Shakti Peethas are sites where parts of Sati's body or ornaments fell as Shiva, mad with grief, carried her remains across the cosmos until Vishnu's discus dismembered her. Different traditions count 18, 51, 52 or even 108 Peethas. This collection covers five of the most actively visited and pilgrimage-anchored: Vaishno Devi (Katra), Kamakhya (Guwahati), Mahalakshmi (Kolhapur), Kalighat (Kolkata), and Bhadrakali (Kurukshetra). Each is a complete weekend pilgrimage in itself; collectively they cover four corners of India.
Geographically scattered — better treated as long-weekend trips than a single tour. Guwahati and Kolkata pair as a Northeast-East flight loop (4–5 days). Kolhapur fits a Pune-Belgaum trip. Kurukshetra works as a Delhi day-trip. The Ambubachi Mela at Kamakhya (June) is the year's biggest goddess-worship gathering — book accommodation 2-3 months ahead.
ALSO ON NAKSHIQ
Eight more rooms in the magazine.
Guides
Visa, scams, food, packing.
Everything the guidebook won't tell you — written for India in 2026.
Blog
Field notes from the road.
Long-form reads on regions, festivals, and the offbeat circuit.
Road trips
Curated multi-day routes.
Driving itineraries with day-by-day stops, distance, and difficulty.
Collections
Themed reading lists.
Wettest places. Sacred lakes. Solo-female-safe. Curated cuts.
NakshIQ 100
The 100 best destination-months.
India's highest-scoring places, ranked across all 12 months.
The Window
Our weekly newsletter, archived.
One honest spread, every Sunday. The full back catalogue.
Skip list
What we'd skip — and what we'd do instead.
Overhyped places with honest alternatives.
First trip
Planning your first time in India.
Safety, scams, what to wear, food survival, solo female travel.




