The Ashtadasa Shakti Peethas, also known as Shakti Peethas or Shakti Pithas, are important temples and places of worship in Hinduism. They are dedicated to different manifestations of the goddess Adi Shakti. In ancient Hindu texts like the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, the count of these temples varies, ranging from 51 to 108. However, historical Hindu literature predominantly acknowledges 18 of them as the major Shakti Peethas. These 18 Shakti Peethas are revered for their association with episodes from Hindu mythology, particularly the story of the goddess Sati (or Dakshayani) and God Shiva.
Pilgrims and devotees visit these temples to seek blessings, offer prayers, and connect with the divine feminine energy that each Peetha represents. These places are more than just places to pray; but also cultural and spiritual landmarks, carrying rich traditions and legends that have been told for a very long time, from one generation to the next.
The Brahmanda Purana, one of the important texts in Hinduism, talks about 64 special places that are associated with the Maa Parvati, known as Shakti Pithas. Ashtadasa Shakti Peethas are spread across India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, some parts of Southern Tibet in China, and Pakistan.
Another text written by Adi Shankara, a famous Hindu philosopher from the 9th century, also lists these sacred shrines, and it’s called the Shakti Pitha Stotram.
However, there’s another manuscript called Mahapithapurana from around 1690-1720 CE, which mentions 52 such places. Out of these, 23 are in the Bengal region, with 14 in West Bengal, India, 1 in Baster (Chhattisgarh), and 7 in what is now Bangladesh. These places are thought to be really special to Parvati Devi and they’re very important in Hinduism.
Ashtadasa Shakti Peethas History:
There was a great king called Daksha Prajapati who was the son of Sri Brahma. He had 27 daughters and Sati Devi is one among them. Sati Devi got married to God Shiva. When Dashka entered the arena of a yaga performed by Agni, everyone except God Shiva stood up as a mark of respect. Daksha felt insulted by God Shiva’s behavior. Later when Daksha conducted a yaga himself, he did not invite his daughter and his son-in-law. Though Sati felt bad because of the noninvitation, she wanted to attend the yaga against the wish of God Shiva.
When Sati, attended the yaga no nobody cared for her and she felt insulted by the actions of her sisters and parents. Then when her father started abusing her husband she could not control her feelings and sacrificed herself at the place of yagna by creating agni from earth with the right thumb of her foot. Knowing this God Shiva removed one bunch of Jhatha from his head and hit it on the earth. From that Sri Veerabhadra was born and rushed to Yaga spot and killed Daksha by cutting his head. Later God Shiva went to the spot and took the body of sati from the fire and started dancing with it. The world was terrorized by this Tandava Nritya and to stop this Nritya, Sri Vishnu used his Sudarshan chakra and completely cut Sati’s body into pieces. These body parts have fallen at various places in India and Sri Lanka. Wherever these parts have fallen the places are called Shaktipeethas. There are 18 such places and they are called Ashta(8) Dasa (10) Shaktipeethas.
Must-Visit 18 Shakti Peeths:
18 Shakti Peethas listed in Aadi Shankaracharya’s Ashtadasa Shakti Peeth Stotram:
1) Trincoli or Trincomalee in Sri Lanka, Body part has fallen – Groin, Name of the Shakti – Shankari Devi, Koneswaram Temple.
2) Kanchi in Tamil Nadu, Body part fallen – Navel, Name of the Shakti – Goddess Kamakshi, Kamakshi Kamakshi Amman Temple.
3) Pradyumna in Kolkata, West Bengal, Body part has fallen – Stomach, Name of the Shakti – Sri Srunkhala Devi.
4) Mysore in Karnataka, Body part fallen – Hair, Name of the Sakti – Sri Chamundeshwari Devi, Chamundeshwari Temple.
5) Alampur in Andhra Pradesh, Body part fallen – Upper teeth part of the body fallen, Name of the Sakti – Sri Jogulamba Devi.
6) Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh, Body part fallen – Neck part, Name of the Sakti – Bhramaramba Devi, Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple.
7) Kolhapur in Maharastra, Body part fallen – Left Eye, Name of the Shakti – Mahalakshmi Devi, Mahalakshmi Temple.
