Book Review: 'Shakti – 51 Sacred Peethas of the Goddess'

Photograph of the Book 'Shakti 51 Sacred Peethas of the Goddess' October 2025

We live in a world that constantly tests our strength, a world filled with adversities, pain and the relentless weight of human struggle. And yet, amidst all the noise and confusion, there exists an unseen power that holds the universe together; the grace of the Divine Mother. As per many shaktas (followers of Shaktism), She is the silent force behind every act of creation and every breath of life.

As I turned the pages of Dr. Alka Pande’s 'Shakti – 51 Sacred Peethas of the Goddess', I found myself entering a sacred space where mythology meets devotion and history merges with spiritual experience. The book is much more than a compilation of sacred sites; it is an invitation to rediscover the living presence of the Divine Feminine; the Adi Shakti in every corner of the Indian subcontinent.

According to the ancient scriptures, the Shakti Peethas were formed when the body of Goddess Sati, immolated in sorrow was dismembered by Lord Vishnu’s Sudarshan Chakra to calm Shiva’s grief. The scattered parts of her body fell upon the earth, sanctifying those places as centers of divine energy. Each Shakti Peetha, therefore is not merely a temple but a heartbeat of the Mother herself.

Photograph taken during 22 Nov 2016 at Kiriteswari Temple Murshidabad West Bengal when I went with my family and my Late Father Prof Prodip Mazumder.

Having personally visited several of these sites — Kamakhya in Assam, Kiriteshwari in Murshidabad, Mahishamardini in West Bengal and Tripura Sundari in Tripura, I could deeply relate to the author’s spiritual journey. Each temple carries its own rhythm, its own energy. Some radiate serenity, while others hum intense devotion. Together, they form a vast spiritual geography that continues to shape India’s inner landscape.

Photograph taken during 22 Nov 2016 at Kiriteswari Temple Murshidabad West Bengal when I went with my family and my Late Father Prof Prodip Mazumder, Former Chairman, Berhampore Municipality

Dr. Pande’s narrative is marked by sincerity and silent reverence. She writes as both a researcher and a seeker. What I found most compelling is her ability to merge mythology with experience. The book does not just describe places; it conveys the essence of the divine mother that dwells within them. It’s a perspective that echoes the teachings of saints who saw the Divine not as an abstraction but as a living presence guiding every moment of existence.

Photograph taken at Tripurmalini Mandir Jalandhar Punjab July 2024

While Dr. Pande lists the fifty-one Shakti Peethas, however I feel that there are other sacred sites such as the Tripurmalini Shakti Peetha in Jalandhar, Punjab and the Nalateswari Temple in Nalhati, West Bengal, which as per many are shakti peethas.

Photograph taken in the year October 2024 at Nalateswari Temple at Birbhum West Bengal

What struck me most while reading was the author’s humility. Her reflections reveal an inner faith that is both simple and profound. In reading the book, I was reminded of something which I had learnt after reading Rishi Aurobindo that Divine Mother is not merely a deity but the dynamic aspect of the Infinite Consciousness. I often feel that while Brahman in Its absolute form is still, silent and unmoving, the same Reality manifests as Shakti, 'the Mother', to create, sustain and transform the universe.

Just as electricity remains invisible until it expresses itself through light or motion, the Mother is the visible face of the Invisible. Through Her, the motionless becomes movement, the formless takes form and the Infinite plays as the finite. When we bow before the Mother, we are not worshipping another being, we are recognizing that Consciousness itself has taken form out of compassion to guide us home. This idea profoundly resonates with Dr. Pande’s work, which treats every sacred site as a living manifestation of that same divine energy.

Reflecting on the author's writings, I recall the words of Rishi Aurobindo as many thoughts played in my mind as I write. The questions are many, but the answer is one: it is the Mother. From her, the flow of energy starts and in her it stops.

A Day may come when She must stand unhelped

On a dangerous brink of the World’s doom and hers

Carrying the World’s future on her lonely breast,

Carrying the Human hope in a heart left sole

To conquer or fail on a last desperate verge.

Alone with death and close to extinction’s edge,

Her single greatness in that last dire scene,

She must cross alone a perilous bridge in Time

And reach an apex of World –Destiny

Where all is won or all is lost for human.

(Sri Aurobindo)

In my own life, the idea of the Divine Mother has been deeply personal. My inner mind once told me, “All powers of the universe rest in nature and that nature is the Mother herself.” Over time, I came to understand that the Mother is not confined to an image or a temple. She lives in every moment of compassion, in every act of courage, in every breath of awareness.

The book also resonates with a universal truth — that spiritual evolution begins and ends with surrender. The Divine Mother is not sought through complex rituals but through openness of heart. Her grace transforms silently, often when we least expect it.

To me, this book is not just about the fifty-one Peethas of the Goddess — it’s about the many ways the Divine reveals Herself in our lives. From the physical temples to the inner sanctum of the heart, She is both the journey and the destination.

If I were to rate the book, Shakti – 51 Sacred Peethas of the Goddess, I would give it 9 out of 10 — not only for its research and storytelling, but for its ability to evoke devotion and introspection in equal measure.

This book, in many ways, is a reminder — that the Divine Feminine is not a story we read, but a presence we return to.

(Please note: These are my personal thoughts based on reading this book. Your views, facts and opinions after reading the book may differ. Feel free to comment if you believe any facts in this article should be reconsidered and re-examined. Thank you once again for pointing it out.)

That's all from me in this brief article. I hope you enjoyed my personal thoughts and opinions. Please share your views or comments on the book review and recommendation of the book: 'Shakti – 51 Sacred Peethas of the Goddess', written by Alka Pande.

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Thanks and regards,

Mainak Majumdar, Book Critic

Email: mainakmajumdar.dasgupta@rediffmail.com & majumdar@majumdarbookreviews.asia