Shakti Peeth temples are the most important pilgrimage spots of Hindu Worshippers. India is a country with a huge population and 80% of the population in India are Hindus. These sacred Shakti Peetha temples are located all over India and are visited by a large number of Hindu devotees in India. These Shakti Peethas are also known as tourist destinations as because these temples are visited by people from different countries. But do you know that there are also some Shakti Peeth temples that are located outside India? Yes, there are more than 10 Shakti Peeth temples that are located outside India in different countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Tibet (China). But before we go on, let us first know about the origin and the story of Shakti Peeth Temples.
What are Shakti Peeth Temples and how are they created?
The Shakti Peeth Temples, dedicated to the goddess Sati, is considered one of the most sacred and important places of worship. There are a total of 51 Shakti Peeth Temples and only 18 Shakti Pith Temples are considered the main Shakti Temples. Shakti Peeth temples are scattered across Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Tibet. With as many temples in India as possible, the temples of Shakti Peeth, the country with the largest number of Hindus in the world, attract thousands of visitors. Of the 18 major Shakti Peeth, some of the temples are called Adi Shakti Peeth. Adi Shakti Peeth is the top four of the major Shakti Peeth, according to ancient Hindu texts. These Adi Shakti Peeth temples are Kamakhya Temple, Kalighat Kali Temple, Maa Bhairavi Temple, Vimala Shakti Peeth Temple.
These are the temples that are located outside India
Gandaki Chandi Shakti Peeth Temple
The Gandaki Chandi Shakti Pith is one of the two Shakti Dhams of Goddess Sati in Nepal. It is part of the Mukti Nath Dam, the temple of Sir Vishnu in Muktinath, Mustang district, Nepal. At Gandaki Chandi Temple, the goddess Sati appeared in the form of the Goddess Chandi Kali, and the god Shiva appeared in the form of Chakrapani. This is where Goddess Sati fell on her right cheek. Gandaki Chandi Temple is named after the Gandaki River and is located on the banks of the Gandaki River. The Vishnu Temple Mukti Nath Dham is an important place of worship for those who follow the principles of Vaishnavism.
Dakshayani Shakti Peeth
There is a Shakti Peeth named Dakshayani Shakti Peeth Mandir located at the foot of the Kailash Mountains in Tibet. The Dakshayani Temple is also known as the Manasha Shakti Peeth because, in the Dakshayani temple, Goddess Sati appears in the form of Manasha Devi, and Lord Shiva appears in the form of Amar. Dakshayani Pitha is the place where the right hand of Goddess Sati fell. There isn’t any idol of Goddess Dakshayani in this place but she is worshipped as a Stone Slab which is located at the bottom of the Kailash Mountains near the Kailash Mansarovar lake. Kailash Mountains is known as the abode of Lord Shiva and it is considered a Holy place for Hindu Worshippers. Every year thousands of people go on Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
Shankari Temple
Located in the Trincomalee district, Shankari Shakti Peeth Temple is a Shakti Peeth of Sri Lanka. This temple of Goddess Sati is considered part of Koneswaram temple. Goddess Sati appears in the form of Goddess Shankari and god Shiva appears in the form of Triconeshwar in this Shakti Peeth Temple. In this Shakti Peeth, the heart of Goddess Sati fell. Adi Shankara Charya founded the temple during his visit to Sri Lanka. The original temple was destroyed by a foreign Portuguese invader. The idol of the goddess Shankari has been preserved and a new temple has been built in place of the old one. On the grounds of Shankari temple, there is another Shiva temple dedicated to the Triconeshwar style of Lord Shiva.
Hinglaj Mata Shakti Peeth Temple
Hinglaj Mata Mandir is Shakti Peeth from Balochistan, Pakistan. The temple is located in a cave in Hingol National Park. Hinglaj Mandir is one of Pakistan’s three Shakti temples and one of the main temples. This is where the top of Goddess Sati’s forehead had fallen. In Hinglaj Mata Shakti Peeth Mandir, the goddess Sati is worshiped as Hinglaj Devi and the god Shiva as Bhairav. The Hinglaj Mandir is not made up of artificial images of the goddess Sati or Hinglaj Mata, but devotees worship small round pieces of stone covered with sindoor. About 250,000 people from India visit Hinglaj Mandir every year. For those who cannot visit Hinglaj temple in Pakistan, there are Hinglaj Mandir in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
Guhyeshwari Temple
Guhesyeshwari Shakti Peeth Temple is located in Kathmandu, Nepal. This is one of the two famous Shakti peace temples in Nepal. Pashupati Nath Temple in Kathmandu is only 1 km from Guhyeshwari Temple. Here the knee of the goddess Sati fell. At the Guhyeshwari Temple, the goddess Sati is worshiped in the form of Debi Mahashira. Lord Shiva is also in the temple in the form of Kapali. The name of the temple is derived from the Sanskrit word “Guha” which means cave and the Sanskrit word “Ishwari” which means goddess. In other words, Guhyeshwari means “goddess of the cave”. The temple was built by King Plata Pamala and is a place of worship for Hindus in Nepal and India. Guhyeshwari Temple is mainly popular with Tantric devotees who visit the temple to receive blessings from Devi Mahashira.
Jeshoreshwari Shakti Peeth Temple
Jeshoreshwari Shakti Mandir is located in the village of Ishwaripur in the Khulna district of Bangladesh. Jeshoreshwari Mandir is a Shakti Peeth Dham dedicated to Goddess Sati and is worshiped in the form of Goddess Kali at Jeshoreshwari Shakti Mandir in Bangladesh. Along with the goddess Kali, Lord Shiva also appears in this temple in the form of Chanda. It is said that Jeshoreshwari Shakti Peeth is where the hands and palms of the goddess Sati fell. Jeshoreshwari Mandir is also known as Jeshoreshwari Kali temple in Ishwaripur village. According to some legends, the temple was first discovered when King Pratap Aditya’s general saw a hand-carved stone pillar. Later, King Pratap Aditya, a follower of the goddess Kali, built the Kali Temple. Recently, the Prime Minister of India visited the Kali Temple of Jeshore during his visit to Bangladesh.
Article Credit: biographico.com
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