ASTA DASA SHAKTI PEETHAS / 18 SHAKTI PEETHAS

The Puranas and other Hindu scriptures describe that Mother Goddess Shakti was consecrated in Asta Dasha Shakti Peethas (18 prominent temples).

 

Astadasha Shakti Peethas

1)Sankari Peetham : It is located in Trincomale(Sri Lanka) Shakthi name is  SANKARI DEVI Part of the body fallen HEART.Shankari Devi Peetam Temple dedicated to Sati or the mother Goddess is one of the Maha Shaktipeeth temple ,There are 51 Shakti Peetas across the country, of these 4 are considered as Adi Shaktipeeth and 18 as Maha Shakti Peethas.

2)Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham:It is located in Kanchi (Tamil Nadu) Shakthi name is  KAMAKSHI DEVI Part of the body fallen EYES.Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, also called the Sri Kanchi Matham or the Moolamnaya Sarvagnya Peetham, is a Hindu institution, located in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. It is located near the Kamakshi Amman Temple of the Shaktism tradition, along with a shrine for the Advaita Vedanta teacher Adi Shankara.

3)Pradyumna Peetham:It is located in Pandua (West Bengal) Shakthi name is  SRIGALA DEVI Part of the body fallen STOMACH.Sri Srunkhala Devi temple is located in Pandua, Hoogly district, West Bengal, and dedicated to Goddess Durga. However, if you visit the place now where the temple is said to be present, you will only see an Islamic minaret standing tall.

4)Krounja Peetham:It is located in Mysore(Karnataka) Shakthi name is CHAMUNDESHWARI DEVI Part of the body fallen HAIR.The Chamundeshwari Temple is a Hindu temple located on the top of Chamundi Hills about 13 km from the palace city of Mysuru in the state of Karnataka in India. The temple was named after Chamundeshwari or, the fierce form of Shakti, a tutelary deity held in reverence for centuries by the Maharaja of Mysuru.

5)Yogini Peetham:It is located in Alampur,Mahbubnagar (Telangana) Shakthi name is JOGULAMBA DEVI(Yogamba Devi) Part of the body fallen UPPER TEETH.Alampur Jogulamba Temple is the 5th shakthi peetham of the 18 sakthi peethas (Ashtadasa Shaktipeethas) of Goddess Sati devi (Parvathi). This is considered as the Yogini peetham of the 18 sakthi peethas. It is also known as the Nava Brahmeswara Theertha and the western gateway to Srisailam.

6)Srisaila Peetham:It is located in Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) Shakthi name is BHRAMARAMBA DEVI Part of the body fallen NECK PART.Being one of the 18 shakthi peethas in India, this temple is a must visit for every devotee who come for Srisailam tour. Located on the Nallamala Hills, Bhramaramba Devi Temple is within the temple complex of Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple.

7) Shri Peetham: It is located in Kolhapur(Maharashtra) Shakthi name is MAHALAKSHMI  DEVI Part of the body fallen LEFT HAND.

8)Renuka Peetham: It is located in Mahur(Nanded District,Maharashtra) Shakthi name is RENUKA DEVI Part of the body fallen BACK PART.

9)Ujjaini Peetham: It is located in Ujjain(Madhya Pradesh) Shakthi name is MAHAKALI DEVI Part of the body fallen TONGUE.

10)Pushkarini Peetham: It is located in Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh) Shakthi name is PURUHUTIKA DEVI Part of the body fallen PEETA.

11)Oddyana Peetham: It is located in Jaipur(Odisha) Shakthi name is BIRAJA DEVI Part of the body fallen NAVAL(Navi).

12)Draksharama Peetham: It is located in Draksharamam(Andhra Pradesh) Shakthi name is MANIKYAMBA DEVI Part of the body fallen NAVEL.

13)Kamarupa Peetham: It is located in Guwahati (Assam) Shakthi name is KAMARUPA DEVI Part of the body fallen VULVA.

14)Prayaga Peetham: It is located in Prayaga (Uttar Pradesh) Shakthi name is MAHAVESWARI DEVI Part of the body fallen FINGERS.

15)Jwalamukhi Peetham: It is located in Kangra, Jwalamukhi (Himachal Pradesh) Shakthi name is VAISHNAVI DEVI Part of the body fallen HEAD PART.

16)Gaya Peetham: It is located in Gaya (Bihar) Shakthi name is SARAVAMANGALA DEVI Part of the body fallen BREAST PART.

17)Varanasi Peetham:It is located in VARANASI (Uttar Pradesh) Shakthi name is VISHALAKSHI DEVI Part of the body fallen THROAT.

 

18)Saraswati Peetham: It is located in Kashmir Shakthi name is SARASWATI DEVI Part of the body fallen LIPS.

The origin or the story of Asta Dasha Shakti Peetha temples goes like this.. Once, King Daksha Prajapathi wanted to perform a Yagna. Except Lord Shiva he invited all the Gods and Sages. Despite her fathers recklessness towards her husband, Goddess Dakshayani went to the Yagna and got insulted. With anger and shame, she jumped into the Yagnagunda (the sacred spot of Yagna) and sacrificed her life with knowing this Lord Shiva became very ferocious and carried Dakshayanis dead body on his arms. He performed ‘Ugrathandava or‘Rudrathandava (a dance form of Lord Shiva when he is angry). Lord Shivas rudrathandava created a bit of deluge in all lokas. 

To solve this great problem, Lord Vishnu slashed Goddess Dakshayanis dead body partswqith his Sudrashana Chakra (the sacred discus). And the parts were fallen all over the places. The places where her body pars were fallen are worshipped as Astadasha Shakti Peethas (18 prominent temples of Mother Goddess – Shakti).

According to some Hindu Mythology books, the total number of Shakti Peethams is 108. And some more sacred texts describe that there are 51 prominet Goddess Shakti temples. But most people believe that the 18 Shakti temples are most auspicious Shakti Peethams, which are also referred as Astadasha Shakti Peethas.

This list of Ashtadasa Shakti peethas is collected from a Shloka written by Adi Shankaracharya.

Lankayam Shankari devi, Kamakshi Kanchika pure

Pradyumne Shrinkhala devi, Chamunda Krouncha pattane

Alampure Jogulamba, Sri shaile Bhramarambika

Kolha pure Maha lakshmi, Mahurye Ekaveerika

Ujjainyam Maha kali, Peethikayam Puruhutika

Odhyane Girija devi, Manikya Daksha vatike

Hari kshetre Kama rupi, Prayage Madhaveshwari

Jwalayam Vishnavi devi, Gaya Mangalya gourika

Varanasyam Vishalakshi, Kashmire tu Saraswati

Ashtadasha Shakti peethani, Yoginamapi durlabham

Sayamkale pathennityam, Sarva shatri vinashanam

Sarva roga haram divyam, Sarva sampatkaram shubham