List of 18 Maha Shakti Peethas – Astadasha Shakti Temples
Shakti Peethas are important shrines and pilgrimage sites in Shaktism, and known to be consecrated abodes of Goddess Sati. They are believed to be carrying very high energy of the feminine form of the divine and hence considered as very powerful and impactful on the devotees who wish to seek her grace and achieve enlightenment.
Different puranas state varying number of Shakti Peethas like 18, 51, 52, 64 and 108. 51 is the most widely accepted total number of Shakti peethas. Adi Shakti Peethas are considered as 4 in number and 18 Shakti Peethas are known as the Astadasha Maha Shakti Peethas, which also find a mention in Adi Shankara’s Ashtadasha Shakta Peetha Stotram. Here is an overview of the 18 Astadasha Maha Shakti Peethas.
List of Astadasha Maha Shakti Peethas
#1 Shankari Devi Shaktipeeth, Thirukoneswaram Kovil, Trincomalee, Sri Lanka
Located in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, the groin of Sati is believed to have fallen at this place and here she is worshipped as Goddess Shankari.
Unique Feature: It is among the 4 temples of Lord Shiva in Sri Lanka. It was one of the richest temples of the South. Ravana is believed to have originally built this grand temple along with a beautiful garden, after which his kingdom prospered with the grace of Goddess Shankari.
#2 Sri Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple Shaktipeeth, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu
Located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, the navel of Goddess Sati is believed to have fallen at this place, and the female divine is worshipped as Goddess Kamakshi at this temple.
Unique Feature: The temple is dedicated to Kamakshi but also has a temple for Vishnu in the Varaha avatar. In the shrine, Kamakshi is worshipped in her 5 forms.
#3 Shrinkhala Devi Temple, West Bengal
Located in Pandua, West Bengal, a part of Sati’s stomach is said to have been dropped at this place and here she is worshipped as Goddess Shrinkhala.
Unique Feature: The term Shrinkhala means a binding thread, which goes on to say that the Goddess is in a bounded form, bound only to Lord Shiva. The other meaning of shrinkhala is the cloth which post-natal women tie around their abdomen, as per which the Goddess is believed to be in the post-natal stage, seeing everyone as her child.
#4 Sri Chamundeshwari Temple, Chamundi Hill, Mysuru, Karnataka
Situated in Mysuru, Karnataka, Sati is worshipped as Chamundeshwari at this place, and her hair is believed to have fallen at this site.
Best Known for: People of Karnataka call her Nada Devi (means state Goddess). The sanctum has an image of Chamundeshwari having eight hands (Ashtabhuja). Chamundi is believed to be the destroyer of demons Chanda, Munda and Mahishasura. This temple is famous in India and abroad.
#5 Jogulamba Devi, Telangana
Located at Alampuram in Telangana, Goddess’s teeth are believed to have fallen here and she is worshipped as Jogulamba at this temple.
Best Known for: Jogulanamba is in ugra rupa, her idol depicts the Goddess seated with a lizard, scorpion, bat and a human skull. Devotees believed that this Goddess protects them and their houses from evils.
#6 Bhramaramba Devi Temple, Andhra Pradesh
Situated in Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh, Goddess Sati’s neck is said to have been dropped here, and she is worshipped as Bhramarambika.
Best Known for: It is the only temple in India which has a Shakti Pith as well as a Jyotirlinga.
#7 Mahalakshmi Temple, Maharashtra
Located in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, Sati’s eye is believed to fallen at this place, and she is worshipped as Goddess Mahalakshmi (or Ambabai).
Best Known for: It is one of the three and a half Shakti Peethas in Maharashtra. The idol is believed to be 7000 years old. The temple is so designed that two times in a year, the sun’s rays fall directly on the idol.
#8 Renuka Devi Temple, Maharashtra
This shrine is situated in Mahur in Maharashtra, Sati’s left hand is believed to have fallen here, and she is worshipped as Goddess Renuka at this place.
Best Known for: This is the holy temple of Renuka Devi who was the wife of sage Jamadagni and the mother of Parshurama. This temple is one of the three and a half Shakti peethas located in Maharashtra.
#9 Avanti/Mahakali Temple, Ujjain
It is located in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, the upper lip of Sati is known to have fallen at this site, and here she is worshipped as Goddess Mahakali.
Unique Feature: The idol of Mahakaleshwar is facing the south, unlike any other temple. The Bhasm Aarti ritual performed here is unique to this jyotirlinga temple.
#10 Puruhutika Devi, Andhra Pradesh
It is situated in Peethapuram in Andhra Pradesh, Devi’s back is said to have been dropped over here, and she is worshipped as Goddess Puruhutika.
Best Known for: The temple is famed for its single stone Nandi. It is the third among the three Gayas of India.
#11 Biraja/ Viraja/ Girija Devi Temple, Odisha
Located in Jajpur, Odisha, a part of Devi’s abdomen is believed to have been dropped here, and she is worshipped as Goddess Biraja.
