The fifty-one Shakti Peethas
The Pithanirnaya, also called the Mahapithanirupana and transmitted in the Tantra Chudamani, gives the fullest list of the peethas where the parts and ornaments of Sati fell, and for each it names the part, the form in which Devi is worshipped and her Bhairava.
The list most often printed, in Bengali almanacs such as the Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika, counts 51 and many add Magadh as a 52nd. The texts do not agree on every part or every place, and some sites are disputed or lost: Karavipur and Karnat cannot now be fixed, Shri Parvat is placed in Ladakh by some and at Srisailam by others, and Jayanti in Meghalaya or in Sylhet. The places below follow the common list, with its stated variants. More than a dozen are in Bengal and Bangladesh, and others lie in Nepal, Tibet, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Temples in this circuit
StandingHinglaj Mata
A Shakti Peetha in a cave by the Hingol river, where the Peetha lists say the crown of Sati’s head fell. It is the westernmost of the great Devi tirthas and still draws Hindus from all over Pakistan every spring.
StandingSugandha Shakti Peetha, Shikarpur
In the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra’s list, Sati’s nose fell at Sugandha, and the Devi there is Sunanda. The seat is placed at Shikarpur, a village north of Barishal town in southern Bangladesh, where she is worshipped as Ugratara.
StandingAmarnath Cave
A cave at about 3,888 metres in the mountains of Kashmir where a linga of ice forms each year. Here, the pilgrims say, Bhagwan Shiva told Mata Parvati the secret of immortality.
StandingJwalamukhi Temple
The Shakti Peetha in Kangra where the Devi is worshipped as flames that burn from cracks in the rock, with no murti at all. Tradition says the tongue of Mata Sati fell here.
RebuiltDevi Talab Mandir (Tripuramalini), Jalandhar
Jalandhara Peetha, named in the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra as the seat where Sati’s breast fell, with the Devi as Tripuramalini. The great tank beside the temple gives it its name, and every December the Harivallabh music festival is held at its edge.
StandingBaidyanath Dham, Deoghar
The Jyotirlinga that Ravana tried to carry to Lanka, and also a Shakti Peetha where Sati’s heart fell. In Shravan lakhs of kanwariyas walk here barefoot with Ganga water from Sultanganj.
StandingGuhyeshwari Temple, Kathmandu
The Devi of the hidden place, on the bank of the Bagmati about a kilometre east of Pashupatinath. Nepal holds that no pilgrimage to Pashupatinath is complete without her darshan.
StandingKailash and Mansarovar
The snow peak in western Tibet that Hindus know as the home of Shiva and Parvati, with the lake of Mansarovar at its foot. Jains, Buddhists and Bon followers hold it holy too, and no one has climbed it.
StandingMaa Biraja Temple, Jajpur
Biraja Kshetra on the Vaitarani, one of the Shakti Peethas, where the Devi stands as a two-armed Mahishamardini. Jajpur is also Nabhi Gaya, where pinda is offered for the ancestors as at Gaya.
StandingMuktinath
A Vishnu tirtha at 3,710 metres below the Thorong La pass, one of the 108 Divya Desams and sacred to Buddhists as well.
StandingBahula Devi Shakti Peetha, Ketugram
Ketugram near Katwa keeps the Bahula Shakti Peetha, where the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra says Sati’s left arm fell. The Devi is Bahula and her Bhairava is Bhiruk.
StandingMangal Chandi Temple, Ujani (Kogram)
On a high bank of the Ajay at Kogram, once part of the old town of Ujani, Mangal Chandi is worshipped as the Ujani Shakti Peetha. Kapilambar, her Bhairava, shares the shrine.
StandingTripura Sundari Temple, Udaipur
The Matabari of Tripura, a Shakti Peetha on a low hill shaped like a tortoise’s back, built by Maharaja Dhanya Manikya in 1501. Tradition says the right foot of Mata Sati fell here.
StandingChandranath Temple, Sitakunda
A Shiva temple on the summit of Chandranath hill above Sitakunda, near the Chattala Shakti Peetha of Devi Bhavani. Its Shivaratri mela is the biggest Hindu fair in Bangladesh.
