A peetha is a seat. A Shakti Peetha is a place where the Goddess is held to be especially present, and the tradition ties each to a moment in one great story, the story of Sati. These places are spread across India and beyond it, from Assam to Gujarat and from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and some lie in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Pilgrims visit them on their own, in small circuits or as part of the Navratri season, and the places range from famous temples with great crowds to small shrines beside a river or a hill.
The story of Sati
Sati was the daughter of Daksha, one of the Prajapatis, and she married Shiva against her father’s wishes. Daksha later held a great sacrifice, a yajna, and invited the gods but did not invite Shiva or his daughter. Sati went to the sacrifice uninvited, and was insulted there, and in grief and anger she gave up her body. The tradition describes this in several ways: she entered fire, or she gave up her life by yoga. Shiva’s attendants destroyed the sacrifice, and in most tellings Shiva was then pacified and Daksha was restored.
What came next is the part that explains the peethas. In the account given in the Devi Bhagavata Purana, and in the Tantra texts which follow it, Shiva lifted Sati’s body and wandered the world in sorrow. The world was shaken. Vishnu followed with his discus, the Sudarshana chakra, and cut the body into pieces, and the pieces fell at many places. Each became a Shakti Peetha. Each of these places is said to have a form of the Goddess, called the Shakti, and a form of Shiva as her guardian, called a Bhairava. The same story appears in different forms in other Puranas, and in some of them the parts fall in other places or the number is different. It is a sacred narrative and is not told as history.
The tradition adds that Sati was later born as Parvati, the daughter of the Himalaya, and married Shiva again. The Goddess’s other aspects are explored on our pages on the Navadurga and the Durga Suktam.
The lists, and why they differ
There is no one authoritative list. The tradition has several, and each has its reasons.
- 51 Peethas. This is the number most often repeated today. It comes from lists in the Tantra literature, such as the Pitha Nirnaya and the Tantra Chudamani, and from later compilations. Even among lists of 51, the place for a given body part can change from one text to the next.
- 52 Peethas. Some works give 52, and a few add a place that other lists omit.
- 108 Peethas. The Devi Bhagavata Purana and some other sources give long lists of the Goddess’s names in 108 places, which are not the same as the 51 body-part sites.
- Four Adi Peethas and other short lists. The Kalika Purana is known for naming four chief peethas, among them Kamakhya in Assam, and Tantric texts also speak of small groups of principal sites.
- 18 Maha Shakti Peethas. A short list of eighteen is attributed to Adi Shankara, in a hymn called the Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram. It names Lanka, Kanchipuram, Pradyumna, Mysuru, Alampur, Srisailam, Kolhapur, Mahur, Ujjain, Pithapuram, Odisha, Draksharama, Kamarupa, Prayag, Jwalamukhi, Gaya, Varanasi and Kashmir. The attribution is traditional and not proven.
Some of the sites in these lists lie in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, and some are disputed within India, because two or more temples claim the same peetha. Where claims compete we name them without ranking them. Nor does this page claim that any list is the true one. A devotee often treats the place nearest to home, or the one with the strongest family connection, as the one that matters.
Best-known sites
These are among the places most pilgrims name. The body part given is the one in the commonest list, and other lists may differ.
Kamakhya, Guwahati, Assam. The shrine on Nilachal Hill is the best known of all and is the seat of Kamarupa in the Kalika Purana. In the tradition it marks where Sati’s yoni fell, and the shrine has no image, only a natural stone cleft kept moist by a spring. The annual Ambubachi festival is held in June, and the dates are announced by the temple.
Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal. Here Kali is worshipped, and the tradition says the toes of Sati’s foot fell on this spot, on the Adi Ganga. The present temple building is of the nineteenth century, and the shrine is much older.
Jwalamukhi, Himachal Pradesh. In this temple there is no image. Natural flames come from a rock, and they are worshipped as the Goddess. Tradition says Sati’s tongue fell here. Jwalamukhi is in the list of eighteen.
Vishalakshi, Varanasi. The Goddess is worshipped here as Vishalakshi, the wide-eyed. Varanasi’s peetha is described in different ways, with some lists naming the ear ornament of Sati at Manikarnika. See the Kashi Vishwanath page for the city.
Mahalakshmi, Kolhapur, Maharashtra. One of the oldest living Goddess temples of the Deccan, and in the list of eighteen. Tradition says Sati’s eyes fell here.
Bhramaramba, Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh. Here a Shakti Peetha stands in the same hill temple complex as the Mallikarjuna jyotirlinga. Few places bring a jyotirlinga and a peetha together in one complex, and this is the best-known.
Kamakshi, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. A great Goddess temple in a city of temples, in the list of eighteen, and tied to Adi Shankara.
Mahakali, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Ujjain’s Harsiddhi temple is named in some lists as the place where Sati’s elbow fell. The city is also home to the Mahakaleshwar jyotirlinga.
Ambaji, Gujarat. The temple at Ambaji near Mount Abu is held to be where the heart of Sati fell, and it is a major Navratri destination.
Tarapith, West Bengal. A cremation-ground shrine of the Goddess as Tara, in Birbhum district, named in many lists.
Hinglaj, Balochistan, Pakistan. A cave shrine, worshipped by Hindus as Hinglaj Mata, and in the lists as the place where Sati’s head fell. Pilgrimage there is organised by the local Hindu community each year.
A caution: Vaishno Devi is revered as a powerful seat of the Goddess, but it does not appear in the commonest classical lists of peethas, and some devotees place it among them by local tradition. Our page on Vaishno Devi describes it.
How to visit
Most Shakti Peethas are busiest in the two Navratri periods, and the Sharad Navratri page gives the dates for your city. At many of them there are strict rules on dress, queues and offerings, and some, like Kamakhya, have special arrangements on festival days. A few keep animal sacrifice in their local tradition, and visitors who do not wish to take part should simply follow the rules for the line they are in. Please keep your own devotion and let others keep theirs.
We do not quote timings, fees, booking or entry rules for any temple. Each is set by its own trust, and the temple’s official website is the right source. Be careful about people who stop you in the street to offer a quick darshan or a puja that must be done at once.
If you wish to read or chant on the way, the Durga Chalisa, the Durga aarti, the Mahishasura Mardini Stotram and the Lalita Sahasranama are on this site.
Related pages
Frequently asked questions
↳ How many Shakti Peethas are there?
The tradition gives several numbers. 51 is the most common, 52 and 108 also appear, and a short list of 18 is attributed to Adi Shankara. No single list is the true one.
↳ What is the story behind the Shakti Peethas?
After Sati gave up her body at her father's sacrifice, Shiva carried her and Vishnu's discus divided the body. The pieces are said to have fallen at many places, each of which became a peetha. It is a sacred narrative with several versions.
↳ Which is the most important Shakti Peetha?
The traditions do not rank them. Kamakhya in Assam is the best known in the Tantric tradition, and Kalighat, Jwalamukhi and Kolhapur are also very widely visited.
↳ Is Vaishno Devi a Shakti Peetha?
It is not in the commonest classical lists, though some devotees count it among the peethas by local tradition. It is one of the most visited shrines of the Goddess in India.
↳ Can I visit all of them?
Some are outside India and a few are difficult to reach, so most pilgrims visit a chosen few over many years. Check each temple's official website for current access.