DeitiesScripturesTirthFestivalsPanchangAartisDirectory
The 51 Shakti Peethas 20/51

Prayaga Shakti Peetha

LalitaPrayagraj; two temples claim the pitha: the Lalita Devi temple at Mirapur and the Alopshankari temple at Alopibagh, Uttar Pradesh

Also known as: Lalita Devi (Mirapur) and Alopshankari (Alopibagh)

Edited by the SanatanBodh editorial teamLast updated: 6 sourcesDrafted with AI, checked against sourcesReport a mistake
Prayaga Shakti Peetha: The 51 Shakti Peethas 20/51, Lalita, Prayagraj; two temples claim the pitha: the Lalita Devi temple at Mirapur and the Alopshankari temple at Alopibagh, Uttar Pradesh
In short

Prayaga is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas of the Pithanirnaya; by the text the fingers of Sati’s hand fell at Prayaga (Prayagraj), and the goddess is Lalita and the Bhairava Bhava. The city is not in doubt, but the temple is: government pages count the Lalita Devi temple at Mirapur among the 51 Shakti Peethas, and the Kumbh Mela government website says the fingers fell at the Alopshankari temple at Alopibagh.

Deity
Lalita
Tradition
Shakta
List
The 51 Shakti Peethas 20/51
Place
Prayagraj; two temples claim the pitha: the Lalita Devi temple at Mirapur and the Alopshankari (Alopi Devi) temple at Alopibagh
State
Uttar Pradesh
Country
India

The two temples of Prayagraj

According to the Prayagraj district website the Lalita Devi temple at Mirapur (about 108 feet tall) is counted among the 51 Siddha Shakti Peethas; the Kumbh Mela website also calls it part of the 51 Shakti Peethas. Both the Pithanirnaya and the Devi Bhagavata call the goddess of Prayaga Lalita.

According to the Kumbh Mela website the Alopshankari temple at Alopibagh, about 3 km north-west of the Sangam, is managed by the Mahanirvani Panchayati Akhara; a swing hanging over a kund is worshipped there, and the site says Sati’s fingers fell here. According to the district website a fair is held here at Navratri.

Main festivals

Navratri

Where the sources differ

  • Uttar Pradesh Tourism’s "Shakti Peeth circuit" lists both temples of Prayagraj, Alopi Devi and Lalita Devi. Because there are two claims, no map is given here.
  • The Kumbh Mela website also places the Kalyani Devi temple under "the Shaktipeethas of Prayagraj", but does not count it among the 51.
  • The count of pithas depends on the text: the Pithanirnaya lists 51, some Bengali lists 52, the Devi Bhagavata (7.30) gives 108 places with names of the goddess, and the early Tantras name only four (Sircar).

Frequently asked questions

Which temple in Prayagraj is the Shakti Peetha?

Two temples claim it: the Lalita Devi temple at Mirapur (the district and Kumbh Mela websites count it among the 51) and the Alopshankari temple at Alopibagh (the Kumbh Mela website says the fingers fell there). The goddess of the Pithanirnaya is Lalita.

Where is Prayaga Shakti Peetha?

Prayaga Shakti Peetha is in Prayagraj; two temples claim the pitha: the Lalita Devi temple at Mirapur and the Alopshankari (Alopi Devi) temple at Alopibagh, Uttar Pradesh.

Which lists of tirthas include Prayaga Shakti Peetha?

The 51 Shakti Peethas (number 20 of 51 in the list).

Sources

  1. D. C. Sircar, The Śākta Pīṭhas (Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal 1948; Motilal Banarsidass, 1973): table of the Pithanirnaya pp. 35-37, note on this pitha p. 50 (archive.org)
  2. Vachaspatyam (Taranatha Tarkavachaspati), "pitha": the list of pithas quoted from the Tantrachudamani (Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries, sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de)
  3. Devi Bhagavata Purana 7.30 (the list of 108 pithas), English translation by Swami Vijnanananda (wisdomlib.org)
  4. Maha Kumbh Mela, Government of Uttar Pradesh (kumbh.gov.in): Rituals of Kumbh, "Shaktipeethas of Prayagraj"; Places to see
  5. Prayagraj district (prayagraj.nic.in): places of interest
  6. Uttar Pradesh Tourism (uptourism.gov.in): Shakti Peeth Circuit

Something wrong? Report a mistake