The Shakti Peethas are very ancient, powerful and auspicious temples dedicated to Goddess Shakti.
The mythological story of Daksha yajna and Goddess Sati’s self-immolation is the story given in the scriptures about the origin of Shakti Peethas.
Sati was an incarnation of Goddess or Shakti who was born as the daughter of Daksha who was the king of the Himalayan empire. She married Lord Shiva, one of the trinities who was an ascetic. Daksha did not like the marriage as Lord Shiva was penniless and had no material possessions. Once Daksha conducted a yajna and invited all the gods except Shiva. Sati, being his daughter went to attend it though uninvited. There Daksha insulted her about her husband being a pauper. Unable to bear this she immolated herself by jumping in the fire pit of the yagya. When Shiva came to know about this in a delirious rage, he destroyed the Daksha yagya and holding the burnt body of Sati he started performing the Tandav Nritya or the Dance of Destruction. To calm Shiva, Lord Vishnu used His Sudarsana Chakra and chopped Sati’s body into fifty-one pieces which fell in various parts of India (Undivided in those days).
The Shakti Peethas or divine places of worship of Shakti came into being wherever these 51 parts (52 according to some) of Sati’s body had fallen and subsequently temples came up in these places.
The 51 Shakti Peethas are connected to the 51 Beeja Mantas (divine Sanskrit sounds).
It is very difficult to give an accurate list of the 51 Shaki Peethas where the body parts Sati fell. This is because some of the names of the ancient places mentioned in the scriptures are not very specific and its modern-day location is pointing to more than one place. So, the inability to match the Puranic and Tantric names of places and goddesses with the present ones is a problem. In some of the disputed places the sentiments and devotion of the local people and temple priests is very strong and their lobby insists the place to be one of the 51. However nearly 40 places are very clear. We are giving list bellow which is about 60 places. Some differences about which body part fell where are also there. We are adding pages with authentic information about the temples.
There are discrepancies about which body part fell whereas the scriptures say something but the priests at the temple say something else and about some places as some of the ancient places mentioned are not very clear. None the less all are highly visited and revered places.
Shakti peethas as per Devi Purana with location maps, deity pictures, body part and address.
You can see the location map of all shaktipeethas> Shaktipeethas map
Kalika Purana mentions the following four as the most important ones:
“Bimala Pada khandancha,
Sthana khandancha Tarini
Kamakhya Yoni khandancha,
Mukha khandancha Kalika
Anga pratyanga sanghena Vishnu Chakra Kshyta nacha” (Body parts chopped by Vishnu)
The 4 are as bellow:
| Sr.# | Place | Body Part | Name of the Devi |
| 1 | Puri, Odisha inside the Jagannath Temple | Pada | Bimala or Vimala |
| 2 | Berhampur, Odisha | Sthana | Tara Tarini |
| 3 | Kamakhya temple, Guwahati, Assam | Yoni | Kamakhya |
| 4 | Kalighat Kali Temple, Kolkata, West Bengal | Mukha | Dakshina Kalika |
According to the Shakti peetha stotra of Aadi Shankaracharya the following 18 are the most important Shaki Kshetras:-
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 //
Meaning
Goddess Shankari in Sri Lanka, Kamakshi in Kanchipuram,
Goddess Shrinkhala in Pradyumna and Chamunda in Mysore
Goddess Jogulamba in Alampur, Goddess Brhamarabika in Sri Shailam,
Goddess Maha Lakshmi in Kolhapur and Goddess Ekaveera in Mahur
Goddess Maha Kali in Ujjain, Purhuthika in Peethika,
Goddess Girija in Odhyana and goddess Manikya in the house of Daksha,
Goddess Kamarupi in the temple of Vishnu Goddess Madhevaswari in Allahabad,
The flame giving Goddess in Jwala Mukhi and Mangala Gouri in Gaya.
