiest cremation grounds among the sacred riverfronts (ghats), located on the Ganges, 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.
Nartiang Durga Temple is a 600-year-old temple located in the West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya in northeastern India. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas and is one of the holiest sites for devotees of the Shaktism sect of Hinduism. The Hindus in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya believes that this temple is the permanent abode of Goddess Durga. The temple draws a large number of pilgrims from all over the country on occasion of Durga Puja. The Shakti of Nartiang Devi shrine is worshipped as Jayanti and the Bhairava as Kamadishwar.
Sree Sree Chatteshwari Kali Temple is a Hindu temple is dedicated to the Goddess Kali located in the centre of Chattogram (Chittagong) city in Bangladesh. It is considered one of the Shakti Peethas. The name Chattogram (Chittagong) is said to have been derived from the word Chatteshwari devi of Chatteshwari Temple. This temple was damaged by Pakistani soldiers during the Bangladesh liberation war. The temple was rebuilt by the Chakraborty family. The previous idol was made of neem wood which was nearly destroyed during the war. Only upper portion of the idol was rescued by a member of Chakraborty family after the war ended. The half neem wood idol is still there in the temple. After the war ended the temple was rebuilt by the family and a new statue was established which was made in Benaras and taken to the temple from India by air by a member of Chakraborty family named Tarapada Adhikary also known as Tarapada Chakraborty. The statue was donated by Tarun Kanti Ghosh and his family -ex minister of West Bengal.
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.
Kottiyoor Ulsavam or Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam is a 27-day annual pilgrimage observed by Hindus commemorating the Mythology of Daksha Yaga. The pilgrimage is similar to the Kumbh Mela of Prayag, where ablutions are performed. The temple and grounds are also known as Dakshina Kasi.
Kottiyoor Temple is a prominent Shiva temple in Kottiyoor, Kannur, Kerala, India. Vadakkeshwaram Temple is the common name of the temple from ancient times, but some of the local people address the temple as Ikkare Kottiyoor as it is on the bank of the river close to the Kottiyoor village, to differentiate it from the shrine in the other side of the river. Thruchherumana Kshetram is also another name by which temple is known. The temple is a special category temple under Malabar Devaswom board.
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.
