Story of Devīpīṭha

The dead body of Satīdevī crumbled into small pieces and fell in different places in Bhārata. Each place where a piece of the dead body fell, is known by the name Devīpīṭha. There is a reason why the dead body crumbled into pieces.

Dakṣa performed a sacrifice to which Śiva was not invited and Satīdevī came to the sacrifice, and committed suicide by jumping into the fire. Śiva who became furious, killed Dakṣa and carrying the dead body of his wife on his shoulder, walked the length and breadth of Bhārata like a mad man. It seemed that he was not going to recover from this mania, and the devas (gods) were worried at this. To rescue Śiva from this mental disposition, Mahāviṣṇu, unseen by others, followed Śiva with a bow and arrow. Whenever it was convenient Mahāviṣṇu sent an arrow at the body of Satīdevī, on the shoulder of Śiva. By the hitting of the arrows the body was crumbled into pieces and fell here and there. Thus within a few days the body of Satīdevī came to an end and Śiva walked to Kailāsa. The pieces of the dead body fell in 108 places, and thus 108 Devīpīṭhas came into existence. The names of the places and the names by which the Devī is known in such places are given below.

Devīpīṭha

Name of Devī

1. Vārāṇasī Viśālākṣī

2. Naimiṣāraṇya Liṅgadhāriṇī

3. Prayāga Kumudā

4. Gandhamādana Kāmukī

5. Dakṣiṇa Kailāsa (Mānasa) Kumudā

6. Uttara Kailāsa (Mānasa) Kumudā

7. Gomanta Gautamī

8. Mandara Kāmacāriṇī

9. Caitraratha Madotkaṭā

10. Hastināpura Jayantī

11. Kānyakubja Gaurī

12. Malayācala Rambhā

13. Ekāmrapīṭha Kīrtimatī

14. Viśva Viśveśvarī

15. Puṣkara Puruhūtā

16. Kedārapīṭha Sanmārgadāyinī

17. Himavatpṛṣṭha Mandā

18. Gokarṇa Bhadrakarṇikā

19. Sthāṇvīśvara Bhavānī

20. Villvaka Villvapatrikā

21. Śrī Śaila Mādhavī

22. Bhadreśvara Bhadrā

23. Varāhaśaila Jayā

24. Kamalālaya Kamalā

25. Rudrakoṭi Rudrāṇī

26. Kālañjara Kālī

27. Śālagrāma Mahādevī

28. Śivaliṅga Jalapriyā

29. Mahāliṅga Kapilā

30. Mākoṭa Mukuṭeśvarī

31. Māyāpurī Kumārī

32. Santāna Lalitāmbikā

33. Gaya Maṅgalā

34. Puruṣottama Vimalā

35. Sahasrākṣa Utpalākṣī

36. Hiraṇyākṣa Mahotpalā

37. Vipāśa Amoghākṣī

38. Puṇḍravardhana Pāṭalā

39. Supārśva Nārāyaṇī

40. Trikūṭa Rudrasundarī

41. Vipula Vipulā

42. Malayācala Kalyāṇī

43. Sahyādri Ekavīrā

44. Hariścandra Candrikā

45. Rāmatīrtha Ramaṇā

46. Yamunātīrtha Mṛgāvatī

47. Vikoṭa tīrtha Koṭi

48. Mādhavavana Sugandhā

49. Godāvarītīrtha Trisandhi

50. Gaṅgādvāra Ratipriyā

51. Śivakuṇḍa Śubhānandā

52. Devikātaṭa Nandinī

53. Dvāravatī Rukmiṇī

54. Vṛndāvana Rādhā

55. Madhurā Devakī

56. Pātāla Parameśvarī

57. Citrakūṭa Sītā

58. Vindhya Vindhyādhivāsinī

59. Karavīra Mahālakṣmī

60. Vināyaka Umādevī

61. Vaidyanāthatīrtha Ārogyā

62. Mahākāla Maheśvarī

63. Uṣṇatīrtha Abhayā

64. Vindhyaparvata Nitambā

65. Māṇḍavya Māṇḍavī

66. Maheśvarīpura Svāhā

67. Chagalāṇḍa Pracaṇḍā

68. Amarakaṇṭaka Caṇḍikā

69. Someśvara Varārohā

70. Prabhāsa Puṣkarāvatī

71. Sarasvatī Devamātā

72. Mahālaya Mahābhāgā

73. Payoṣṇī Piṅgaleśvarī

74. Kṛtaśauca Siṃhikā

75. Kārttika Atiśāṅkarī

76. Varttaka Utpalā

77. Śoṇasaṅgama Subhadrā

78. Siddhavana Mātā (Lakṣmī)

79. Bharatāśrama Anaṅgā

80. Jalandhara Viśvamukhī

81. Kiṣkindhaparvata Tārā

82. Devadāruvana Puṣṭi

83. Kāśmīramaṇḍala Medhā

84. Himādri Bhīmā

85. Kapālamocana Śuddhi

86. Kāyāvarohaṇa Mātā

87. Śaṅkhoddhāra Dharā

88. Piṇḍāraka Dhṛti

89. Candrabhāga Kalā

90. Acchoda Śivadhāriṇī

91. Veṇa Amṛtā

92. Badaryāśrama Urvaśī

93. Uttarakuru Auṣadhi

94. Kuśadvīpa Kuśobhā

95. Hemakūṭa Manmathā

96. Kumuda Satyavādinī

97. Aśvattha Vandanīyā

98. Vaiśravaṇālaya Nidhi

99. Vedapatana Gāyatrī

100. Śivasannidhi Pārvatī

101. Devaloka Indrāṇī

102. Brahmaloka Sarasvatī

103. Sūryabimba Prabhā

104. Mātṛloka Vaiṣṇavī

105. Satītīrtha Arundhatī

106. Rāmatīrtha Tilottamā

107. Citta Brahmakalā

108. Jīvaśarīra Śakti