Shakti: An Indian Unifier

Curator Alka Pande of the Visual Arts Gallery of the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, has written a book very close to her heart. On the acknowledgements page she writes, “This book is a divine gift. The belief in the divine has been ingrained in me ever since I can remember. It is the complete belief in the supreme energy that guides our lives—the Adi Shakti.” This very personal belief finds focus in the image of the goddess, Sha­kti. Pande sets out to map all the 51 peethas, or the sacred spaces, where the goddess abides over four countries: India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

At the heart of the book lies the Hindu legend most of us are familiar with, the legend of Sati, one of the 24 daughters of Daksha. Each of the daughters exemplified some aspect of Shakti, be it Shraddha (respect), Buddhika (intellect) or Priti (aff­ection). Sati was the youngest, and she exemplified truth. Much against her father’s wishes, Sati married Shiva, whom Daksha hated. Soon after Sati’s marriage, Daksha organised the supreme sacrifice, the Brihaspati seva sacrifice. Sati was extremely excited but rec­eived no invitation from her fat­her.  Sati insisted on going despite Shiva’s misgivings. Throughout the ceremony, Sati heard her father insulting her husband and, unable to bear the grief and humiliation, she jumped into the sacrificial fire. After receiving news of the tragedy, an enraged Shiva took on the Veerabhadra form (born of the hair of Shiva,) tossed Sati’s lifeless body over his shoulder and danced the Tandava nritya, the dance of death, all across creation. The gods, fearing complete destruction, asked Narayana for help. The god cut Sati’s body into tiny pieces with the help of his Sudarshana Chakra. Some say there were 51 pieces, some one hundred and eight.  Over time, the locations where these parts of Sati’s body fell, came to be known as peethas. Once all of Sati’s body had been scattered far and wide, Shiva’s rage finally abated, and he returned to Mount Kailash. The story, with its mix of wifely devotion and macabre body slicing, no doubt appealed to Hindu devotees’ imagination.

A chapter is devoted to each peetha and there is usually a colour photograph, of unfortunately varying clarity, to accompany the description. Each chapter has as an epigraph, either Sanskrit chants, duly translated, or succinct information about the peetha in ancient Hindu texts. For example, the chapter dev­oted to the Mahamaya Shakti Peetha in Amarnath, Jammu and Kashmir, has a quotation from the Chudamani Tantra, while the chapter on the Kottari Devi Shakti Peetha in Hinglaj, Pakistan, carries a quotation from the Peetha Nirnaya Tantra. Pande’s considerable knowledge of ancient Hindu texts finds ample expression. She explores the legends that led to the dem­arcation of each peetha, taken from texts such as the Puranas. For example, the story of the crippled sage Ashtabakra, his name no doubt referring to the eight bends in his body, who came to Bakreshwar (in West Bengal) and began meditating on Shiva for one thousand years.  Impressed with his devotion, Shiva declared that all his devotees should also worship Ashtabakra if they ever visit Bakreshwar. This tale appears in the chapter devoted to the Mahishamardini Shakti Peetha in Birbhum, West Bengal. The chapter also contains interesting information about the architecture of the Birbhum temples that bear a strong resemblance to Odia architecture—unsurprising, since Odisha is only 500-odd kilometres away.  

This book could serve multiple purposes. It could be read by a devout Hindu who wanted to refresh his/her memory about the goddess’s peethas. It could serve as a travelogue for those interested in exploring India’s sac­red geography. It could even be read by children and young adults who may be unaware of the legend of Sati and would be entertained by the many stories that the legend encompasses. Pande’s style is accessible and reader-friendly, and the chapters are concise. Written almost as a book for herself, Shakti: 51 Sacred Peethas of the Goddess nevertheless can appeal to other readers, both young and old, devout and agnostic.