ASTADASHA SHAKTHIPETAS


The Puranas and other Hindu scriptures describe that Mother Goddess Shakti was consecrated in Asta Dasha Shakti Peethas (18 prominent temples). The origin or the story of Asta Dasha Shakti Peetha temples goes like this….. Once, King Daksha Prajapathi wanted to perform a Yagna. Except Lord Shiva he invited all the Gods and Sages. Despite her fathers recklessness towards her husband, Goddess Dakshayani went to the Yagna and got insulted. With anger and shame, she jumped into the Yagnagunda (the sacred spot of Yagna) and sacrificed her life.
With knowing this Lord Shiva became very ferocious and carried Dakshayanis dead body on his arms. He performed ‘Ugrathandava or ‘Rudrathandava (a dance form of Lord Shiva when he is angry). Lord Shivas rudrathandava created a bit of deluge in all lokas.
To solve this great problem, Lord Vishnu slashed Goddess Dakshayanis dead body partswqith his Sudrashana Chakra (the sacred discus). And the parts were fallen all over the places. The places where her body pars were fallen are worshipped as Astadasha Shakti Peethas (18 prominent temples of Mother Goddess – Shakti).
According to some Hindu Mythology books, the total number of Shakti Peethams is 108. And some more sacred texts describe that there are 51 prominet Goddess Shakti temples. But most people believe that the 18 Shakti temples are most auspicious Shakti Peethams, which are also referred as Astadasha Shakti Peethas.

This list of Ashtadasa Shakti peethas is collected from a Shloka written by Adi Shankaracharya.
Lankayam Shankari devi, Kamakshi Kanchika pure /
Pradyumne Shrinkhala devi, Chamunda Krouncha pattane //

Alampure Jogulamba, Sri shaile Bhramarambika /
Kolha pure Maha lakshmi, Mahurye Ekaveerika //

Ujjainyam Maha kali, Peethikayam Puruhutika /
Odhyane Girija devi, Manikya Daksha vatike //

Hari kshetre Kama rupi, Prayage Madhaveshwari /
Jwalayam Vishnavi devi, Gaya Mangalya gourika //

Varanasyam Vishalakshi, Kashmire tu Saraswati /
Ashtadasha Shakti peethani, Yoginamapi durlabham //

Sayamkale pathennityam, Sarva shatri vinashanam /
Sarva roga haram divyam, Sarva sampatkaram shubham //

Sr. No.
Place
Part of the body fallen
Name of Shakti
1
Groin
Shankari devi
2
Back part
Kamakshi Devi
3
Praddyumnam (Gujarat)
Stomach part
Sri Srunkhala devi
4
Hair
Chamundeshwari devi
5
Upper teeth
Jogulamba devi
6
Neck part
Bhramaramba devi
7
Eyes
[Mahalakshmi devi][8]
8
Right hand
Eka Veerika devi
9
Upper lip
Mahakali devi
10
Left hand
Puruhutika devi
11
Navel
Biraja devi
12
Left cheek
Manikyamba devi
13
Guwahati (Assam)
Vulva
Kamarupa devi
14
Fingers
Madhaveswari devi
15
Head part
Vaishnavi devi
16
Breast part
Sarvamangala devi
17
Wrist
Vishalakshi devi
18
Right hand
Saraswathi devi


SHANKARI DEVI
Lankayam Shankari Devi………    starts the Sloka of Ashta Dasha Shakti Peethas, written by Sri Jagadguru Aadi Shankaracharya.
Shankari Devi temple in Tricomalee, Srilanka is a prominent temple for Hindus. But, it is most rarely visited and it is very least popular in all AstaDasha Shakti peethas.
Shanakri Devi Temple is situated in an east coast town of Srilanka, Tricomalee (Tri – Cona – Malai = a triangular hill).

Along with the temple of Shaankari Devi, there is a temple of Lord Shiva –TRIKONESHWARA Temple.


