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Prayag Shakti Peeth (Lalita Devi)

Lalita Devi temple, Meerapur, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh

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Prayag Shakti Peeth (Lalita Devi)
Photo: Karmandir, AI illustration

Traditions differ: Three places in Prayagraj claim this peeth: the Lalita Devi temple at Meerapur, the Kalyani-Lalita temple near the Akshayvat, and the Alopi Devi temple at Alopibagh. English Wikipedia names the Alopi Devi temple and Art of Living the Lalita Devi temple, while Bharatkosh lists all three. Devotees honour all three.

About

Prayagraj, where the Ganga, the Yamuna and the unseen Saraswati meet, is called Tirthraj, the king of tirths. It holds one of the 51 Shakti Peeths, where the fingers of Devi Sati's hand are believed to have fallen. Here the Devi is worshipped as Lalita, with Bhav as her Bhairav. Art of Living names the Lalita Devi temple as the peeth, and Bharatkosh counts Meerapur among three places in the city linked with it. The lists of the Devi's holy seats in the Matsya Purana and the Devi Bhagavat also say that at Prayag the Devi is Lalita. Devotees often come for darshan along with a bath at the Sangam, especially in Navratri and during the Magh Mela.

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. The fingers of her hand are believed to have fallen at Prayag. The city's name also comes from an old belief: after creating the world, Brahma ji is said to have performed the very first yagya here, and 'pra' and 'yaga' together gave the name Prayag. Three places in the city are linked with this Shakti Peeth, and in all three the Devi is known as Lalita. Many devotees and pilgrim guides name the Lalita Devi temple at Meerapur as the peeth. Near the Akshayvat stands the Kalyani-Lalita Devi temple, with a temple of Laliteshwar Mahadev close by. Near the Sangam, in Alopibagh, is the Alopi Devi temple, where no murti is worshipped, only a wooden doli; local belief says the last part of Sati's body vanished ('alop') here. Devotees honour all these places and come in large numbers during Navratri.

Visiting

October to March is the best time; the city is very crowded during the Magh Mela (January–February) and in Kumbh years. The temple is in the city and easy to reach by road from Prayagraj Junction. Nearby are the Sangam, the Alopi Devi temple, the Akshayvat and the temple of the reclining Hanuman ji near the Sangam.

Festivals

  • Chaitra and Ashwin Navratri
  • Magh Mela at the Sangam

51 Shakti Peeths

Sources