About a week back I chanced upon a copy of Bhaskararaya‘s commentary on Sri Lalita Sahasranama.

I posted an article on this with the intention of posting some more on the subject.

Somehow I never got around dong it.

Reason was I wanted to get to know further details on Shakti worship and Tantra Shastra.

Though I am reasonably with the Tantra Shastra I had  reservations.

Now , as it happens when I think of writing some thing, the reference books keep coming to me, with out my seeking them.

I have now two excellent references.

So the post.

Apart from worshiping God as an Impersonal principle, Hinduism treats them as Personal Gods with Human Attributes.

Thus one would find Upanishads,Purusha Suktha efining or describing th Brahman as the Ultimate Reality,we also have Narayana Suktam,Sri Suktam,Vishnu Suktam,Durga Suktam, Rudra and Chamaka, not to speak of the innumerable Slokas.

In the case of Shaki or Devi Worship, the worship has gone into greater lengths and as a personal God, her Body parts are reported to have been scattered over a wide area, after the Self immolation of the Sati Devi at the Daksha Yaga.

There are various and differing versions as to the number of parts that have fallen.

“

“Bimala Pada khandancha, Sthana khandancha Tarini (Tara Tarini), Kamakshya Yoni khandancha, Mukha khandancha Kalika (Dakshina Kalika) Anga pratyanga sanghena Vishnu Chakra Kshyta nacha”

In Puri, inside the Jagannath Complex,Pada Bimala,

In Berhampur,Odisha, Breasts,

In Gwahati,Assam, Yonikanda, the Genital Organ,

In  Kalighat,Kolkata, Mukhakanda ,Face,

AThese are the Four Adi Shakti Peethas

Further explaining the importance of these four Pithas, the “Brihat Samhita” also gives the location of these Pithas as (In Sanskrit) “Rushikulya* Tatae Devi, Tarakashya Mahagiri, Tashya Srunga Stitha Tara Vasishta Rajitapara” (Rushikulya is a holy river flowing on the foot hill of the Tara Tarini Hill Shrine”-The Astashakti and Kalika Purana.

Apart from this there are Fifty two Shakti Peethas spread over India,Bangladesh,Sri Lanka,Tibet and Pakistan.

According to the Pithanirnaya Tantra the 52 peethas are scattered all over India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Pakistan. The Shivacharita besides listing 52 maha-peethas, speaks about 26 more upa-peethas. The Bengali almanac, Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika too describes the 52 peethas including the present modified addresses. A few of the several accepted listings are given below.One of the few in South India, Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh became the site for a 2nd-century temple.

There is also a version which states that there are 64, 108.

Suggestions to improve the post are welcome.

The Fifty two Peeta List

Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakti_Peethas

• “Shakti” refers to the Goddess worshipped at each location, all being manifestations of Dakshayani, Sati; later known as Parvati or Durga;
• “Bhairava” refers to the corresponding consort, each a manifestation of Shiva;
• “Body Part or Ornament” refers to the body part or piece of jewellery that fell to earth, at the location on which the respective temple is built.

First relating to Brahmanda Purana, one of the major eighteen Puranas, it mentions 64 Shakthi Peetha of Goddess Parvati in the Bharat or Greater India including present day India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Another text which gives a listing of these shrines, is the Shakthi Peetha Stotram, written by Adi Shankara, the 9th-century Hindu philosopher.^[10]

According to the manuscript Mahapithapurana (c. 1690 – 1720 CE), there are 52 such places. Among them, 23 are located in the Bengal region, 14 of these are located in what is now West Bengal, India, 1 in Baster (Chhattisgarh), while 7 are in what is now Bangladesh.

Rishi Markandeya composed the ‘Devi Saptashati’ or the seven hundred hymns extolling the virtues of the Divine Goddess at the shaktipeetha in Nashik. The idol is also leaning a little to the left to listen to the sages composition. The Saptashati or the “Durga Stuti” forms an integral part in the vedic form of Shakti worship.

Preserving the mortal relics of famous and respected individuals was a common practice in ancient India – seen in the Buddhist stupas which preserve the relics of Gautama Buddha. It is believed by some^{[citation needed]} that these 64 peethas preserve the remains of some ancient female sage from whom the legend of Kali could have emerged and then merged with the Purusha – Prakriti (Shiva Shakti) model of Hindu thought.

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