KAMAKSHI DEVI
The Kamakshi Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated toKamakshi, one of the forms of the goddess Parvati. It is located in the historic city of Kanchipuram, near Chennai, India and is popularly associated with Sankaracharya, one of the greatest Hindu gurus. The Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, the Akilandeswari temple in Thiruvanaikaval near Tiruchirappalli and this Kamakshi are the important centers of worship of Parvati as the mother goddess, in the state of Tamil Nadu. The temple was most probably built by the Pallava kings, whose capital was Kanchipuram, around 6 C.E.
The main deity, Kamakshi, is seated in a majestic Padmasana, an yogic posture signifying peace and prosperity, instead of the traditional standing pose. The goddess holds a sugarcane bow and bunch of flowers in the lower two of her arms and has a pasha (lasso), an ankusha (goad) in her upper two arms. There is also a parrot perched near the flower bunch. There are no other Parvati temples in the city of Kanchipuram, apart from this temple, which is unusual in a traditional city that has hundreds of traditional temples. There are various legends that account for this fact. One of them according to Kamakshivilasa is that the Goddess had to absorb all the other shakthi forms to give a boon to Kama, the Hindu god of love.[1] Another legend attributes it to the Raja Rajeswaripose of the deity that signifies an absolute control over the land under the deity's control.[2] Legend has it that Kamakshi offered worship to a Shivalingam made out of sand, under a mango tree and gained Shiva's hand in marriage.

FESTIVALS
 Four worship services are offered each day. The annual festival falls in Spring, in the Tamil month of Masi, which runs from mid-March to mid-April. During this time the chariot festival (Ther) and lake festival, (Theppam) are held. Other festivals include Navaratri, Aadi and Aippasi Pooram, Sankara Jayanthi and Vasanta Utsavam in the Tamil month of Vaikasi. All Fridays are considered sacred, though the Fridays in the Tamil months of Adi (mid-July to mid-August) and Thai (mid-January to mid-February) are celebrated.

SRI SRUNKALA DEVI

The goddess here is called Sri Srunkala Devi. The temple is supposed to be in Gujarat. But I could not find it is spite of my staying there for 5 days. Some one says it is at Prabhas pattan.Where Somanath temple is there, the place is called Prabhas.It is 5Km from Veraval. One can go to Somanath by Somanath exp No 1464 which goes from Jabalpur to somanath via Bhopal, Ujjain, Ahmedabad and Rajkot. Prabhas pattan is 79 Km from Junagaudh. It is said that the temple was distroyed by Md Ghajani.
Some people say, the temple of Shrinkhala devi is near Kolkatta.It is said that it is in Hugli dist in a place by name Pandua.I had been to the place where the temple of Shrinkhala devi was supposed to be in the past.but at present there is such temple in the place. A minar was built there by muslim invaders. There were ruins of temple infront of minar.There is a temple of Hanseswari mata which is regarded as Shakti peetha which is very close to this place. some people say it is at Gangasagar in sundarban district where river Ganga meets the bay of Bengal. Here also no such temple is there.

CHAMUNDESHWARI DEVI

The Chamundeshwari Temple is located on the top of Chamundi Hills about 13 km from the palace city of Mysore in the state of Karnataka in India. The temple was named after Chamundeshwari or Durga, the fierce form of Shakti, a tutelary deity held in reverence for centuries by Mysore Maharajas.

DESCRIPTION:
The original shrine is thought to have been built in the 12th century by Hoysala rulers while its tower was probably built by theVijayanagar rulers of the 17th century. In 1659, a flight of one thousand steps was built leading up to the 3000 foot summit of the hill.
At the temple are several images of Nandi (the bull mount of Shiva). There is a huge granite Nandi on the 800th step on the hill in front of a small Shiva temple a short distance away. This Nandi is over 15 feet high, and 24 feet long and around its neck are exquisite bells.
 The temple has a seven story tall 'Gopura' decorated with intricate carvings. The deity of the goddess is said to be made of gold and the temple doors of silver.


JOGULAMBA DEVI
Jogulamba (also called as Yogulamba / Yogamba) is one of the eighteen Shakti peethas. Oordhva danta pankti (Upper jaw with tooth) of devi fell here. She is the Shakti of Bala brahmeswara swamy.

Jogulamba mahadevi / Roudra veekshana loochana //
Alampuri sthita mata / Sarvartha phala siddhida //

While going to Kurnool from Hyderabad we have to turn left at Alampur cross-road (12k.m before reaching Kurnool). Alampur is at 12k.m distance from that spot. It is a small village and the Jogulamba temple is located in the South-East corner of the village very beside Tungabhadra river.

