Abul Fazl in Ain-i-Akbari (16th century) says that on every eighth day of the month at the time of full moon, the temple “shakes and produces the most extraordinary effect.” He however does not explain the “extraordinary effect.”

The temple is so vital to Kashmiris that Kashmiri language has the script of Sharda, which is little similar to Devanagari. Kalhana in Rajatarangini has said, devotees of Durga and Shiva from all over the country would flock to the temple of Sharda which can be approached from Bandipur in North Kashmir, about 80 km from Srinagar.

Through centuries the temple had remained the object of worship and devotion of lakhs of pilgrims from all over the country. Though in ruins now, the entire temple complex inspires grandeur and awe.

The temple had a massive library attached to it which had priceless works on art, science, literature, architecture, music, humanities, medicine, astrology, astronomy, philosophy, law and jurisprudence and sanskrit etc. The library was used by scholars from even neighbouring countries.

Kashmir was also called “Shardapeeth” (the base of Sharda), the name being derived from the temple. The meaning of it is that Shankara reached the peak of spirituality. We can get an idea of his greatness from the fact that a person of just thirty had ascended the throne of all knowledge. As it is not possible to visit this shakti peetha, one can visit the famous Saraswathi temple in Basara in Nizamabad district of Telangana. Basara Sri Gnana Saraswathi Temple is 207 km from Hyderabad.

Vishalakshi is the second consort of Lord Shiva in this holy city of Kashi. This temple is one of 52 Shakti peethams and is part of the famous triad of temples: Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi and Kashi Visalakshi. This small temple is located in one of the narrow streets around the Kashi Vishwanath temple, mainly the South Indians visit this temple.

Although the temple is quite small, the idol of the goddess is very beautiful. Behind the main stone idol of the goddess is another idol (some say it is a silver mold, others say it is an idol), considered the idol prayed in ancient times. One of our guides told us that it was the swayambhu idol of the goddess, while another refuted this claim. Either way, it’s definitely worth checking out, so be sure to look behind the idol when you visit the temple. Kajali Tij, Durga Puja and Navaratri are the Major festivals celebrated in Kashi Vishalakshi Devi Temple.

Adi Shankaracharya, when he visited the temple, performed prayers to renew the powers of the temple and the goddess which had borne the brunt of several invasions. He also installed a Sri Yantram there, and it is to this Yantram that puja is done. Kumkumarchana to this Sri Yantram is considered very special, and can be performed by asking the pujari there.

According to Adi Shankaracharya, Mangla Gauri temple / Sarvamangala Devi Peeth is one of the Ashtadasa Shakti Peeths. The temple has been mentioned in Padma Purana, Vayu Purana, Agni Purana and in many scriptures and tantric works and it upholds the faith of Hindus in “Shakti”. Mangala Gauri Temple is located in Gaya, Bihar and stands on the bank of Falgu River. Gaya in India is held holy and pious by both Hindu and Buddhists. The narrow by lanes with age old buildings, beautiful natural surroundings with rocky hills on the three sides and river flowing by the city on the western side makes the city look beautiful and elates the spiritual atmosphere of the place.

The present temple was constructed in 1459 AD. The temple is dedicated to Mangala Gauri, the Mother Goddess Shakti, who is worshipped as the Goddess of benevolence. This temple constitutes an Upa-Shakti Pitha – where it is believed that a part of the body of Shakti fell – according to mythology. Here Shakti is worshiped in the form of a breast symbol, a symbol of nourishment.

The temple faces east and is situated on top of the Mangala Gauri hill. There is a flight of steps as well as a motorable road that lead to the temple. The sanctum is adorned with some intricately carved ancient sculptures. There is a small hall in front of the temple and a fire pit in the courtyard. There are two small shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and Mahishasura Mardini, Durga and Dakshina Kali.

There are several temples inside the temple campus they are Lord Ganesh temple, Lord Shiva temple and Lord Janardhan swamy temple. Photography is not allowed in Mangala Gauri Temple.