StandingBhramari Devi Temple (Trisrota Shakti Peetha), Jalpaiguri
Trisrota, the land of three streams, is where the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra places Sati’s left foot. Two places in the Teesta country claim it: the Bhramari Devi temple near Bodaganj in the Baikunthapur forest, and the Bhramari temple at Shalbari near Falakata.
RebuiltKamakhya Temple
On Nilachal hill above the Brahmaputra stands the most revered of the Shakti Peethas of the east, where the Kalika Purana says the yoni of Mata Sati fell. There is no murti in the garbhagriha, only a cleft in the rock kept wet by a spring.
StandingJogadya (Yogadya) Shakti Peetha, Kshirgram
At Kshirgram the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra places the right big toe of Sati. The Devi’s black stone murti lives under the water of the Kshirdighi tank and comes out for worship once a year, on the eve of Baishakh Sankranti.
RebuiltKalighat Kali Temple, Kolkata
One of the Shakti Peethas, where the toes of Sati’s right foot fell, on the old course of the Ganga called Adi Ganga. The city of Kolkata is said to take its name from Kalikshetra.
StandingAlopi Devi (Alop Shankari) Temple, Prayagraj
Prayage Madhaveshwari: the Ashtadasha stotra places a Devi at Prayag, and many identify her with Alopi, where no murti stands and a wooden cradle is worshipped instead. Others identify the Prayag peetha with the Lalita Devi temple in the city.
StandingJayanti Shakti Peetha, Nartiang Durga Temple
The Peetha Nirnaya Tantra names Jayanti as the seat where Sati’s left thigh fell. Two places claim it: the Durga temple of the Jaintia kings at Nartiang in Meghalaya, and Bamojonga near Kanaighat in Sylhet, Bangladesh.
StandingKiriteswari Temple, Kiritkona
Near the Bhagirathi, a few kilometres from Lalbag, the crown of Sati is said to have fallen. Kiriteswari is the oldest temple site of Murshidabad district, and the village was named India’s Best Tourism Village in 2023.
StandingVishalakshi Temple, Kashi
Varanasyam Vishalakshi: in the lanes behind Mir Ghat, the Devi of Kashi sits where, by the Peetha Nirnaya, the jewelled earring of Sati fell. Tamil pilgrims to Kashi hold her in special love.
StandingKanyakumari Bhagavathy Amman Temple
At the southern tip of Bharat, where the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet, the Devi stands as a maiden still waiting for Shiva. Vivekananda meditated on the rock offshore in 1892.
StandingKurukshetra and Jyotisar
The Dharmakshetra where the Mahabharata war was fought and Shri Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna at Jyotisar. Harsha’s capital Thanesar stood here.
StandingManibandh (Manivedika) Shakti Peetha, Pushkar
The Shakti Peetha of Pushkar, where by the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra’s list the wrists of Sati fell. The Devi is Gayatri, the Bhairava Sarvananda; locally the shrine is also called the Chamunda Mata mandir.
StandingShri Shail Shakti Peetha (Mahalakshmi Bhairabi Griba Peetha), Sylhet
At Joinpur, about 3 km south-east of Sylhet town across the Surma, Bengal’s lists place the Shri Shail peetha where Sati’s neck fell. The Devi is Mahalakshmi, and the place is called the Griba Peetha, the seat of the neck.
StandingKankalitala Shakti Peetha, Bolpur
On the bank of the Kopai, 9 km from Bolpur, is the kund where Sati’s waist is said to have fallen. The kund itself is worshipped; the main shrine has no murti.
StandingAmarkantak, Source of the Narmada
The plateau in the Maikal hills where the Narmada and the Son rise. Every Narmada parikrama, the walk of some 2,600 km along both banks, begins and ends here.
StandingAmarkantak, Source of the Narmada
The plateau in the Maikal hills where the Narmada and the Son rise. Every Narmada parikrama, the walk of some 2,600 km along both banks, begins and ends here.
StandingVrindavan
The forest of Tulsi on the Yamuna where Shri Krishna grazed cows and danced the Raas with the gopis. Rediscovered by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the six Goswamis in the 16th century, it now has thousands of temples.
StandingThanumalayan Temple, Suchindram
A temple where the Trimurti are worshipped together in one linga, and where, the sthala purana says, Indra was cleansed of Gautama’s curse. Indra is held to come every night for the last puja.