MEANING OF JOGULAMBA RUPAM
 All of us know that the idol of Jogulamba has lizard, scorpion, owl, and skull in her hair. I head a meaning for this rupam from an Upasaka. 
Jogulamba can be understood as Gruha Chandi. Those symbols show the signs of decay of a house. If a house starts to loose it's Jeeva kala (life), the number of lizards in that house will start increasing. The next step is high occurrence of scorpion appearance. If owls enter a house it's the third step which finally will lead to skulls in the house (Deaths in that house). If we worship Jogulamba she will cancel the results caused by these signs. She is also worshiped to relieve Vastu doshas.

JOGULAMBA TEMPLE: 
Old temple of Jogulamba was destroyed by Bahamani sultans in the 14th century. The idols of Jogulamba and her two shaktis Chandi, Mundi were protected from them and placed in Bala brahmeswara swamy temple untill 2005. Now, a new temple was constructed in the same place and the godess was shifted in to it. New temple of Jogulamba is very much beautiful to see with a nice granite flooring. It is surrounded by a water pool. Villagers of Alampur tell an interesting reason for it: "Jogulamba is an Ugra rupa (highly energetic and hard to worship) and this water pool makes the atmosphere cool so that we can easily worship her".
Idol of Jogulamba is typical. She is in sitting position. She has huge amount of hair with lizard, scorpion, owl and a human scull in it. Idols of Saptamatrikas, Vighneswara and Veenapani veerabhadra are also present in the temple. Original Chandi Mundi idols were left in Bala brahmeswara swamy temple and new idols are made and placed in Jogulamba temple. Alampur is called as "City of Temples". All of them are very old and famous for their sculpture. They are under control of Indian Archeological department. The entire temple campus was built on the bank of river Tungabhadra.

BRAMARAMBA

Bhramaramba / Bhramarambika is one of the eighteen Shakti peethas.
The Greeva(Neck) of Devi fell here. 
She is the Shakti of Mallikarjuna.

Shiva parsva sthita mata
Srisaile shubha peethake /
Bhramaramba Maha devi
Karuna rasa veekshana //


LOCATION OF BHRAMARAMBA SHAKTI PEETHA:
INDIA>ANDHRA PRADESH>KURNOOL DISTRICT>SRISAILAM.
Srisailam is located in the Nallamala hills in a deep forest.

Nerest Bus station: Srisailam.
Nearest Railway stations: Markapur road, Ongole, Nandyala.
Nearest Air ports: Tirupati, Vijayawada. 

The temple of Bhramaramba devi is located back to the Mallikarjuna swamy temple at a higher level, in the same campus.

TEMPLE OF BHRAMARAMBA:
The idol of Bhramaramba is in the form of Maha lakshmi.
An idol of Lopamudra, the wife of Agastya, is present in the Garbha griha.
A Sri yantra is present in front of the Garbha griha.

STHALA PURANA:
Bhramaramba (Bhramari) means the Mother of bees. 
Once upon a time, a demon named Arunaasura ruled the whole world. Chanting Gayatri mantra, he performed Tapasya for a very long time, and pleased Lord Brahma. Arunaasura, wished that he should not be kílled by two feeted and four feeted creatures. Lord Brahma granted his wish. 

With this wish of Arunaasura, Devathas were worried and prąyed Adi Shakti. She appeared and told that, Arunaasura is her devote and can,t be kílled unless he stops worshiping her.
As per the plan of Devathas, Brihaspathi(Jupiter), the Deva guru meets Arunaasura. The demon wondered and asked Brihaspathi the reason for his vist. Brihaspathi told him that, as both of them worship the same deity, the Gayatri, there is no wonder if he meets him.
Arunaasura felt ashamed of himself for worshiping Gayatri, who is also being worshiped by Devathas and stopped worshiping her. With this Adi Shakti became angry and took the form of Bhramari / Bhramarambika. She created innumerable bees, which have six legs. These bees kílled Arunaasura and his whole army within seconds.

