Sarvashailaa Shakti Peeth (Kotilingeswara / Mahendragiri)

Sarvashailaa is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas — the sacred sites where fragments of Sati's body fell when Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra severed her. At this site on the sacred Godavari river banks near Rajamahendravaram (Rajahmundry), Sati's cheeks (ganda) are believed to have fallen. The presiding goddess is Maa Rakini (also called Sarvashailaa, meaning "Goddess of All Mountains"). The presiding Bhairava is Vateswara (Shiva). The Godavari — often called "Dakshina Ganga" (the Ganges of the South) — is considered one of the most sacred rivers in South India. A Shakti Peeth on its banks carries the dual sanctity of the river and the body-fall tradition.