Sakti Peethas: The Abodes of Goddess (Sakti Darsan 2)

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Preface

The legend of Daksha Yajna offers a mythological explanation of the origin of Sakti Peethas.

In almost all Indian religious sects, the Sakti concept plays an important role. In Tantric religion, Sakti is conceived as the all-creating, all-preserving and all-destroying deity and the male god is given a subsidiary position. In Sakti worship, we see the coming together of the ancient cult of the Mother Goddess, still revered in local forms in Indian villages, and preserved in Tantric rituals and the more sophisticated forms of Devi worship.

Sakti has been worshipped since ancient times. The objects discovered at Mohenjodaro show that Siva and Sakti were worshipped not only in the human form but also symbolically as linga.

The religious crystallization of Sakti worship seems to have taken place originally on the basis of a group of four peethas at a time which may coincide with the appearance of the early Tantras. These four peethas are supposed to represent the four cardinal points-in the east, south, west and north of India-though, from the beginning, the region of Kamarupa (Assam) enjoyed a privileged position in the scheme.

In some traditions, when we speak of Sri Chakra as the abode of Sakti, it is easy to imagine it as the central portion of a great city in which the Goddess lives. The Puranas mention such a city, acclaiming it as Sri Nagara, and graphically describe it in minute detail.

In the article on "Sakti Peethas-An Overview," list of 51 peethas has been presented from widely accepted texts and local traditions. The peethas have been mentioned in the order of the part of Sati's body or the ornament that fell, from the top (the skulf) to the bottom (the toes).

In the survey of Sakti Peethas, some typical places from different parts of India have been covered by different articles. They are: in the east Kamakhya (Assam) and Kasi (U.P.), in the south Kanchi and Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu), in the west Hingulaj (Baluchistan), and in the north Jvalamukhi (Himachal Pradesh) and Guhyesvari (Nepal).

Sakti temples in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Western India, Karnataka and Kerala, not generally associated with peethas but worshipped as centres of power, have also been covered in separate articles to glorify Sakti worship.