Mahalakshmi devi
Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple is the most important Shakti Peethas inMaharashtra, and one of the Astadasa Shaktipeeth (18 most famous temples of Goddess Shakti). Kolhapur is a district headquarters in Maharashtraand well connected with Pune and Mumbai. The town is situated on the banks of Panchganga River. Kolhapur is well-known for its ancient temples and rich Hindu heritage and culture.
Mahalakshmi temple complex of Kolhapur also enshrines Mahakali, Maha Saraswati, along with Mahalakshmi. ‘Karavira Mahatmya’ states the legend, origin, and importance of Kolhapur Shakti Peeth. The legend says that demon Kolhasura was destroyed by Goddess Mahalakshmi here. Anotehr legend states that Goddess Parvati demolished demon Kolhasura at Tryambakeshwar.
Gudipadwa (Marathi New Year), Vasant Navratri in Chaitra month (March – April), Mahalakshmi Jayanti, Shravan maas puja, Durga Navratri in Ashwayuja month (October), Diwali Lakshmi Puja, and Sharad Purnima Kojagari Lakshmi Puja are major festivalscelebrated in Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple.

EKAVEERIKA DEVI

Ekaveerika devi/ Ekaveerika Mata temple is in Mahur , Maharashtra. This place is famous for Renukadevi temple and most of the people are not knowing about Ekaveerika mata temple and quote Renukadevi temple as shaktipeetha. It is in Yavatmal district in Maharashtra. Kinwat is 50 and Nanded is 126 km from the temple. Nagpur is 210 km by road from Mahur. It is said that Ekaveerika Devi is the elder sister of Renukadevi.The temple is 800 years old. Here pan patta and supari offer as prasad after grinding it as a paste. Other temples which we can see here are Parashuram Temple, Jamadgni temple and Anasuya temple. Ekaveerika Devi temple is 8 km from Yavatmal and 300M from the main road. We could not find and poojari in the temple. Opposite to the temple there is one Gomata samadhi. The story about this samadhi no body could tell us.


MAHA KALI
Maha kali temple is in Ujjain and Devi here is called Hara Sidhi Mata.The main deity is called as Mahakaleswara which is one of the Jyotirlingas. Ujjain is 50Km(2hrs) from Indore. Or you can drop at Ujjain while going to Somanath by train.You are allowed to touch the jyotirlinga when rush is not there. The decoration of the linga is different in the morning and evening. One should not miss the evening decoration which is made with the clay from the river shipra. It is said that the Vibhodhi used in the temple comes from the burial ground.
Hara sidhi mata temple which is one of the shaktipeethas is very close to main temple. 
Ujjain is place of historical importance and there are many places of tourist interests like Ghat Kalika(Kalidas aradhana devi ) temple,Char Dham mandir, bethala pipale tree, temple built by king Vikramaditya and Kala Bhirava temple where liquor is offered as prasada, Bada Ganapathi mandir ,Mangalanath Temple, Gopal mandir,Iskon mandir,Sandeepani Ashram and Bhookhi mata temple. You can see the rare potriat of King Vikramadithya in the court hall near Hara Sidhi mata temple.
Stay : Mahakalewara trust Dharma sala which is neat and clean.Local tourist bus is available which takes 4 hours to cover the above places. MP tourism bus charges Rs50 and private bus charges Rs36.
Food : Pooha is availble in the break fast. Near the main temple Idlis are available in Hotel Shivam.

PURUHUTIKA DEVI
Puruhutika Devi temple in Pithapuram is one of the Astadasha Shakti Peetha temples. This temple isdedicated to Lord Kukkuteshwara Swamy (Lord Shiva) and his consort Goddess Sri Puruhutika Devi (Goddess Sri Rajarajeshwari Devi).
The temple of Goddess Sri Rajarajshwari Devi is one of the ancient temples of India. The Lord Goddess of Pitahpuram, Sri Puruhuthika Devis Pitham is lying here and because of that the name of the Goddess became “Puruhuthika Devi” and the town is called as “Pithapuram”.

IMPORTANCE AND SANCTITY OF PITHAPURAM:
The kshetrams or the temples located here can directly indicate the significance and sanctity of Pithapuram. In Pithapuram Sri Puruhuthika Devi is consecrated with Lord Sri Kukkuteshwara Swamy, hence it is one of the 18 Shakti Peethams (Prominent temples of Mother Goddess, Shakti) and a popular Shiva Kshetram.