Best Known for: It is said that Biraja devi has been worshipped since the 5th century CE. Devi’s idol here is 70 feet tall. She is depicted as spearing the chest of Mahishasura with one hand and pulling his tail with the other hand. There is a lingam, a crescent moon and Lord Ganesha residing on her crown. One of her feet is seen resting on Mahishasura’s chest and the other rests on her vehicle lion.
#12 Manikyamba Devi Temple, Andhra Pradesh
Situated in Draksharamam in Andhra Pradesh, the left cheek of Devi is said to have fallen here, at here she is worshipped as Goddess Manikyamba.
Best Known for: The Shiva lingam here is among the tallest ones in India. This temple is one of the five Pancharama Kshetras (ancient temples dedicated to Lord Shiva that are located in Andhra Pradesh.
#13 Kamakhya Temple, Assam
It is located in Guwahati, Assam. Devi’s yoni is believed to have fallen at this site, and she is worshipped in the form of Goddess Kamakhya.
Unique Feature: It is considered as the most powerful and is one of the oldest of the 51 Shakti peethas. A mystery surrounding Kamakhya Devi is that it is said that during a certain time in the month of Ashadh (around June), Devi menstruates and during these three days the temple is kept closed. It is said that the water of river Brahmaputra turns red during this time and this sacred water is distributed to the devotees.
#14 Alopi Devi/ Madhaveswari Devi Temple, Uttar Pradesh
It is situated at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, the fingers of Sati Devi are believed to have fallen at this place, and here she is worshipped as Goddess Madhaveswari.
Unique Feature: A peculiarity of this temple is that there is no idol or statue of any deity here. A wooden carriage or doli is worshipped in this temple.
#15 Jwala Devi Temple, Himachal Pradesh
Located at Jwalamukhi in Himachal Pradesh, devi’s tongue is said to have been dropped at this place, and here she is worshipped as Goddess Jwalamukhi. She is believed to be an incarnation of Adi Parashakti (also called Kali or Durga).
Unique Feature: Goddess Jwalamukhi is worshipped as an eternal flame emerging from a small fissure in a rock. Nine flames representing the Navadurgas are said to be worshipped in the temple. It is a mystery where the flames came from and how they are burning, but scientists have suspected the presence of a volcano under the temple.
#16 Mangla Gauri Temple, Bihar
Located in Gaya, Bihar, Sati’s breast is believed to have fallen over here, and she is worshipped as Goddess Sarvamangala.
Best Known for: It is a 15th century temple. During the rainy season, a puja is performed every Tuesday, when women observe a fast and pray for the success of their husband and prosperity of their families. It is a custom to give 16 types of bangles, 7 types of fruits and 5 different sweets to the Goddess.
#17 Vishalakshi Temple, Uttar Pradesh
This temple is in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Devi’s earrings are believed to have been dropped over here, and she is worshipped in the form of Goddess Vishalakshi. Parvati is described as Vishalakshi (one with large eyes) in the Shiva Purana when her husband-to-be Shiva sees her for the first time.
Unique Feature: The Kajali Teej is held at this site, in the Bikrami lunar month of Bhardrapada. On this day, women in the Bhojpuri region pray to Lord Shiva and sing folk songs called kajaris. There are customs to pray to the moon and also to the neem tree on this festivity. Women observe a fast which is broken by eating sattu.
#18 Sharada Peeth, PoK
It is situated in Sharda, in the Pakistan-occupied region of Kashmir. Devi’s right hand is believed to have fallen at this site and she is worshipped as Goddess Sharada.
Best Known for: For Kashmiri Pandits, it is one of the 3 most sacred sites, the other two being Martand Sun Temple and Amarnath Temple. It is known to be the earliest temple dedicated to Shaktism. Kashmiri Pandits believe that the Goddess enshrined here is an embodiment of Sharada, Saraswati and Vagdevi. The temple has been constructed in red sandstone using the Kashmiri architectural style.
This was an insight into the 18 Maha Shakti Peethas (or the Ashtadasha Shakti Temples), but do you know how these Shakti peethas were formed?
A popular story about how Shakti Peethas came into being, goes like this. Daksha, the father of Sati had organized a yajna for which he had invited everyone except Shiva, the husband of Sati. Thinking this could be a mistake, Sati went to Daksha and asked him why her husband was not invited for the ritual responding to which Daksha ridiculed Shiva.
Hurt and enraged by this, Sati entered the yajna fire. Shiva, on coming to know about this, rushed to the spot and quickly recovered Sati’s body from the fire and carrying it, wandered the universe. During this travel, Sati’s body parts fell at different places and those sites came to be known as Shakti Peethas, and are believed to be the sites where Sati’s energy resides.
The falling of Sati’s body parts at certain locations is symbolic of the shedding of a bit of Her energy, which is said to be staying there eternally, and is worshipped as a form of Shakti at each of those locations which are called Shakti Peethas.
Devotees often feel Devi’s powerful presence at these Shakti temples and experience waves of positive energy that can inspire and transform them from within.