Shakti Peethas
Also called: Shakti Pitha · Topic: India, That Is Bharat: Names of India and Unity in Diversity · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Shakti Peethas are shrines of the Goddess (Shakti, the divine feminine power). According to the legend, Sati gave up her life at her father Daksha's sacrifice. Shiva then wandered with her body, and parts of it fell at different places. Each of these places became a sacred seat, or peetha. The shrines are spread far beyond today's India, into Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The lists are found in later texts and give different numbers, often 51 or 52, and some lists give more. Pilgrims travelling between these shrines tied distant regions into one sacred map.
Example
The Kamakhya temple at Guwahati (Assam) and the Hinglaj shrine in Balochistan (Pakistan) are both counted among the Shakti Peethas. They link the far east and the far west of the Subcontinent through one legend.
Don't confuse with
- Jyotirlingas: these are the 12 sacred shrines of Shiva, each worshipped as a linga of light. Shakti Peethas are shrines of the Goddess, and their number varies from list to list.