BIRIJA DEVI

The 11th  Shakti Peetha, Jajpur was consecrated as Dakshayanis navel part fallen here. The presiding deity of Jajpur Asta dasha shakti peetha is Goddess Girija Devi. Goddess Girija Devi is also worshipped with various names such as Goddess Birija Devi, Goddess Virija.
Jajpur is located at a distance of 120 Kms from Bhuvaneshwar, the capital city of Orissa. Jajpur has a rich cultural and historical reference in several hindu scriptures. This place was ruled by King Jajati Kesari in the 10th Century. Hence, the name of the town became Jajpur. Once it was the capital city of Kalinga emperors. Jajpur is also called as ‘Baithangi Theertha or ‘Birija Kshetram.

HISTORY OF GIRIJA DEVI TEMPLE:
The temple of Sri Girija Devi is a very small construction when we compare it to Puri Jagannath Temple or Lingraja Temple of bhubaneshwar. Nobody knows the exact time ofthe Girija Devi temples construction. But it was renovated in the 13th Century.

APPEARANCE OF GODDESS GIRIJA DEVI IDOL:
The whole idol of Goddess Girija Devi is decorated with flower garlands and gold jewelry. We can see only the face of Goddess Birija. The idol is decorated with silver crown full of jewels. Goddess Girija Devi blesses her devotees with her pleasant smiling face and charming looks.
Another significance aspect of this temple is – a well near the main temple of Girija Devi in which devotees perform ritual rites to their ancestors (Pinda pradhaan). People believe that these Pindas will reach Kasi directly. It seems the depth of the well is somewhere around 4 to 5 feet but it never dried up till now.

MANIKYAMBHA
Drakasharama is located in East Godavari district near Kakinada. Rajahmundry is the nearest airport. Draksharama constitues one of the five Arama kshetras of Andhra Pradesh, sacred to Shiva, the other four being Kumararama, Ksheerarama and Bheemarama and Amararama. Draksharama, Sree Sailam and Kaleshwar together constitute the three sacred Shivalingams of Andhra Pradesh, giving it its ancient name Trilinga Desh. Draksharama is one of the important centers of Shiva worship in Andhra Pradesh.Several legends tie together the five Pancharama temples dedicated to Shiva. Legend also has it that Vyasa installed the Shivalingam at Draksharama. Legend also has it that Draksharama was the site of Daksha yagna. Since it is believed that Sati immolated herself at the site of her father's sacrificial hall, no sacrificial yagna rituals are performed here.The Bhimeswara temple at Draksharama has two prakarams. The outer prakaram is pierced with four entrances each with a gopuram. The gopuram on the west is a five tiered one. The entrance to the inner prakaram is on the south. A pillared two storeyed verandah lines the inner prakaram (tiruchutrumaaligai in the ancient temples of Tamilnadu). The sculptural work in the mukha mandapam depicts clear Chalukyan features.There are shrines to Lakshmi Narayana, Sankaranarayana, Ganapati and the Navagrahas.The sanctum is two storeyed. The walls surrounding both levels are beautified with sculptural work. Two flights of stairs lead to the upper level of the sanctum. Bhimeswara is enshrined in the form of a ten feet high Shivalingam in the sanctum. Shiva's consort here is Manikyamba.Mahashivaratri and Navaratri are some of the festivals celebrated heHistory: This temple was built by the Eastern Chalukyan King of Vengi - Bhima, during very troubled times (9th -10th centuries), when his kingdom was under attack by the Rashtrakootas. Inscriptions reveal that he had to fight as many as 360 battles. Chalukya Bhima also built the Chalukya Bhimeswaram temple at Samalkota nearby. The Draksharamam temple contains as many as 400 inscriptions going back to the 11th century. These inscriptions can be traced back to the Eastern and the Western Chalukyas as well as the Cholas and Kalinga rulers.How to reachAir : The nearest airport to Draskharamam is in Vijayawada and the distance is 185 km .
Rail :The nearest rail head is at Kakinada at a distance of 17 km.
Road : One can easily reach Draskharam by bus from Kakinada or Rajahmundry.