Jwalamukhi refers to the deity with the flaming mouth. As per the legends, the mouth of Sati fell here at the time of self-sacrifice. Ever since the Goddess occupied the place and she manifested in nine flames. After years, one day Raja Bhumi Chand Katoch, a resident of Kangra and a great devotee of Goddess Durga, dreamt of the holy place.

He sent his men to locate the place. With the grace of the Goddess, the site was found and Raja started constructing a temple. It is believed that Pandavas also contributed to the erection of this temple. However, the construction of this temple was completed in the 19th century, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his son, Kharak Singh, gave the Gold and Silver for the dome and door respectively.

Alopi Devi Temple is situated next to the place where the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers confluence (Triveni Sangam). It is the 18th and holiest of all the Shakti Peeth of India. Here last part of the body, the finger of Goddess Sati fell down after the Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Vishnu cut it. The finger of the Goddess Sati fell at this place and disappeared immediately into a pit. So there is no statue in this temple.

Madhaveswari Devi is the main deity in this Ashtadasa Shaktipeeth temple. The striking feature of this holy temple is the wooden cradle also known as doli, which is worshiped and not a deity in the temple. Devotees from all over the country visit this place for its holiness. Navratri festival is celebrated on a large scale here with maximum spectacle and joy. The temple is unique and certainly worth a visit. During Navrati and other festive days, it is immensely crowded and one has to wait for hours for the Darshan.

Besides the main temple, there is a gallery for Durga on the right side of the temple. Here one can see the statues of nine incarnations of Maa Durga. Siddhidari. During Navratri festival is celebrated in a grand manner and a huge number of people gather here from the first day.

The Nine statues are Shailputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayani, Kalratri, Mahagauri, Many Hindu rituals are performed at this place. The famous one is Mudan ceremony (Head tonsuring) of the child.

There is no strict Dress Code, any decent outfit is allowed in Kamakhya Devi Temple.

The Bhimeswara temple at Draksharama has two prakaras. As per the inscriptions the temple was built by Bhima, the Eastern Chalukyan King of Vengi when his kingdom was attacked by the Rashtrakootas. Thus the temple art and architecture shows a combination of sculptural traditions of Chalukya and Chola styles. Ther are four entrances in the outer prakara each having a gopuram, facing the four cardinal directions. The entrance to the inner prakara is on the south, which is lined by a pillared two-stored veranda.

It is believed that the Saptarishis in order to achieve the results of their penance divided the Godavari River into seven different streams at Draskharama. The streams of Bharadhwaja, Viswamitra and Jamadagni known as Antarvahinies, have gone underground. Devotees can take bathe in the Sapta Godavari Kundam near the temple. Sivarathri is celebrated in a great scale and attracts huge crowds of pilgrims.

The Biraja Temple, or Birija Kshetra is an ancient temple in Jajpur, Odisha, India. It is located on the banks of Vaitarini River in Jajpur, about 77.3 kms from Cuttack close to NH5. Biraja Temple is the one of the Ashtadasha Shakti Peethas and the 11th Shaktipeeth. The Navel region of Devi is said to have fallen here. The present temple was built in the 13th century. The main idol is Devi Durga, who is worshiped as Viraja or Girija, and the temple gave Jajpur the nicknames “Viraja Kshetra” and “Biraja Peetha”.

Uniqueness of this goddess is that the idol is depicted as Mahishasuramardini, the Durga idol has two hands, spearing the chest of demon Mahishasura with one hand and pulling the tail with the other. One of her feet is on a lion, and the other on Mahishasura’s chest. Mahishasura is depicted as a water buffalo. The idol’s crown includes Ganesha, a crescent moon and a lingam. The temple is spread in a large area, and has shrines for Shiva and other deities. According to the Skanda Purana, it cleans the pilgrims and is called Viraja or Biraja kshetra. Jajpur is said to have about a crore of Shiva Lingams. The shrine for Lord Shiva is said to have been installed by Adi Shankaracharya.

