BhaktiVed🌺 Temples of India
18 Maha Shakti Peethas
The eighteen goddess shrines of Adi Shankara's Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram, from "Lankayam Shankari Devi" to "Kashmire tu Saraswati".
- 1 Shankari Devi (Trincomalee, Sri Lanka)Trincomalee, Sri LankaThe Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha Stotram opens with 'Lankayam Shankari Devi'. Devotees worship her as Shankari Devi in the Koneswaram temple complex on Swami Rock, a cliff j…
- 2 Kanchi Kamakshi AmmanKanchipuram, Tamil NaduSeated in padmasana, Kamakshi is the presiding goddess of the whole city of Kanchipuram. Adi Shankara is said to have installed the Sri Chakra before her, and the Kanchi…
- 3 Shrinkhala Devi (Pradyumna)Pandua (traditional identification), West BengalWhere 'Pradyumne Shrinkhala Devi' stood is not settled. Many identify Pradyumna with Pandua in West Bengal's Hooghly district, where no ancient temple survives today.
- 4 Mysuru ChamundeshwariChamundi Hills, Mysuru, Karnataka'Krauncha pattane Chamunda': on Chamundi Hills overlooking Mysuru, she is the family deity of the Mysuru royal house and the heart of the city's famous Dasara.
- 5 Alampur JogulambaAlampur, TelanganaNear the meeting of the Tungabhadra and Krishna, Alampur is Telangana's only Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha, and its seventh-century Nava Brahma temples of the Badami Chalukya…
- 6 Srisailam Mallikarjuna – BhramarambaSrisailam, Andhra PradeshHigh on a hill in the Nallamala forest above the Krishna river (Patala Ganga), Srisailam is the rare shrine that is both a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha. Telugu devote…
- 7 Kolhapur MahalakshmiKolhapur, MaharashtraLovingly called Ambabai, Kolhapur's Mahalakshmi faces west in a dark-stone Chalukya-era temple. On a few days each year the setting sun's rays fall straight on her, cele…
- 8 Mahur Ekaveera Devi (Renuka Mata)Mahur (Mahurgad), Maharashtra'Mahurye Ekaveerika': on the hills of Mahur in Nanded district the goddess is worshipped as Renuka, mother of Parashurama. A Dattatreya shrine stands on the same hills.
- 9 Ujjain MahakaliUjjain, Madhya Pradesh'Ujjayinyam Mahakali': in Ujjain, the city of the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, devotees honour the peetha goddess at the Harsiddhi Mata temple and at Gadkalika, the goddes…
- 10 Pithapuram Puruhutika DeviPithapuram, Andhra PradeshPuruhutika Devi, tenth of the eighteen peethas, sits in the Kukkuteswara Swamy temple complex. Pithapuram is also revered as the birthplace of Sripada Srivallabha by Dat…
- 11 Jajpur Girija (Biraja) DeviJajpur, Odisha'Odhyane Girija Devi': in Jajpur, Odisha, she is worshipped as Biraja Devi on the banks of the Baitarani; the place is also known as Nabhi Gaya.
- 12 Draksharamam Bhimeswara – ManikyambaDraksharamam, Andhra PradeshBoth a Pancharama and one of the 18 Shakti Peethas in one temple, held to be Daksharama, the site of Daksha's sacrifice. The linga, about 14 feet tall, rises through a t…
- 13 Guwahati KamakhyaNilachal hill, Guwahati, Assam'Harikshetre Kamarupa': on Nilachal hill above the Brahmaputra, Kamakhya is a great centre of Shakta worship. There is no image in the sanctum: a rock in a natural sprin…
- 14 Prayag Madhaveshwari (Alopi Devi)Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh'Prayage Madhaveshwari': in Prayagraj, city of the Triveni Sangam, the Alopi Bagh shrine has no image; a wooden cradle (doli) is worshipped as the goddess.
- 15 Jwalamukhi (Kangra)Jwalamukhi, Himachal Pradesh'Jwalayam Vaishnavi Devi': there is no image here. Natural flames burning steadily from clefts in the rock are worshipped as the goddess.
- 16 Gaya Mangala GauriGaya, Bihar'Gayayam Mangalya Gaurika': on a small hill in Gaya, the city of ancestral rites, Mangala Gauri is visited by pilgrims who offer pinda at the Vishnupad temple.
- 17 Kashi VishalakshiMir Ghat, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh'Varanasyam Vishalakshi': consort of Kashi Vishwanath, near Manikarnika Ghat. The temple is in the South Indian style and is a must for Telugu and Tamil pilgrims.
- 18 Kashmir Sharada PeethSharda village, Neelum valley, Jammu & Kashmir'Kashmire tu Saraswati': Sharada Peeth was once among the greatest seats of learning in the subcontinent, and gave the Sharada script its name. The ancient ruins now lie…