KAMAKHYA DEVI

Kamakhya Temple is one amongst the holiest shrines throughout India. Perched on Nilanchal Hill in Kamrup district of Assam, Kamakhya Mandir is easily accessible at a stretch of 8 kms from Guwahati. The temple commemorates Hindu Goddess Sati in her aspect of Kamakhya Devi. Goddess Kamakhya is also known as Sodashi in the local region.
As per the legends, during the time of self-sacrifice, the genital organ (yoni) of Sati fell at this spot. Kamakhya Mandir is a natural cave with a spring. In order to reach the temple, one has to take a flight of steps that goes down into a dark and strange shrine. There is no concrete form of goddess inside the temple. 
In the shrine, Kamakhya Devi, in the form of genital organ (yoni), presides as a big crevice in the bedrock. The Goddess is covered naturally by a rivulet of water gushing upward from an underground spring. The crevice is usually covered with sari, flowers and vermilion powder (Sindoor). The temple had been an ancient sacrificial site and till date, sacrifices are offered here. Every morning, group of devotees come to sacrifice goats. 

THE TEMPLE
The temple is very much ancient in its origin, yet it was restructured in 1665, when it was attacked by the Muslim invaders. The effort of this reconstruction was made by King Nar Narayan of Cooch, Bihar. The spire of this temple is shaped like a beehive. Besides Kamakhya Devi, there are images of Ganesha, Chamundeswari and various dancing sculptures. In the temple, an image of the King and related inscriptions are visible. 
Essentially, the Goddess 'Kamakhya' is believed to be the granter of desires. In traditional terms, Assam is known as 'Kamarupa Desa', a place that is associated with Tantric practices and worship of Shakti. In Kalika Purana (an ancient scripture), Kamakhya is referred as the goddess who fulfills all desires, the bride of Lord Shiva and the benefactor of salvation.
During the occasion of Navratri (Sep-Oct), a three day festival attracts thousands of pilgrims. This festival is known as Ambuvaci (Ameti), which is unique with its own significance. For the duration of this fertility festival, the Goddess is said to undergo her menstrual period. At this point of time, the temple is closed for three days and before closing, white sheets are draped inside the temple. 
When the temple is opened after three days, the sheets are found red in color. On the fourth day, great festivity is observed. Devotees from far and near, come to visit this temple at this juncture of the festival. The red sheets are torn into pieces and distributed amongst the devotees. Kamakhya Temple is a prominent pilgrimage site that attracts thousands of visitors throughout the year.

MADHAVESHWARI.

It is in Prayag (Allahabad) in Uttar Pradesh. The temple here it is called as MATAJI ka temple (or LALITA ) by the locals. You can go by auto or riksha from the rail way station. Ananda bhavan and Hanuman temple are the othere place of interest. Since this temple is little away from the main road, you have to sepcify for this particualrly as it is not very famous. Evening at 7 pm every day Harati is given. Local wont call devi as Madhaveshwari.