8) Nanded in Maharastra, Body part fallen – Back, Name of the Shakti – Eka Veerika Devi or Ekavenika Devi, Mahur Renuka Devi Temple.
9) Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Body part fallen – Elbow, Name of the Shakti – Mahakali Devi, Ujjain Mahakali Temple.
10) Pithapuram in Andhra Pradesh, Body part fallen – Left hand, Name of the Shakti – Puruhutika Devi, Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple
11) Jajpur in Odisha / Orissa, Body part has fallen – Naval (Navi), Name of the Shakti – Girija Devi / Biraja Devi, Biraja Temple
12) Draksharamam in Andhra Pradesh, Body part fallen – Navel, Name of the Shakti – Manikyamba Devi, Kumararama Bhimeswara Temple.
13) Guwahati in Assam, Body part fallen – Yoni, Name of the Shakti – Kamarupa Devi, Kamakhya Temple.
14) Prayaga in Uttar Pradesh, Body part fallen – Fingers, Name of the Shakti – Madhaveswari Devi or Alopi Devi Temple.
15) Jwala in Himachal Pradesh, Body part fallen – Mouth, Name of the Shakti – Jwalamukhi, Jwalamukhi Devi Temple
16) Gaya in Bihar, Body part fallen – Breast, Name of the Shakti – Sarvamangala Devi, Mangla Gauri Temple
17) Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Body part fallen – Earrings/Third Eye/Throat/Face (Disputed), Name of the Shakti – Kasi Vishalakshi Devi.
18) Srinagar in Kashmir, Body part has fallen – Right Hand, Name of the Shakti – Saraswathi Devi.
Ashtadasha Shakti Peethas Stotram with Meaning:
Lankayam Shankari devi, Kamakshi Kanchika pure |
Pradyumne Shrinkhala Devi, Chamunda Krouncha pattane ॥
Meaning:
Goddess Shankari in Sri Lanka, Kamakshi in Kanchipuram,
Goddess Shrinkhala in Pradyumna and Chamunda in Mysore
Alampure Jogulamba, Sri shaile Bhramarambika |
Kolha pure Maha lakshmi, Mahurye Ekaveerika ॥
Meaning:
Goddess Jogulamba in Alampur, Goddess Brhamarabika in Sri Shailam,
Goddess Maha Lakshmi in Kolhapur and Goddess Eka Veera in Mahur
Ujjainyam Maha kali, Peethikayam Puruhutika |
Odhyane Girija devi, Manikya Daksha vatike ॥
Meaning:
Goddess Maha Kali in Ujjain Purhuthika in Peethika,
Goddess Girija in Odhyana and goddess Manikya in the house of Daksha,
Hari kshetre Kama rupi, Prayage Madhaveshwari |
Jwalayam Vishnavi devi, Gaya Mangalya gourika ॥
Varanasyam Vishalakshi, Kashmire tu Saraswati |
Ashtadasha Shakti peethani, Yoginamapi durlabham ॥
Meaning:
Goddess Kama Rupi in the temple of Vishnu, Goddess Madhevaswari in Allahabad,
The flame-giving Goddess in Jwala muki and Mangala Gouri in Gaya.
Sayamkale pathennityam, Sarva shatri vinashanam |
Sarva roga haram divyam, Sarva sampatkaram shubham ॥
Meaning:
Goddess Visalakshi in Varanasi, Goddess Saraswathi in Kashmir,
Are the 18 houses of Shakthi, which are rare even to devas.
If read in the evening daily, it leads to the killing of all enemies,
And also cure all diseases and getting of all types of wealth.
Among these, the Shakti Peethas in Kamkhya, Gaya and Ujjain are considered the most sacred, because they symbolize the three most important aspects of the mother goddess namely:
Creation – Kamarupa Devi
Food – Sarvamangala Devi / Mangalagauri
Annihilation – Mahakali Devi
When carefully observed, we can see that they are in a perfectly straight line from Kamakhya to Ujjain via Gaya, symbolizing that each creation of this universe will one day be destroyed without fail. With Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi and Kashi Vishalakshi, we have the most powerful Shat Sakthi Peethams.