The beginning:

It was Daksha Prajapati son of Lord Brahma who conducted a Yagna and invited every celestial personality excepting Lord Siva and his consort Dakshayini or Sati devi. Sati came to the Yagna and questioned her father Daksha for not inviting Lord Siva. Daksha was unrelenting and Divine mother cursed Daksha and sat in a Yogic posture invoked Agni within herself, left the body and merged into the Her true form viz., Jyothi Swaroopam.

Lord Shiva became furious and started dancing with the body of Sati uncontrollably, Lord Vishnu at the request of Maharishis and Devas with his Sudharsana Chakra ensured that the Sati’s body was cut and let her parts fell in different places.

What happened after?

Wherever Sati’s body parts fell it became Shakthi Peet Temple, Lord Shiva overcame his anger and Daksha got back his head (that of Goat) and Divine Mother regained her form as Parvati Devi as consort of Lord Shiva. In short, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Divine Mother played their part as a divine drama ended which was the origin of 108 Shakthi Peet Temples.

Where was the 108 Shakthi Peet Temples originally?

Renowned Seer Maharishi Veda Vyasa first published, the abodes of the universal mother which are called ‘108 Sakthi Peets’ in Brahmanda Purana and Matsya Purana.

Shakthi Peet Temples were spread across the ancient Subcontinent of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China in the banks of ancient rivers, foothills of mountains and inside deep forests etc. Maha Rishi identifies few Shakthi Peet situated in the celestial world of Indra Loka, Kubera Loka, Surya Loka also.

Why we lost many of them:

• Due to cultural changes over the Centuries, the names of the Shakthi Peet locations have changed, few have ceased to be identified as place(s) of worship and extremely difficult to trace.
• Due to climatic and geographical changes the course and routes of the rivers have undergone changes which again makes it difficult to trace the place of certain Shakthi Peet locations.

In short, the great tradition of Shakthi Peet worship was lost for the mankind and required a revival.