Danteshwari Temple, Dantewada

Where the tooth of Sati fell, the guardian Mother of Bastar.

At Dantewada in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, at the confluence of the Dankini and Shankini rivers, stands the ancient temple of Danteshwari, revered as a Shakti Peetha where, in the tradition of the Peethas, the tooth (danta) of Sati fell — from which both the Goddess and the town of Dantewada take their name.

Danteshwari is the presiding deity and kuladevi of the former Bastar royal house, honoured for centuries as the sovereign Mother of the region. Her worship is central to the famed Bastar Dussehra, among the longest and most distinctive festivals in India. Danteshwari is the great guardian Goddess of the tribal heartland of Chhattisgarh.

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Part of a sacred circuit

The Shakti Peeth

The Shakti Peethas are the seats of the Goddess, revered as the places where the earth itself was hallowed by her presence.

Mahamaya Temple, Ratanpur

Ratanpur, Chhattisgarh

In the Bilaspur region, the Mother who weaves the cosmic illusion.

Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple

Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh

Both a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha, on the Nallamala hills.

Baidyanath Dham (Vaidyanath)

Deoghar, Jharkhand

The Jyotirlinga at Deoghar, where Ravana set down Shiva's Atmalinga.

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