StandingVarahi Devi Temple, Varanasi (Panchasagar Shakti Peetha)
A small Devi shrine in the lanes behind Man Mandir Ghat, open only in the early morning, where the Varahi murti sits below the floor. It is the most often named site of Panchasagar, the Shakti Peetha of Sati’s lower teeth.
StandingBhabanipur Shakti Peetha (Karatoyatat), Sherpur
The Karatoyatat peetha of the Tantra, placed at Bhabanipur in Bogura district, where Sati’s left anklet fell and the Devi is Aparna. Rani Bhabani of Natore restored it, and the pond of conch bangles keeps her katha.
StandingMallikarjuna Jyotirlinga, Srisailam
The second of the twelve Jyotirlingas in the Shiva Purana’s list, on a forested ridge above the Krishna. Shiva and Shakti are worshipped here together, Mallikarjuna and Bhramaramba.
StandingBargabhima Temple, Tamluk
In Tamluk, the old port of Tamralipta on the Rupnarayan, the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra places Sati’s left ankle. The Devi is Bargabhima, and her bhog each day must include shol fish.
RebuiltSomnath Jyotirlinga
The first Jyotirlinga, on the shore at Prabhas where the Sarasvati meets the sea. Raided, razed and rebuilt again and again for nine hundred years, it was raised once more by free India in 1951.
StandingGarhkalika Temple, Ujjain
Ujjayinyam Mahakali: many identify the Mahakali of the eighteen Shakti Peethas with Garhkalika, on the old fort mound of Avantika. Ujjain remembers it as the Devi who gave Kalidasa his speech.
StandingSaptashrungi Devi, Vani
The Devi of the seven peaks above Vani, an eighteen-armed form carved into the cliff and painted red. Marathi tradition counts her as the half of Maharashtra’s three and a half Shakti Peethas.
StandingKotilingeswara Temple and the Godavari Tir Shakti Peetha, Rajahmundry
Uma Kotilingeswara stands at Kotilingala ghat on the Godavari at Rajahmundry. Most lists that try to place the Godavari Tir Shakti Peetha, where Sati’s left cheek fell, put it here at Rajahmundry, though the exact spot is not settled.
StandingRatnavali (Anandamayi) Shakti Peetha, Khanakul
On the Khanakul–Krishnanagar road by the Ratnakar river stands the Ratnavali Shakti Peetha, where the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra places Sati’s right shoulder. The Devi is worshipped here as Anandamayi.
StandingUchchaith Bhagwati Temple, Madhubani
The Devi sthan near Benipatti in Mithila where, by the Mithila tradition, Kalidasa received his learning. The Bhagwati here is worshipped in a murti without a head.
StandingNalateswari Temple, Nalhati
The town of Nalhati takes its name from this temple on a low hill, where the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra says the nala of Sati, the windpipe, fell. The Devi is Kalika and her Bhairava Yogesh.
StandingJnanakshi Rajarajeshwari Temple, Bengaluru (claimed Karnat Shakti Peetha)
The Kailash Ashrama temple that gave Rajarajeshwari Nagar its name. Its tradition holds that this is Karnat, the Shakti Peetha where Sati’s ears fell, a peetha whose true site no list can fix.
StandingBakreshwar (Vakreshwar) Shakti Peetha
A tirtha of hot springs on the Bakreshwar river, where Mahadev is Vakranath, the Lord of the sage Ashtavakra. Our list says the point between Sati’s eyebrows fell here; the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra’s verse says her manas, the mind.
StandingJeshoreshwari Kali Temple, Ishwaripur
The Yashor peetha, where Sati’s palms and soles fell, at Ishwaripur on the edge of the Sundarbans. Raja Pratapaditya rebuilt the temple when Ishwaripur was his capital.
StandingPhullara Devi Temple, Attahas (Labpur)
Near Labpur in Birbhum the Phullara temple is worshipped as Attahas, where the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra places Sati’s lips. A second Attahas, at Dakshindihi near Katwa, also claims the peetha.
StandingNandikeshwari Temple, Sainthia (Nandipur)
Sainthia was once called Nandipur after this temple, where the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra places Sati’s necklace. The Devi sits under a great banyan near the Mayurakshi, a short walk from the railway station.
