Sharada Peeth

Sharada Peeth (Sharada Pitha) is one of the most historically and religiously significant Shakti Peeths — and one of the most poignant, as it remains cut off from Indian Hindu and Kashmiri Pandit pilgrims by the Line of Control. Per the Shakti Peeth tradition, Sati's right hand fell at this site; the presiding goddess is Maa Sharada — the goddess of learning, wisdom, and arts (a form of Saraswati) — and the Bhairava is Trisandhyeshwar. The temple and its associated institution were historically one of the greatest centers of learning in the ancient world — a university that attracted scholars from across South Asia for study of Sanskrit, the Sharada script, grammar, philosophy, and the arts.