The above 18 major Shakti Peethas as per Aadi Shankaracharya are as follows:
| Sr. No. | Place | Part of the body | Name of the Shakti |
| 1 | Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) | Groin | Shankari devi |
| 2 | Kanchipuram (Tamilnadu) | Naval | Kamakshi Devi |
| 3 | Praddyumnam (West Bengal) | Stomach part | Sri Srunkhala devi |
| 4 | Mysore (Karnataka) | Hair | Chamundeshwari devi |
| 5 | Alampur (Andhra Pradesh) | Upper teeth | Jogulamba devi |
| 6 | Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) | Neck part | Bhramaramba devi |
| 7 | Kolhapur (Maharastra) | Eyes | Mahalakshmi devi |
| 8 | Nanded (Maharastra) | Head | Eka Veera Devi |
| 9 | Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) | Upper lip | Mahakali devi |
| 10 | Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh) | Left hand | Puruhutika devi |
| 11 | Jajpur (Odisha) | Navel | Biraja devi |
| 12 | Draksharamam (Andhra Pradesh) | Left cheek | Manikyamba devi |
| 13 | Guwahati (Assam) | Vulva | Kamarupa devi |
| 14 | Prayaga (Uttar Pradesh) | Fingers | Madhaveswari devi |
| 15 | Jwala (Himachal Pradesh) | Tongue | Vaishnavi devi |
| 16 | Gaya (Bihar) | Breast part | Sarvamangala devi |
| 17 | Varanasi(Uttar Pradesh) | Wrist/Face/Earring | Vishalakshi devi |
| 18 | Srinagar (Kashmir, Pakistan) | Right hand | Saraswathi devi |
There are 51 Shakti Peethas mentioned in Devi Bhagavata Purana and is considered the most authentic.
However, some of the ones mentioned in the Adi Shankaracharya’s list of 18 are not there in it!!
There are some other lists. Parvati’s list of Shaktipeethas in Tantrachudamani differs from 61 to 65 to 66 to 74 according to various sources. Parvati’s list as per the Brahmanda Purana is 50. Devi Bhagavata proposes 108 Peethas and Devi Gita recommends 72.
According to most Vedic scholars and our research the 51 given bellow as per Devi Purana is the most authentic.
| Sr# | Shakti Peetha and location | Body part | State / Country |
| 1 | Mahamaya, Amarnath, Jammu & Kashmir | Throat | Jammu & Kashmir |
| 2 | Fullara or Phullara Devi Shaktipeeth, in Attahasa | Lower Lip | West Bengal |
| 3 | Bahula Shakti Peetha, Bardhaman | Left Arm | West Bengal |
| 4 | Mahishmardini Shaktipeeth, Bakreshwar, Siuri | Forehead | West Bengal |
| 5 | Mahakali / Gada Kalika Bhairav Parvat Ujjain | Upper Lip | Madhya Pradesh |
| 6 | Aparna Shaktipith, Bhabanipur | Left anklet | Bangladesh |
| 7 | Gandaki Chandi Shakti Peeth, Chandi River | Cheek | Nepal |
| 8 | Saptashringi Bhramari/Bhadrakali/Vani Nasik | Chin | Maharastra |
| 9 | Hinglaj Mata mandir, Baloochistan, Karachi | Head | Pakistan |
| 10 | Jayanti / Nartiang Durga Jayanti Nartiang | Left thigh | Meghalaya |
| 11 | Jeshoreshwari Kali / Yogeshwari, Khulna dist | Palm | Bangladesh |
| 12 | Jwalamukhi / Vaishnavi devi Kangra, | Tongue | Himachal Pradesh |
| 13 | Kalika Kalighat, Calcutta | Right toes | West Bengal |