RebuiltNagapooshani Amman Temple, Nainativu
On the small island of Nainativu off Jaffna, the Devi who wears the naga as her ornament. Many Tamil Shaivas identify her with Indrakshi of the Lanka peetha, where Sati’s anklets fell.
StandingVirat Shakti Peetha (Ambika Devi), Viratnagar
Viratnagar, the old Bairat, is the capital of King Virata where the Pandavas spent their year in disguise. The Peetha Nirnaya Tantra counts it among the 51 Shakti Peethas: the toes of Sati’s left foot fell here, and the Devi is Ambika.
StandingBadi Patan Devi Temple, Patna (Magadh Shakti Peetha)
The guardian Devi of Patna, whose seat is counted as the Magadh Shakti Peetha, where Sati’s right thigh fell. Some lists count it as the 52nd peetha, beyond the 51.
The full list
- HinglajLasbela, Balochistan, PakistanPart: Crown of the head (brahmarandhra) · Shakti: Kottari (Hinglaj Mata) · Bhairava: Bhimalochana
- Sharkararay, KaravipurNear Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan (site not certain)Part: Eyes · Shakti: Mahishamardini · Bhairava: Krodhish
- SugandhaShikarpur, Barishal, BangladeshPart: Nose · Shakti: Sunanda · Bhairava: Tryambak
- Amarnath, KashmirAmarnath cave, Jammu and KashmirPart: Throat · Shakti: Mahamaya · Bhairava: Trisandhyeshwar
- JwalamukhiKangra, Himachal PradeshPart: Tongue · Shakti: Siddhida (Ambika) · Bhairava: Unmatta
- Jalandhar (Devi Talab)Jalandhar, PunjabPart: Left breast · Shakti: Tripuramalini · Bhairava: Bhishan
- VaidyanathDeoghar, JharkhandPart: Heart · Shakti: Jaya Durga · Bhairava: Vaidyanath
- GuhyeshwariKathmandu, NepalPart: Both knees · Shakti: Mahamaya (Mahashira) · Bhairava: Kapali
- ManasMansarovar, TibetPart: Right hand · Shakti: Dakshayani · Bhairava: Amar
- Biraja (Utkal)Jajpur, OdishaPart: Navel · Shakti: Vimala (Biraja) · Bhairava: Jagannath
- GandakiMuktinath, Mustang, NepalPart: Forehead · Shakti: Gandaki Chandi · Bhairava: Chakrapani
- BahulaKetugram, Purba Bardhaman, West BengalPart: Left arm · Shakti: Bahula · Bhairava: Bhiruk
- UjaniKogram, Purba Bardhaman, West BengalPart: Right wrist · Shakti: Mangal Chandika · Bhairava: Kapilambar
- TripuraUdaipur, TripuraPart: Right foot · Shakti: Tripura Sundari · Bhairava: Tripuresh
- ChattalChandranath hill, Sitakunda, Chattogram, BangladeshPart: Right arm · Shakti: Bhavani · Bhairava: Chandrashekhar
- TrisrotaJalpaiguri, West BengalPart: Left foot · Shakti: Bhramari · Bhairava: Ambar
- Kamagiri (Kamakhya)Nilachal, Guwahati, AssamPart: Yoni · Shakti: Kamakhya · Bhairava: Umananda
- JugadyaKshirgram, Purba Bardhaman, West BengalPart: Right big toe · Shakti: Jugadya (Bhutadhatri) · Bhairava: Kshir Khandak
- Kalipitha (Kalighat)Kolkata, West BengalPart: Toes of the right foot · Shakti: Kalika · Bhairava: Nakulish
- PrayagPrayagraj, Uttar PradeshPart: Fingers · Shakti: Lalita · Bhairava: Bhava
- JayantiJaintia Hills (Nartiang, Meghalaya) or Sylhet, BangladeshPart: Left thigh · Shakti: Jayanti · Bhairava: Kramadishwar
- KiritkonaKiriteswari, Murshidabad, West BengalPart: Crown (kirita) · Shakti: Vimala (Bhuvaneshi) · Bhairava: Samvarta
- Manikarnika, VaranasiKashi, Uttar PradeshPart: Earring · Shakti: Vishalakshi · Bhairava: Kala Bhairava
