GANDHINAGAR:
Those desiring darshan of Shaktipeeths will no longer have to travel across the sub-continent now. Their wish will be fulfilled by a small journey to Ambaji and undertaking a three-km ‘parikrama’ at GabbarAmbaji temple.
The Gujarat government’s project to install replicas of all the 51 Shaktipeeths on the Gabbar Parikrama route is almost complete with 90 per cent of the work executed. The project is being carried out at a cost of Rs 50 crore. A grand Pran Pratistha Mahotsav is likely to be held in October this year during the Bhadarvi Poonam fair.
Secretary of State Pavitra Yatra Dham Vikas Board, Anil Patel said, “Out of the 51 replicas, those of 47 temples and three cave temples are almost complete. During the Pran Pratistha Mahotsav, priests of all the original Shaktipeeths will be invited. Nowhere else in the country has such an effort been made. Cultural events will also be organized to mark the occasion.”
He said that help from experts in ancient literature and Shakti Puja has been taken inexecution of the project. “Chief minister Narendra Modi is personally monitoring the project on a regular basis,” Patel added.
In the last three years, Gujarat government has spent Rs.277.46 crore on redevelopment of Ambaji temple, Gabbar mountain and public amenities.
The Shaktipeeths are places of worship consecrated to the goddess ‘Shakti’, the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect. They are spread throughout the Indian subcontinent. Goddess is often associated with Gowri or Parvati – the benevolent goddess of harmony, marital felicity and longevity, with Durga – the goddess of strength and valour along with Mahakali – the goddess of destruction of the evil.
What is Shaktipeeth
Legend has it that in Satya Yuga, King Daksha performed a yagna with a desire of taking revenge on Lord Shiva, his son-in-law. Daksha was angry because his daughter Sati had married the ‘yogi’ Lord Shiva against his wishes. He invited all the deities to the yagna except Shiva and Sati.
Despite not being invited, Sati went to her father’s yagna where she was insulted. Unable to bear her father’s insults toward her husband, she ended her life by jumping into the yagna fire.
The furious Lord Shiva destroyed oblation site and killed Daksha. He then carried the body of Sati and started wandering all over the universe. Lord Vishnu severed the body with his chakra. Various organs fell at different places that came to be known as Shaktipeeths in due course of time.
List of Shakti Peeths
1. Kalika, West Bengal
2. Yugdha, West Bengal
3. Tristrota, West Bengal
4. Bahula, West Bengal
5. Vatkeshwar, West Bengal
6. Nalhati, West Bengal
7. Nandipur, West Bengal
8. Atahas, West Bengal
9. Kirit, West Bengal
10. Yashor, West Bengal
11. Chatal, West Bengal
12. Katoyapatat, West Bengal
13. Vibhash, West Bengal
14. Sugandha, West Bengal
15. Bhairavparvat, Madhya Pradesh
16. Ramagiri ,Madhya Pradesh
17. Ujjaini, Madhya Pradesh
18. Shoandesh, Madhya Pradesh
19. Shuchi ,Tamil Nadu
20. Ratanavali ,Tamil Nadu
21. Kanyakashram, Tamil Nadu
22. Kanchi ,Tamil Nadu
23. Mithila, Bihar
24. Vaidhanath, Bihar
25. Magadh, Bihar
26. Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh
27. Varanasi , Uttar Pradesh
28. Prayag, Uttar Pradesh
29. Manivedik ,Rajasthan
30. Virat, Rajasthan
31. Prabhas ,Gujarat
32. Godavari Tat, Andhra Pradesh
33. Shri Shail ,Andhra Pradesh
34. Karvir, Maharashtra
35. Jansthan ,Maharashtra
36. Shriparvat, Kashmir
37. Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir
38. Jalandhar ,Punjab
39. Utakal, Orissa
40. Jawalamukhi, Himachal Pradesh
41. Kamrupkamakhiya, Assam
42. Jayanti, Meghalaya
43. Tripursundari, Tripura
44. Kurukshetra, Haryana
45. Kalmadhav, Madhya Pradesh
46. Ganhaki, Nepal
47. Guheshwari, Nepal
48. Hingula (Hingalaj), Pakistan
49. Indrakshi, Sri Lanka
50. Manas, Tibet
51. Panchsagar, Tibet