| 14 | Kalamadhav Kali Amarkantak | Left hip | Madhya Pradesh |
| 15 | Kamarupa devi Khamakya, Guwahati | Yoni (Genital) | Guwahati Assam |
| 16 | Devgarbha/Kankleshwari/Kankalitala Birbhum | Waist | West Bengal |
| 17 | Sarvani Devi / Bhagavathy Kanyakumari | Back / spine | Tamil Nadu |
| 18 | Chamundeshwari / Jayadurga Chamundi Hills | Part of Hair | Mysore |
| 19 | Vimla or Kiriteshwari Devi, Murshidabad | Crown | West Bengal |
| 20 | Kumari/ Ratnavali/Anandamayee Krishnanagar | Right shoulder | West Bengal |
| 21 | Bhramari Shaktipeeth Ratnavali | Left leg | West Bengal |
| 22 | Dakshayani or Manasa Shakti, Manasarovar | Right hand | Tibet/China |
| 23 | Gayatri Manibandh/Chamunda Devi Pushkar | Left Wrist | Rajasthan |
| 24 | Uma Devi at Mithila, Janakpuri, Darbhanga | Left shoulder | Bihar |
| 25 | Indrakshi Nagapooshani Bhuvaneswari Jafna | Left Anklet | Sri Lanka |
| 26 | Mahasira/Guhyeswari near Pasupatinath Temple | Knees | Kathmandu Nepal |
| 27 | Bhavani Devi at Chandranath Hills | Right arm | Bangladesh |
| 28 | Varahi Devi, Panch Sagar | Lower teeth | Uttar Pradesh |
| 29 | Chandrabhaga Devi Junagarh | Stomach | Junagarh, Gujarat |
| 30 | Lalita Devi of Prayagraj | Righthand fingers | Uttar Pradesh |
| 31 | Bhadrakali / Savitri, Kurukshetra | Right anklet | Haryana |
| 32 | Shivani / Sarada Maihar, Satna | Necklace | Madhya Pradesh |
| 33 | Nandini or Nandikeshwari Devi Birbhum | Necklace 2 | West Bengal |
| 34 | Sarvashali Rakini Rajamundry, Kotilingeswar | Left cheek | Andhra Pradesh |
| 35 | Mahishasuramardini Shivaharkaray, Karachi | Third eye | Pakistan |
| 36 | Narmada Shondesh Amarkantak | Right hip | Madhya Pradesh |
| 37 | Bhramaramba Devi Sri Sailam | Neck part | Andhra Pradesh |
| 38 | Sri Shail Mahalaxmi Sylhet | Neck part | Bangladesh |
| 39 | Devi Narayani – Suchindram temple Suchindram | Upper teeth | Tamil Nadu |
| 40 | Sunanda at Sugandha Shaktipeetha Shikarpur | Nose | Bangladesh |
| 41 | Tripura Sundari Devi Udaipur in Tripura | Right foot | Tripura |
| 42 | Harasiddhi Mata at Ujjain | Right wrist | Ujjain |
| 43 | Visalakshi Shaktipeetha, Varanasi | Ear ring | Uttar Pradesh |
| 44 | Kapalini / Vibhash / Bargabhima Medinipur | Left heel | West Bengal |
| 45 | Ambika Devi Bharatpur | Left leg | Rajasthan |
| 46 | Uma / Katyayani Vrindavan/Bhuteswar Temple | Part of Hair | Uttar Pradesh |
| 47 | Tripuramalini Jalandhar | Left breast | Punjab |
| 48 | Amba Devi at Ambaji | Heart | Gujarat |
| 49 | Jaidurga Deogarh | Ear | Jharkhand |
| 50 | Danteswari, Dantewada | Tooth | Chattisgarh |
| 51 | Biraja devi Nabi Gaya, Biraj, Jajpur | Naval | Orissa |
Some other very famous Shakti temples are:
Vaishno Devi Katra, Jammu Kashmir.
Madurai Meenakshi temple at Madurai Tamilnadu.
Lalita as Lingadharini Shakti at Naimisharanya, Uttar Pradesh.
Kanaka Durga Vijayawada Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.
