Shakti Peeth-Introduction
Shakti Peeth have originated from the primeval Hindu worship that entails the female power as Shakti - the giver of life and fertility. Female is more dynamic than the male. The spirit is personified by Shiv and the matter is personified by his consort Durgaa. Durgaa has three main forms - Mahaa Kaalee, Mahaa Lakshmee, and Mahaaa Saraswatee; and all have been worshipped by Indians for a long time. There is a long story how these Shakti Peeth came into existence.

Story of Satee
There was a Prajaapati named Daksh. He had 60 daughters. he had given his 13 daughters to Kashyap Jee, 27 daughters to Chandramaa - they became Constellations for the benefit of the world; 10 to Dharm; 4 daughters to Arishtnemi; 2 to Bahuputra; 2 to Angiraa; 2 to Krishaashwa and the last one Sate to Shiv.

Shiv loved Satee very much. According to Maanas, 1/3, once Shiv Jee went to Agastya Muni along with Satee and there he heard Raam Charitra. When he was coming back, he was lost in the thought of Raam. He knew with his Yog that Raam had already incarnated on Prithvi, so if he could have His Darshan... He was going like this thinking about Raam that he saw Raam and Lakshman wandering around in the forest searching for Seetaa whom Raavan had abducted. Shiv Jee greeted Him in his heart. Satee was watching this. She always thought that all used to bow to her husband, but today she saw her husband bowing to a human being. She was very surprised to see this. She could not resist herself and asked Shiv Jee - "All bow to you and you are bowing to a human being?" Shiv Jee said - "He is my Isht Dev, I always meditate on Him. He is Raam whose story you had just listened in Agastya Muni's Aashram. At this time He is searching His wife." Satee could not believe that Bhagvaan on whom her husband meditated was wandering like this searching for His wife. She expressed her doubt about it.

Shiv Jee tried to explain her that He was the same and here He was doing only Leelaa, but Satee could not be convinced. Shiv understood that something bad is going to happen, so he said to her - "If you don't believe me, you yourself can go and test Him. I sit here under the shade of a tree till then, but be careful." Satee set off to test Bhagvaan. She was thinking how to test Him? She then disguised herself as Seetaa and started walking in front of both the brothers.

Seeing Seetaa in front of him, Lakshman got surprised as how Seetaa was going there? But Raam understood that she was not Seetaa but Satee, so He asked her - "Where is Shiv Jee and how are you wandering here in this forest alone?" Hearing this Satee got very embarrassed. She did not reply and went away from there. Raam thought to show her His Leelaa, so she saw Raam and Lakshman going in front of her, she again got surprised, she looked back, she again saw them coming behind her. She saw them here and there, where many Devtaa were serving Him. She got confused and she closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes after a while, she did not see anybody and she came back to Shiv. Shiv Jee asked her - "Have you tested Him? Tell me how did you test Him?" Satee was still in a confusion, so she said - "I did not test Him, I just bowed him like you and came to you." But Shiv knew as how she tested Raam. He knew that she disguised herself as Seetaa. He felt bad, now he could not accept her as his wife because she had disguised herself as his Isht Dev's wife. She took a vow that now on there will not be any chance to meet her. The then a Divine voice said - "Only you can take such a vow." Satee asked about his vow but Shiv did not let her know about it. Satee also understood that Shiv Jee has known everything. Shiv Jee and Satee came to Kailaash and went on to meditate. He meditated for thousand years and when he woke up from his Samaadhi, Satee Jee came to him and sat near him. Shiv Jee told her some stories.

But Satee Jee was not happy as she knew that Shiv Jee had known her lie and now she was suffering from his separation. She wanted to die. She was sitting and thinking like this that she saw many airplanes going in the sky. She sent her friend to find out what was gong on? In fact Brahmaa Jee elvated her father Daksh's status to Prajaapati and he had organized a great Yagya in which he had invited all including Brahmaa Jee, Vishnu Jee etc, but he had not invited Satee and Shiv. When Satee came to know that her father was doing a Yagya, she thought this opportunity to meet her parents and sisters, so she went to Shiv Jee and asked his permission to go to her father's house.

Shiv Jee said to her - "This is bad that your father has not invited you because of the enmity with me. I do not recommend your going to his house as he has not invited you." Satee pleaded that there was no harm in going to parents' Guru's without invitation." Shiv Jee said - "It is not because that you were not invited but because he has invited all except you, that means that he has not invited only you, that is why you should not go there." But Satee did not agree with Shiv's plea and she said - "If you will not send me I will go myself." So Shiv Jee sent some og his Gan with her to her father's place. Satee went away to her father's house.

Satee in Daksh's House
When she reached there, she was not welcomed there. Her father even rebuked her to come there. She went to Yagya Shaalaa, she did not see her husband's Yagya share there. Seeing this she filled with rage and burnt her body with Yog. This spread the discontentment all over. Seeing this Shiv's Gan also started killing Devtaa etc sitting there. Shiv Jee also heard about this through Naarad Jee. He immediately created a Krityaa from his hair, Veerbhadra, and sent him to destroy Daksh's Yagya and kill people there. He immediately went there and destroy the Yagya, killed even Daksh. Later Brahmaa Jee pacified Shiv Jee somehow, Shiv Jee brought Daksh to life by joining a ram's head.

He picked up Satee's body. He got so mad seeing her dead, that he started wandering in the whole world carrying her corpse in his arms like a mad man. Balance of Universe started to shake, so all Devtaa got scared. Who had the courage to stop him? So Brahmaa Jee and other Devtaa went to Vishnu and prayed Him to stop Shiv Jee doing this. He also tried to stop him explaining that "Satee had died and now there was no use to wander around thus." But Shiv Jee was so mad at this incident that he could not be controlled. Then Vishnu took out His Chakra and cut Satee's body in 51 pieces. Those pieces fell on the Earth here and there. Shiv Jee felt that he was not carrying anything. He woke up from his dream and came into senses. Vishnu again consoled him. After that Shiv went into Samaadhi.

Wherever these 51 pieces fell on the Earth, Shakti Peeth were established there. That is how these Shakti Peeth came into existence.
Shakti's consort is Bhairav - a form of Shiv.