Where The Neck Of Maa Sati Rests, She Is Called Mahalakshmi.
3 km southeast of Sylhet Her Neck Fell here Worshipped as Maa Mahalakshmi Bhairav Sambaranand One of Fifty-One Peethas
You step off the Sylhet road into Joinpur village, and the town's noise falls away behind you. Somewhere ahead a lamp burns Before The Goddess, as one burns at each of Her Fifty-One Peethas. This Is the Griba Maha Peetha: the place, the old tellings say, where Her Neck came to rest.
The Griba Maha Peetha: here, tradition holds, the Neck Of Maa Sati Fell to earth, and the ground Was Made holy By Her Touch.
Here The Goddess Is Worshipped as Maa Mahalakshmi, and beside Her stands the Bhairav Sambaranand, guardian of Her Shrine.
One of the Fifty-One Shakti Peethas, one for each letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, scattered across the whole subcontinent.
The story the Peethas share
When Daksha, Her father, held a great yagna and left Shiva uninvited and insulted, Maa Sati Gave Up Her Body in the sacrificial fire. Shiva lifted Her onto his shoulders and danced the Tandava, a grief that circled the whole world. The gods watched, afraid that nothing would remain.
To still that grief, Vishnu loosed his Sudarshan Chakra, and the Body Of The Goddess was parted into pieces; wherever a piece touched the earth, a Shakti Peetha was born. Her Neck Fell in Srihatta, the old name for this Sylhet country. So The Goddess here Is Called Mahalakshmi, and her guardian Bhairav is Sambaranand.
What you'll actually see
1
The griba, Her sacred Neck
Of all the pieces Of Maa Sati's Body, it was Her Neck, the griba, that came to rest on this ground near Sylhet. The Shrine's full name carries the word: Griba Maha Peetha, the great Seat Of The Neck.
2
Maa Mahalakshmi and Her Bhairav
At every Shakti Peetha The Goddess Is Enshrined beside a Kalabhairava. Here She Is Mahalakshmi, and the Bhairav who guards Her Seat is called Sambaranand; pilgrims honour both together.
3
A map drawn in Fifty-One pieces
Tradition counts Fifty-One Peethas, one for each letter of the Sanskrit alphabet, spread through India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. This village Shrine Is one living thread of that whole.
Photographs of this Peetha are still being gathered; images will credit their Wikimedia Commons CC contributors.
Why this ground is holy
Griba Maha Peetha · The Seat Of Her Neck
Each of the Fifty-One Peethas holds Shakti beside a Kalabhairava, and each marks where a piece Of The Mother Is Believed To Rest. At this Peetha the reckoning Is precise: it was Her Neck that Fell here, and the Shrine bears the word griba, the neck, in its full title, Shri Shri Mahalakshmi Bhairabi Griba Maha Peetha. Devotees come simply to stand where She Touched the earth.
Our sources record no festival calendar or fixed darshan hours for this Peetha. Confirm arrangements with the temple office before you travel.
Plan your visit
Where
Joinpur village in Dakshin Surma, near Gotatikar, about 3 km southeast of Sylhet town, Bangladesh.
Getting there
Sylhet town is the gateway; confirm current air and road connections when you plan your journey.
Last stretch
The Shrine sits a short ride from town; ask in Sylhet for Joinpur, Dakshin Surma, and use local transport.
Timings
Not recorded in our sources; confirm darshan hours with the temple office before travelling.
Dress
Modest dress, covered shoulders and knees, suits any Shakti Shrine.
Best time
Mornings are generally quietest at village shrines; verify aarti times locally.
Good to know
Her Shrine's full name Is Shri Shri Mahalakshmi Bhairabi Griba Maha Peetha; griba names Her Neck.
The old tellings place the fall of Her Neck in Srihatta, the ancient name for the Sylhet region.
Tradition links the Fifty-One Peethas to the Fifty-One letters of the Sanskrit alphabet; each Shrine keeps both Shakti and Kalabhairava.
Questions pilgrims ask
Which part Of Maa Sati Fell here?
Her Neck, the griba. That Is why the Shrine's full name Is Griba Maha Peetha, and why it Is counted among the Fifty-One.
Who Is Worshipped at this Peetha?
The Goddess Is Worshipped as Maa Mahalakshmi, and the Bhairav beside Her is Sambaranand, the pairing every Shakti Peetha keeps.
How do I reach the temple from Sylhet?
It lies in Joinpur village, Dakshin Surma, near Gotatikar, roughly 3 km southeast of the town. Ask locally for the Shakti Peetha, and confirm timings with the temple office before you go.
Walk the sacred map
This Is one Seat among many. Her Body Fell across the whole of the old world:
Are you a priest, trustee, or sevak of Maa Mahalakshmi's Peetha at Shri Shail? Claim this page to add true timings, festival dates, and a way for pilgrims To actually reach you.