Shakta pithas

Epic card · No. 10775

The Shakta pithas, also called Shakti pithas or Sati pithas (Sanskrit: शाक्त पीठ, Śakti Pīṭha, seats of Devi Sati), are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the mother goddess denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms of Adi Shakti. Various Puranas such as Srimad Devi Bhagavatam state the existence of a varying number of 51, 52, 64 and 108 Shakta pithas of which 18 are named as Astadasha Maha (major) and 4 are named as Chatasrah Aadi (Sanskrit: चतस्रः आदि, first four) in medieval Hindu texts. Legends abound about how the Shakta pithas came into existence. The most popular is based on the story of the death of Sati, a deity according to Hinduism. Shiva carried Sati's body, reminiscing about their moments as a couple, and roamed around the universe with it. Vishnu cut her body into 108 body parts, using his Sudarshana Chakra, which fell on earth to become sacred sites where all the people can pay homage to the goddess. To complete this task...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Abhishek Chandra, Public domain