The temples of Badi and Choti Patan Devi at Pataliputra (Patna) are one of the 51 Shaktipeethas (seats of Divine Energy)

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Sati unable to bear the insult of Her husband Shiva at the yadnya (fire sacrifice) performed by Her father, Daksha Prajapati ended Her life by jumping into the fire of the same yadnya. The grief that Deity Shiva experienced upon the death of Sati was far more than the anger He experienced with his insult. This incident disturbed Deity Shiva. He lifted Sati’s corpse onto His shoulder and commenced the tandav dance (which brings about dissolution of the universe). Consequently, the entire universe started moving towards dissolution. Observing this all Deities went to Shri Vishnu and pleaded with Him to stop this. In response to their plea, Bhagwan Vishnu released His Divine discus (sudarshan chakra) which gradually separated Sati’s body into 51 parts. The spot where these parts fell on the earth became a seat of Divine Energy. One of the 51 Shaktipeetas is at Pataliputra (Patna), the temple of the village Deity ‘Bhagwati Patneshwari’, where the right thigh of Devi Sati fell. The sign of its fall is still evident in the temple.

At Patna in Bihar, the Devi has two temples, Badi Patan Devi and Choti Patan Devi. They are so named as King Mansingh first entered the temple from the door on the west side where lies the temple of Badi Patan Devi and then from the door on the east side, that of Choti Patan Devi. Temple of Badi Patan Devi has idols of Shri Lakshmi, Shri Saraswati, and Shri Kali. It is not known who installed these idols. Temple of the Choti Patan Devi is in the form of a Shivapinda (shivling) and Vijay Shankar Giri is the mahant (priest) here.

Idols of Shri Lakshmi, Shri Saraswati and Shri Kali in the Badi Patan Devi temple
Temple of Choti Patan Devi

Let us offer obeisance with wholehearted spiritual emotion to all these Devis.

Reference: Dainik Sanatan Prabhat

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