VAISHNO DEVI
Vaishno Devi Mandir is one of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Shakti, located in the hills of Vaishno Devi, Jammu and Kashmir, India. In Hinduism, Vaishno Devi, also known as Mata Rani and Vaishnavi, is a manifestation of theMother Goddess.
The temple is near the town of Katra, in the Reasi district in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is one of the most revered places of worship in Northern India. The shrine is at an altitude of 5200 feet and a distance of approximately 14 kilometres (8.4 miles) fromKatra.[1] Approximately 8 million pilgrims (yatris) visit the temple every year[2] and it is the second most visited religious shrine in India, after Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board maintains the shrine. A rail link from Udhampur to Katrais being built to facilitate pilgrimage. The nearest airport is Jammu Airport which has very high flight frequency. All leading domestic airlines have their services to Jammu Airport.
SIGNIFICANCE
According to a Hindu epic, Maa Vaishno Devi was born in the South of India in the home of Ratnakar Sagar. Her worldly parents had remained childless for a long time. Ratnakar had promised, the night before the birth of the Divine child, that he would not interfere with whatever his child desired. Ma Vaishno Devi was called Trikuta as a child. Later She was called Vaishnavi because of Her taking birth from Lord Vishnu's lineage. When Trikuta was 9 years old, She sought her father's permission for doing penance on the seashore. Trikuta prayed to Lord Vishnu in the form of Rama. During Shree Rama's search for Sita, He reached the seashore along with His army. His eyes fell on this Divine Girl in deep meditation. Trikuta told Shree Rama that She had accepted Him as Her husband. Shree Ramatold Her that during this Incarnation He had vowed to be faithful to only Sita. However pleased with her devotion , Lord Rama gave her name vaishnavi (devotee of lord rama (Maha Vishnu)and assured Her that in Kaliyuga He would manifest as Kalki and would marry Her.
In the meantime Shree Rama asked Trikuta to meditate in the cave found in the Trikuta Range of Manik Mountains, situated in NorthernIndia.Lord Ram gave her a bow and arrows, army of monkeys and a lion for her protection, Ma decided to observe the 'Navratra' for the Victory of Shree Rama against Ravana. Hence one reads the Ramayana during the 9 days of Navratra, in remembrance of the above connection. Shree Rama promised that the whole world would sing Ma Vaishno Devi's praise. Lord Rama also said Trikuta was to become famous as Vaishno Devi and would become immortal forever.The adobe of Maa Vaishno devi is attaining huge pilgrimage attraction due to Lord Rama's blessings to the goddess.
With the passage of time many more stories about the Mother Goddess emerged. One such story is about Shree-Dhar.Shree-Dhar was an ardent devotee of Ma Vaishno Devi. He resided in a village called Hansali, 2 km away from the present Katra town. Once Ma appeared to him in the form of a young bewitching girl. The young girl asked the humble Pandit to hold a 'Bhandara'. (A feast to feed the mendicants and devotees) The Pandit set out to invite people from the village and near-by places. He also invited 'Bhairav Nath' a selfish tantrik. Bhairav Nath asked Shri-Dhar how he was planning to fulfil the requirements. He reminded him of the bad consequences in case of failure. As Panditji was lost in worry, the Divine girl appeared and told Him not to be despondent as everything had been arranged. She asked that over 360 devotees be seated in the small hut. True to Her word the Bhandara went smoothly with food and place to spare. Bhairav Nath admitted that the girl had supernatural powers and decided to test Her further. He followed the Divine girl to Trikuta Hills. For 9 months Bhairav Nath was searching for the mystic girl in the mountains, whom he believed was an incarnation of the Mother Goddess. While running away from Bhairav, Devi shot an arrow into the Earth from which water gushed out. The resultant river is known as Baanganga. It is believed that by taking a bath in Baanganga (Baan: Arrow), a believer of the Mother Goddess can wash away all his sins. The banks of the river, known as Charan Paduka, are marked by Devi's foot imprints, which remains intact till date. Vaishno Devi then took shelter in a cave known as Garbh Joon near Adhkawari where she meditated for 9 months attaining spiritual wisdom and powers. Her meditation was cut short when Bhairav located her. Vaishno Devi was then compelled to take the form of Maha Kali when Bhairav tried to kill her. The manifestation of the Mother Goddess took place at the mouth of the Holy cave at Darbar. The Goddess then beheaded Bhairav with such sheer force, that his skull fell at a place known as Bhairav Ghati, 2.5 km from the Holy Cave.
In his dying moments, Bhairav pleaded for forgiveness. The Goddess knew that Bhairav's main intention in attacking her was to achieve salvation. She not only granted Bhairav liberation from the cycle of reincarnation, but also granted him a boon, whereby every devotee, in order to ensure completion of the pilgrimage, had to visit Bhairav Nath's temple near the Holy cave after the darshan of the Goddess.Meanwhile Vaishno Devi assumed the shape of a rock with three pindis (heads) and immersed herself into meditation forever.
Meanwhile, Pandit Shree-Dhar became impatient. He started to march towards Trikuta Mountain on the same path that he had witnessed in a dream. He ultimately reached the cave mouth. He made a daily routine of worshipping the 'Pindis' in several ways. His worship pleased the Goddess. She appeared in front of him and blessed him. Since that day, Shree-Dhar and his descendants have been worshipping the Goddess Mother Vaishno Devi.
 MANGALAGAURI

