Śaktipīṭhas
The story of the Śakti Pīṭhas is connected to Satī and Śiva . Satī, the daughter of King Dakṣa , married Bhagavān Śiva against her father’s wishes. When Dakṣa organized a grand yajña but chose not to invite Śiva and insulted him, Satī, overcome with grief and anger, attended uninvited. She confronted her father, but when her attempts to defend Śiva failed, she immolated herself in the yajña fire in anguish and despair. Devastated by Satī’s death, Śiva carried her lifeless body and performed the Tāṇḍava , the cosmic dance of destruction. To save the universe from Śiva's wrath, Bhagavān Viṣṇu used his Sudarśana Cakra to dismember Satī’s body. The pieces fell across the Indian subcontinent, and each location where a part landed became a sacred Śakti Pīṭha. The number of Śakti Pīṭhas varies across texts and traditions due to differences in cosmic cycles ( Kalpabheda ). For instance, the Devī Bhāgavatapurāṇa mentions 108 Śakti Pīṭhas during the Sarasvata Kalpa , while t...