Sri Virat Shakti Peeth Temple, Rajasthan

Address

Sri Virat Shakti Peeth Temple, Viratnagar, Bharatput Rajasthan 303102

Diety

Shakti: Ambika Bhairava: Amriteshwar, Body part or ornament: Left toes

Introduction

Virat Shakti peeth templeis one of the 51 Shakti Peethas located at Bharatput, Rajasthan, India. Local people call Goddess with the name Ambica. As per research from ancient texts, location (peethasthan) where goddess Sati Devi’s body parts fell shows three places on earth. But we cannot find any temple or evidence in two of the places (West Bengal and Bangladesh). As per current information, Bharatpur is the only place where you can find a shrine and goddess. Also, local people believe this is the only place of the goddess and maa Ambica is being worshipped from many years. Lord Shiva is being worshipped as lord “Amriteshwar”.

Puranic Significance

According to the mythology Daksha yagna and Sati self-immolation, it is the holy place where Sati Devi’s “LEFT TOES” fell down. ANOTHER STORY OF SATI: In Hindu mythology, the son of Brahma, King Prajapati Daksha had a daughter named Sati. Princess Sati grew up adoring the legends and tales of Shiva, and when finally her age of getting married came, she knew it was only the ascetic Lord Shiva of Kailash where her heart and soul resided. Soon enough, Daksha’s daughter left her father’s luxuries and palace and began her meditation to win Shiva’s heart. She performed intense penance in dense forests and renounced food completely. When she finally pleased Shiva through her austerities, the lord of Kailash appeared in front of her and agreed to marry her. The legend goes that Sati and Shiva were happy in their marital bliss, but their marriage had not gone down too well with King Daksha, who considered ascetic Shiva nothing short of an uncouth lad who lives a hermit’s life not worthy of his daughter. So when Daksha organized a great yajna, he invited all the deities, gods and sages–but consciously excluded his son-in-law Shiva to insult him. Hurt by her father’s decision, Sati decided to visit her father and demand the reason for not inviting them. When she entered Daksha’s palace, she was bombarded with insults directed towards the Shiva. Haughty and proud King Prajapati Daksha called him all sorts of names right from a dishevelled god who hung out in graveyard to the supposed ‘lord of the beasts’. Unable to bear anything against her husband, a devastated Goddess Sati threw herself in the glowing scared fire of yajna. When Shiva’s attendants informed him about the demise of his wife, he grew enraged and created Veerbhadra from a lock of his hair. Veerbhadra created havoc in Daksha’s palace and killed him. Meanwhile, mourning his beloved soulmate’s death, Shiva tenderly held Sati’s body and started his dance of destruction (taandav). To save the universe and bring back Shiva’s sanity, Lord Vishnu cut Sati’s lifeless body using Sudharshan Chakra into 51 pieces.

Festivals

Navaratri is celebrated twice in a year i.e in April (Chaitra masa) and Sep- Oct (Ashwija masa) for nine days. Special pujas and yagnas are conducted during Navaratri. Other festivals celebrated are Makara Sankranti, Shivaratri, Ram Navami, Sharad Poornima, Teej (July- August), Gangaur (March- April) and Deepavali.