Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Sangeet Natak Akademi, ShaktiPeeth
Mains level: NA
Why in the news?
Sangeet Natak Akademi is set to host ‘Shakti, a festival of music and dance’ as part of its Kala Pravah series at 7 Shaktipeeths.
Shakti – Festival of Music and Dance
Events will be held at:
- Kamakhya Temple, Guwahati
- Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
- Jwalamukhi Temple, Kangada, Himachal Pradesh
- Tripura Sundari Temple, Udaipur, Tripura
- Ambaji Temple, Banaskantha, Gujarat
- Jai Durga Shaktipeeth, Deoghar, Jharkhand
- Shaktipeeth Maa Harsidhi Temple, Jaisinghpur, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh
What are Shaktipeeths?
- Shaktipeeths are sacred sites in Hinduism associated with the Goddess Shakti or Devi, the divine feminine energy.
- According to Hindu mythology, these sites are believed to be where various body parts of the goddess Sati/ Shakti fell to the earth when her body was dismembered by Lord Vishnu’s.
- There are numerous Shaktipeeths spread across the Indian subcontinent and beyond, each considered highly sacred by devotees of the Goddess.
Here are some major Shaktipeeths often seen in news:
| Temple | Place (State/Country) |
| Shankari Devi Temple | Trincomalee (Sri Lanka) |
| Kamakshi Amman Temple | Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) |
| Shrinkala Temple | Pradmunyee (Pandua, West Bengal) |
| Chamundeshwari Temple | Mysuru (Karnataka) |
| Jogulamba Devi | Alampuram (Telangana) |
| Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple | Srisailam (Andhra Pradesh) |
| Mahalakshmi Temple | Kolhapur (Maharashtra) |
| Ekveera Temple | Mahur (Maharashtra) |
| Mahakaleswar Temple | Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) |
| Kukkuteswara Swamy Temple | Pithapuram (Andhra Pradesh) |
| Biraja Temple | Jajpur (Odisha) |
| Bhimeswara Temple | Draksharamam (Andhra Pradesh) |
| Kamakhya Temple | Guwahati (Assam) |
| Alopi Devi Mandir | Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) |
| Jwalamukhi Temple | Jwalamukhi (Himachal Pradesh) |
| Mangla Gauri Temple | Gaya (Bihar) |
| Vishalakshi Temple | Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) |
| Sharada Peeth | Sharda, Kashmir (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) |
About Sangeet Natak Akademi
- It is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.
- It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and became functional the following year, with the appointment of its first chairman, Dr. P. V. Rajamannar.
- Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India, inaugurated it on 28 January 1953 in a special function held in the Parliament House.
Functions:
- The academy functions as the apex body of the performing arts in the country to preserve and promote the vast cultural heritage of India expressed in music, dance and drama.
- It also works with governments and art academies in states and union territories of the country.
Awards and fellowships:
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
- Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowships (Ratna Sadsya)
- Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar
- Tagore Ratna and Tagore Puraskar
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