According to legends, Sati was the daughter of Daksha Prajapati, a descendant of
Brahma. She married
Shiva against the wishes of her father. Daksha decided to perform a great yajna, in order to insult Shiva. He invited all of the Gods and Goddesses except his son-in-law. Sati attended this sacrifice against the wishes of her husband. She was insulted by her father, and so she immolated herself. The angry Shiva destroyed Daksha's sacrifice through Veerabhadra, cut off his head, and later revived him with a goat-head. Still crazed with grief, he picked up the remains of Sati's body, and danced the thandava, dance of destruction, throughout the Universe. The other Gods arbitrated to stop this dance. The
sudarshana chakra of
Vishnu cut through the body of Sati, and various parts of the body fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent. These sites, where the parts of the body of Sati have fallen, are known as
Shaktipithas.
