Story behind Origin of Shakti Peethas

The Shakti Peethas are places of worship consecrated to the goddess Shakti or Sati.  They are sprinkled throughout the incredible India.

Lord Brahma performed a yajna (Vedic ritual of fire sacrifice) to please Shakti and Shiva. Goddess Shakti emerged, separating from Shiva and helped Brahma in the creation of the universe. Brahma decided to give Shakti back to Shiva. Therefore his son Daksha performed several yagnas to obtain Shakti as his daughter in the form of Sati. It was then decided that Sati was brought into this world with the motive of getting married to Shiva.

However, due to Lord Shiva's curse to Brahma that his fifth head was cut off due to his lie in front of Shiva, Daksha started hating Lord Shiva and decided not to let Lord Shiva and Sati get married. However, Sati got attracted to Shiva and finally one day Shiva and Sati got married. This marriage only increased Daksha's hatred towards Lord Shiva.

Daksha performed a yagna with a desire to take revenge on Lord Shiva. Daksha invited all the deities to the yajna except Lord Shiva and Sati. The fact that she was not invited did not deter Sati from attending the yagna. She expressed her desire to attend the yagna to Shiva, who tried his best to dissuade her from going. Shiva eventually relented and Sati went to the yagna. Sati, being an uninvited guest, was not given any respect at the yagna. Furthermore, Daksha insulted Shiva. Sati was unable to bear her father's insults toward her husband, so she immolated herself.

Enraged at the insult and the injury, Shiva in Virabhadra avatar destroyed Daksha's yagna, cut off Daksha's head, and later replaced it with that of a male goat as he restored him to life. But his anger was not still pacified. He lifted the dead body of Devi Parvati on his shoulder and started Tandav.

                Lord Shiva Carrying the corpse of Sati on his Shoulders.

The whole of the world became terrified and all the gods went to Lord Vishnu and sought his help. Vishnu went there and he was also not able to pacify Lord Shiva. He then ordered His Chakra and chakra started chopping the parts of the dead body of Sati one by one. The various parts of the body fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed sites which are known as Shakti Peethas today.

Totally there are 51 Shakti Peetas where over 51 body parts of Devi Sati, fell after being broken apart by the Sudarshana Chakra of Lord Vishnu. at the location on which the respective temple is built.

Out of which 4 are called as Adhi Shakti Peethas and 18 are called as Maha Shakti Peetas most famously known as AshtaDasha Shakthi Peethas.