Manivedika (Manibandh) Shakti Peeth, Pushkar

The story

According to the Shakti Peeth tradition, after King Daksha's yagya Shiv ji wandered in grief carrying the body of Devi Sati. Vishnu ji's Sudarshan chakra then divided the body, and wherever a part or an ornament fell, a Shakti Peeth arose. Her wrists are believed to have fallen here. Pushkar has its own story too. By tradition Brahma ji performed a great yagya at Pushkar lake, and Devi Gayatri sat beside him to complete it. That is why Pushkar has one of the very few Brahma temples in India, and the temples of both his consorts, Savitri and Gayatri, stand on the hills on either side of the lake. Bharatkosh names the Gayatri temple as the Shakti Peeth, and the temple at the foot of the Gayatri hill is known as the Manibandh Shaktipeeth. Local belief says the peeth lay hidden for centuries in the lonely hills, and the prayers of devotees brought the Mother's presence to light again. Since the early 2000s new roads have brought a steady rise in pilgrims, and local priests and devotees have cared for the shrine.