Nobody knows the exact time of the Girija Devi temples construction. But it was renovated in the 13th Century.
Another significance aspect of this temple is – a well near the main temple of Girija Devi in which devotees perform ritual rites to their ancestors (Pinda pradhaan). People believe that these Pindas will reach Kasi directly. It seems the depth of the well is somewhere around 4 to 5 feet but it never dried up cnow.

Another interesting thing of this temple is a well near the main temple of Biraja Devi where devotees perform ritual rites to their ancestors (Pinda pradhaan). People believe that these Pindas will reach Kasi directly. The depth of the well appears to be approximately 4 to 5 feet, but has never dried to date.

Pithapuram Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple or Padagaya is one of the sacred and holy Punya Kshetram of Hindus located in Pithapuram, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. Sri puruhuthika Ammavaru, Sri Raja Rajeswari Devi (Sati Devi), Sri Kukkuteswara swamy and Sri Dattatreya Swamy are presiding deities.

This place is known as Padagaya because lord Brahma, Sri Vishnu and Maheswara (trimurthulu) Killed Gayasura and his legs reached Pithapuram. The place where his legs rested was a pond, and the pond is known as Padagaya. If we visit this place even one time then we get pithru mukthikara (means our ancestors get mukthi), Sarva papahara, Sarvabhista siddiprada and Sarvadhukhahara.

Here Lord Shiva is in the linga form of Swayambhu Linga. The linga resemble that of a cock. Hence Lord Shiva is called Sri Kukkuteswara Swamy. Here Lord Dattatreya having their forms and is situated here as Swayambhu.

Gayasura’s head reached Bihar and it is popularly known as `Sirogaya’ in Sirogaya Lord Vishnu temple is situated and one of the Shakthi Pitha that is Mangala Gowri Devi. Gayasur’s waist part (Nabhi) reached to Jajhipur in Odissa. So it is known as Nabhigaya, in Nabhigaya Lord Brahma’s temple and Girija Devi’s Shakthi Peeta also there.

The above three kshetras are known as Trigaya Kshethras of Thrimurthy Swaroopas. In these places Goddess in the form Shakthi.

Sripada Sri Vallaba was born as Dattatreya Swamy in this place. So, It has become the main Avatara Kshetram of Dattatreya. The great poet “Srinadha” wrote in Bheemeswara Purana that the four places that give Salvation or Moksha are Varanasi(Banaras), Kedaram, Kumbhakonam and Pithapuram. This place which is one of the Trigaya Kshetras has become famous as Padagaya.

It is said that by performed “PINDA PRADANAM” here acquires Salvation. The last rights performed here are equal to the rights performed at Kasi Vishwanath Temple. It was mentioned in Skanda Purana, that Sage Vyasa, Pandavas, Kunti visited this holy shrine in Dwapara Yuga. Rama visited during Tretayuga. Lord Vishnu, Brahma and Indra during Kruta Yuga.

Shri Mahakal or Mahakaleshwar Temple is located in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. Mahakaleshwar Temple is one of the most famous and ancient lord Shiva temple and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The presiding deity is Lord Shiva and is situated on the side of the holy river KShipra/Shipra. The Shiva lingam is believed to be Swayambhu, deriving currents of power (Shakti) from within itself as against the other images and lingams that are ritually established and invested with mantra-shakti.

The Mahakaleshwar idol is known as Dakshinamukhi, which means that the lingam faces south. This is a unique feature, confirmed by the Tantric shivnetra tradition that can only be found in Ujjain Mahakal temple between the 12 Jyotirlingas.

Mahakaleshwar Temple is located near a lake and has a spacious courtyard surrounded by massive walls. The temple has five levels, one of that is underground. Brass lamps light the way to the underground sanctum or Garbha Griha where the Jyotirlinga is situated. The Linga is quite big in size and is encircled by a snake of silver. On one side of the Linga there is the idol of Lord Ganesha while on the other side, idols of Goddess Parvati and Kartikeya are installed. The shikhara of temple is adorned with sculptural finery.