The Shakti Peetha (Sanskrit: शक्ति पीठ, Śakti Pīṭha, seat of Shakti[1]) are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the goddess-focused Hindu tradition. There are 52 or 108 Shakti peethas by various accounts,[2][3] of which between 4 to 18 are named as Maha (major) in medieval Hindu texts.[2] Most of these historic places of goddess worship are in India, but some are in Nepal, Bangladesh, and one each in Tibet (Mansarovar), Sri Lanka and Pakistan.[3]

Various legends explain how the Shakti Peetha came into existence. The most popular is based on the story of the death of the goddess Sati. Out of grief and sorrow, Shiva carried Sati's body, reminiscing about their moments as a couple, and roamed around the universe with it. Vishnu had cut her body into 52 body parts, using his Sudarshana Chakra, which fell on Earth to become holy spots in which to pray to the Goddess named Shakti Peeths. To complete this massively long task, Lord Shiva took the form of Bhairav.