Sri Saila or Mahalakshmi Shakthi Peeth Temple, Bangladesh

Address

Sri Saila or Mahalakshmi Shakthi Peeth, Jaunpur Village, Sylhet, Bangladesh

Diety

Shakti: Mahalaxmi Bhairava: Sambaranand, Body part or ornament: Neck

Introduction

Shri Shail is one of the Shakti Peeths, at Joinpur village, Dakshin Surma, near Gotatikar, 3 km south-east of Sylhet town, Bangladesh. The Hindu Goddess Sati’s neck fell here. The Goddess is worshipped as Mahalakshmi and the Bhairav form is Sambaranand. The aforesaid mythology of Daksha yaga and Sati’s self immolation is the mythology of origin behind the Shakti Peethas.

Puranic Significance

There are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit. Each temple have shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava. It is believed that the NECK of Sati Devi has fallen in Sri Shail and the Shakti here is addressed as Mahalakshmi and the Kalabhairava as Sambaranand. 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

Navratri is also celebrated with same energy and devotion. Special ceremonies and rituals are carried during these days.

Century/Period/Age

1000 years old

Nearest Bus Station

Jaunpur

Nearest Railway Station

Jhalakati

Nearest Airport

Barisal

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