The Mangalagauri temple in Gaya (Bihar) has been mentioned in Padma Purana, Vayu Purana and Agni Purana and in other scriptures and tantric works. The present temple dates back to 1459 AD. The shrine is dedicated to Shakti or the mother Goddess in the predominantly Vaishnavite pilgrimage center of Gaya. Mangalagauri is worshiped as the Goddess of benevolence. This temple constitutes an Upa-Shakti Pitha - where it is believed that a part of the body of Shakti fell - according to mythology. Here Shakti is worshiped in the form of a breast symbol, a symbol of nourishment.The temple is facing east, and is built on top of the Mangalagauri hill. A flight of steps and a motorable road lead to the temple. The sanctum houses the symbol of the Goddess and it also has some finely carved ancient relief sculptures. A small hall or mandap stands in front of the temple. The courtyard also houses a fire pit for the home. There are also two minor shrines dedicated to Shiva and images of Mahishasura MardiniGaya is one of the most famous spiritual destinations in India. Gaya is located in Bihar and stands on the bank of Falgu River. Gaya in India is held holy and pious by both Hindu and Buddhists. The narrow by lanes with age old buildings, beautiful natural surroundings with rocky hills on the three sides and river flowing by the city on the western side makes the city look beautiful and elates the spiritual atmosphere of the place.
The city derived its name from the demon, Gayasur who is said to have resided in this area. It is said that Lord Vishnu killed the demon by crushing him under his feet. On his being crushed, the demon got transformed into numerous rocky hills that form the topography of the city today. Then the deities decided to sit over the dead demon and that is the reason why one can find numerous temples over these surrounding rocky hills. It is said that any one who touched him or looked at him were fred of all sins. Mangla Gauri, Rama Shila, Brahmayoni and Shringa Sthan are the places where one can find temples on the hill tops and which comprise of the pilgrimage circuit of the city.
The Mangla Gauri shrine in Gaya, one of the most holy sites has two rounded stones which symbolizes the breasts of the Goddess Sati, who is regarded as the first wife of Lord Shiva.
Vishnupad Temple is marked by a footprint of Vishnu. This footprint is the significance of the act of Lord Vishnu crushing Gayasur under his foot. The temple that stands today was rebuilt by Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar in the 18th century. As per the Buddhist tradition and culture, this footstep mark is regarded that of Lord Buddha who is said to be the avatar of Vishnu.
The temples and the Ghats that are present by the River Falgu are also of great spiritual significance. Some trees are also held sacred by the Hindus and in Gaya one would find Pipal trees, Akshayavat and the undying Banyan which are also offered prayers and offerings in huge numbers by the pilgrims coming into the city.
Gaya is held as an important spiritual center by Hindus as a site which offers salvation to the souls. Buddhists hold Gaya as an important pilgrimage center because of the presence of the Brahmayoni or the Gayasia hill where Buddha preached the Fire Sermon or the Adittapariyaya Sutta.

VISALAKSHI

It is well connected by train from New Delhi, Kolkatta, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and other major cities. The deity is known as Lord Kasi Visweswar and goddess is known as Kasi Visalakshi. You can do abisheka yourself .Original temple was destroyed many times and finally by Auranagazeb and rebuilt byMaharani Ahilya Bai in 1776. 
Stay: Many dharmasalas and hotels are available
Places of interest: The new Viswanath temple in the university complex 









SARASWATI DEVI

The Sharda Temple is located in Kishanganga Valley just across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) in a small village called Shardi at the confluence of River Kishanganga and River Jhelum which flows from Kashmir.
In 1948, during raids by Pakistani tribal raiders, the village fell into Pakistani hands.
A famous learning centre of Kashmiris, it is identified by noted historians and chroniclers including Al Beruni (1130 ad) and M A Stein, who visited the temple in 1892, (in Rajtarangini) as one of the most important temples of the Hindus equivalent to the Shiva Lingam of Somnath, Vishnu of Thaneshwar and Surya of Multan.
Abul Fazl in Ain-i-Akbari (16th century) says that on every eighth day of the month at the time of full moon, the temple "shakes and produces the most extraordinary effect." He however does not explain the "extraordinary effect."
The temple is so vital to Kashmiris that Kashmiri language has the script of Sharda, which is little similar to Devanagari.
Kalhana in Rajatarangini has said, devotees of Durga and Shiva from all over the country would flock to the temple of Sharda which can be approached from Bandipur in North Kashmir, about 80 km from Srinagar.
Through centuries the temple had remained the object of worship and devotion of lakhs of pilgrims from all over the country. Though in ruins now, the entire temple complex inspires grandeur and awe.
The temple had a massive library attached to it which had priceless works on art, science, literature, architecture, music, humanities, medicine, astrology, astronomy, philosophy, law and jurisprudence and sanskrit etc. The library was used by scholars from even neighbouring countries.
Kashmir was also called "Shardapeeth" (the base of Sharda), the name being derived from the temple.