- KanyashramKanyakumari, Tamil NaduPart: Back · Shakti: Sarvani · Bhairava: Nimish
- KurukshetraThanesar, HaryanaPart: Ankle · Shakti: Savitri (Bhadrakali) · Bhairava: Sthanu
- ManivedikaPushkar, RajasthanPart: Wrists · Shakti: Gayatri · Bhairava: Sarvananda
- Shri ShailSylhet, BangladeshPart: Neck · Shakti: Mahalakshmi · Bhairava: Shambaranand
- Kanchi (Kankalitala)Bolpur, Birbhum, West BengalPart: Waist bone · Shakti: Devagarbha · Bhairava: Ruru
- KalmadhavAmarkantak, Madhya Pradesh (site disputed)Part: Left buttock · Shakti: Kali · Bhairava: Asitanga
- ShonaAmarkantak, Madhya Pradesh (source of the Narmada and Son)Part: Right buttock · Shakti: Narmada (Shonakshi) · Bhairava: Bhadrasen
- RamgiriChitrakoot or Maihar (Sharada Devi), Madhya PradeshPart: Right breast · Shakti: Shivani · Bhairava: Chanda
- VrindavanBhuteshwar, Vrindavan, Uttar PradeshPart: Locks of hair · Shakti: Uma (Katyayani) · Bhairava: Bhutesh
- ShuchiSuchindram, Kanyakumari, Tamil NaduPart: Upper teeth · Shakti: Narayani · Bhairava: Samhar
- PanchasagarNear Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (site not certain)Part: Lower teeth · Shakti: Varahi · Bhairava: Maharudra
- KaratoyatatBhabanipur, Bogura, BangladeshPart: Left anklet · Shakti: Aparna · Bhairava: Vaman
- Shri ParvatLadakh (some say Srisailam)Part: Right anklet · Shakti: Shri Sundari · Bhairava: Sundaranand
- VibhashTamluk, Purba Medinipur, West BengalPart: Left ankle · Shakti: Kapalini (Bhimarupa) · Bhairava: Sarvanand
- PrabhasPrabhas Patan, Somnath, GujaratPart: Stomach · Shakti: Chandrabhaga · Bhairava: Vakratunda
- Bhairav ParvatUjjain, Madhya PradeshPart: Elbow (some say upper lip) · Shakti: Avanti · Bhairava: Lambakarna
- JanasthanNashik, MaharashtraPart: Chin · Shakti: Bhramari · Bhairava: Vikritaksha
- Godavari TirKotilingeshwar, Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh (site disputed)Part: Left cheek · Shakti: Vishveshi (Rakini) · Bhairava: Dandapani (Vatsanabha)
- RatnavaliKhanakul, Hooghly, West BengalPart: Right shoulder · Shakti: Kumari · Bhairava: Shiva
- MithilaNear Janakpur, Nepal (also identified in Bihar)Part: Left shoulder · Shakti: Uma (Mahadevi) · Bhairava: Mahodar
- NalhatiNalhati, Birbhum, West BengalPart: Windpipe (nala) · Shakti: Kalika · Bhairava: Yogesh
- KarnatKarnataka (site not certain)Part: Both ears · Shakti: Jayadurga · Bhairava: Abhiru
- VakreshwarBakreshwar, Birbhum, West BengalPart: Point between the eyebrows · Shakti: Mahishamardini · Bhairava: Vakranath
- YashorIshwaripur, Satkhira, BangladeshPart: Palms and soles · Shakti: Yashoreshwari · Bhairava: Chanda
- AttahasLabpur, Birbhum, West BengalPart: Lips · Shakti: Phullara · Bhairava: Vishvesh
- NandipurSainthia, Birbhum, West BengalPart: Necklace · Shakti: Nandini · Bhairava: Nandikeshwar
- LankaSri Lanka (identified by many with Nainativu, Jaffna)Part: Anklets · Shakti: Indrakshi · Bhairava: Rakshaseshwar
- ViratBairat, Jaipur, RajasthanPart: Toes of the left foot · Shakti: Ambika · Bhairava: Amriteshwar
- MagadhPatna, Bihar (Patan Devi; counted as the 52nd in some lists)Part: Right thigh · Shakti: Sarvanandakari · Bhairava: Vyomkesh