Information about the Shakti Peeth Temples

Shakti Peetha is an important Shakti temple and pilgrimage site with a tradition centered around the Hindu goddess Sati. All total there are 51 Shakti Peethas in this world out of which 36 Shakti Peethas are located in India, and the rest of the Shakti Peeth Temples are located outside India in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.  There are 4 Major Shakti Peeth temples, known as Adi Shakti Peethas which are located in the Indian States of Assam, West Bengal, and Odhisha. These 4 Adi Shakti Peethas are Kamakhya Mandir, Dakshineshwar Kali Mandir, Bimala Temple, and the Tara Tarini Temple. Many ancient Hindu scriptures point to the story which is known to be the reason why Shakti Peeth temples were created. This story is related to the self-immolation of Goddess Sati in King Daksha's palace.

When Goddess Sati killed herself in the yajna fire, Shiva went to Daksha's palace and took the charge of Goddess Sati's body, and started destruction across the universe. Lord Vishnu destroyed Goddess Sati's body in 51 pieces which fell to different places on earth and became the Shakti Peeths it is today. Many pieces of Goddess Sati's body fell in India but some of the pieces fell in India's neighboring countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet (China) and created these Shakti temples in other countries.

Story of the Creation of Shakti Peeth

Daksha the son of Lord Brahma had 11 daughters out of which Sati was the youngest. Daksha was angry with Lord Shiva when he came to know that Lord Shiva was the one who decapitated one of the heads of his father Lord Brahma. Daksha's daughter Sati was in love with Lord Shiva which made Daksha angrier and he did not agree with Sati's decision to marry Lord Shiva. But somehow Goddess Sati married Lord Shiva going against her father's wish. This increased Daksha's anger for Lord Shiva even more.

With a plan to insult his daughter Sati and Lord Shiva, Daksha arranged for a Yajna. In this yajna, he invited all other gods and rishis to bless the yajna but didn't invite the supreme god Lord Shiva. When Goddess Sati came to know about this yajna, she reached Daksha's palace. There Daksha insulted her and his husband. Unable to bear the insult, Goddess Sati jumped in the yajna fire and burnt herself alive.

When the news of Goddess Sati's death reached Kailash, Lord Shiva got filled with rage and anger. He sent his destructive avatar Virbhadra to destroy the yajna and kill Daksha. Virbhadra went to Daksha's palace and killed him. Later, Lord Shiva himself went to Daksha's palace and picked up Sati's burnt body on his shoulder, and started roaming the universe doing his destructive dance called Tandava. This scared rest of the gods and they all went to Lord Vishnu to seek help. Lord Vishnu then sent his Sudarshan Chakra and it dismembered Goddess Sati's body into 51 pieces or khanda. These pieces or khanda fell in different locations of the earth and created the Shakti temples.

Shakti Peeth Outside India

Some of the Shakti Peeth temples located outside India are

Jeshoreshwari Shakti Peeth Temple

Jeshoreshwari Shakti Mandir is located in Ishwaripur village in Khulna district of Bangladesh. Jeshoreshwari Mandir is a Shakti mandir dedicated to goddess Sati and is worshiped in the form of goddess Kali at Jeshoreshwari Shakti Mandir in Bangladesh. Along with the goddess Kali, Lord Shiva also appears in this temple in the form of a Chanda (Moon). Jeshoreshwari Shakti Peeth is said to be the place where the goddess Sati's hands and palms fell. Jeshoreshwari Mandir is also known as Jeshoreshwari Kali Temple in Ishwaripur village. According to some legends, the temple was first discovered when King Pratap Aditiya's army general saw a hand-carved stone. Then King Pratap Aditya, a believer in the goddess Kali, built the Kali temple. Recently, the Prime Minister of India visited the Jeshoreshwari Temple during his visit to Bangladesh.

Guhyeshwari Shakti Peeth Temple

Guhesyeshwari Shakti Peeth Temple is located in the city of Kathmandu, Nepal. This is one of the two famous Shakti Peeth temples in Nepal. The Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu is just 1 km from Gujeshwari Temple. Here the knee of Goddess Sati fell. At the Guhyeshwari Temple, the goddess Sati is worshiped in the form of Devi Mahashira. Lord Shiva is also in the temple in the form of Kapali. The name of the temple derives from the Sanskrit word "Guha" which means cave and the Sanskrit word "ishwari" which means goddess. In other words, Guhyeshwari means "cave goddess". The temple was built by King Plata Pamala and is a commonplace of worship for Hindus in Nepal and India. Gujeshwari temple is mainly popular with Tantric devotees who visit the temple in search of a blessing from Devi Mahashira.

Hinglaj Mata Mandir

Hinglaj Mata Mandir is a Shakti Peeth from the Balochistan region of Pakistan. The Hingol National Park has a cave where the temple is located. Hinglaj Mata Mandir is one of the 2 Shakti temples in Pakistan and one of the main temples. This is where the top of the forehead of the goddess Sati fell. In Hinglaj Mata Shakti Peeth Mandir, the goddess Sati is worshiped as Hinglaj Devi and the god Shiva as Bhairav. There are no artificial idols of the goddess Sati or Hinglaji Mata in the Hinglaj temple, but believers worship small, round stone fragments covered with Sindur. About 250,000 people in India visit Hinglaj Mandir every year. The Hinglaj temple in Gujarat and Rajasthan are for the people who cannot visit the Hinglaj Temple in Pakistan.

Dakshayani Shakti Mandir

At the foot of Mount Kailash in Tibet, there is a Shakti Peeth named Dakshayani Shakti Peeth Mandir. At the Dakshayani Shakti Temple, the goddess Sati appeared in the form of Manasa Devi and Shiva appeared in the form of Amar, so the Dakshayani temple is also known as Manasa Devi Shakti Peeth. Dakshayani Shakti Dham is where the right arm of the goddess Sati fell. There is no idol of the goddess Dakshayani there, but it is worshiped in the form of a stone near Lake Kailash Mansarovar at the foot of Mount Kailash. Mount Kailash is known as the home of Lord Shiva and is considered a sanctuary by the Hindus. Thousands of people come to Mansarovar yatra of Kailash every year.

Shankari Temple

Shankari Shakti Peeth Temple is located in the Trincomalee district of Sri Lanka. Shankari Temple is considered part of the Koneswaram Kovil Temple. In this temple, the goddess Sati appears in the form of the goddess Shankari, and the god Shiva appears in the form of Triconeshwar. This is the place where the goddess Sati's heart fell. The Shankari Temple was first founded by St. Adi Shankara Charya, but the original temple was destroyed by a foreign Portuguese invader. The idol of the goddess Shankari was somehow preserved and a new temple was built in place of the old one. Inside the Shankari Temple is another Shiva Temple dedicated to the Triconeshwar style of Lord Shiva.

Original Article: https://biographico.com/shakti-peeth-temples-outside-india/