The sacred seat where the divine neck of Goddess Sati fell — where the Mother is worshipped as Mahalakshmi, and Her Bhairav as Sambaranand.
At Joinpur village, in the verdant precinct of Dakshin Surma — three kilometres south-east of Sylhet town — the sacred geography of the subcontinent meets the eternal feminine. Here rests Shri Shri Mahalakshmi Bhairabi Griba Maha Peetha, one of the revered Shakta Peethas where the divine neck (Griba) of Goddess Sati is believed to have descended upon the earth.
The Goddess at this seat is worshipped as the radiant Mahalakshmi — bestower of grace, abundance and inward strength. Her Bhairav, the eternal guardian, is venerated as Sambaranand. Together, they consecrate this ancient land of Sylhet as a luminous threshold between heaven and earth, a place where pilgrims, sages and seekers have offered devotion across the long arc of civilisational time.
The Full Story
A confluence of mythology, geography and unbroken devotion.
According to scriptural tradition, when Lord Vishnu's Sudarshana Chakra divided Sati's celestial body, Her sacred Griba — the seat of speech and breath — fell upon this very land, sanctifying it for all time.
Here the Mother is invoked as Mahalakshmi — the radiant fountain of shri (auspicious abundance), inner discipline, household harmony and the gentle wealth of the soul.
The terrible-yet-tender guardian — Sambaranand — stands at the threshold of the sanctum, restraining ego, confusion and fear so that pure devotion may unfold.
Cradled by rivers and the gentle hills of Dakshin Surma, the Peetha sits where the geomancy of Bengal opens into the wider Shakta map of the subcontinent.
Rituals once whispered in the Tantric texts continue here — daily worship, festival cycles, and the steady cadence of mantras that bind generations of devotees.
For pilgrims travelling from India and across the wider Indo–BIMSTEC region, this Peetha is a luminous waypoint — a meeting of devotion, history and shared civilisational memory.
When Sati, in Her grief at the dishonour of Lord Shiva at Daksha's yajna, surrendered Her form to the sacred fire, the Lord wandered the worlds bearing Her body in unmoving sorrow. To restore cosmic balance, Lord Vishnu released the Sudarshana Chakra — and where each fragment of the Mother fell, the earth itself awakened as a Peetha.
At this seat, it is the divine neck that descended — the channel of breath, the source of the sacred sound, the throat from which the primordial syllable rises. Such is the gravity of this place: every chant uttered here returns to its origin.
Read the Spiritual Meaning
Two presences. One sanctum. The eternal embrace of grace and guardianship.
Mahalakshmi at this Peetha is not only the bestower of material wealth, but the deeper shri — clarity of mind, dignity of household, the sweetness that ripens in patient devotion. She is invoked at dawn with offerings of flower, lamp and grain, and at twilight with hymns of gratitude.
Sambaranand stands as the inner discipline that protects the Devi's grace. He embodies sambara — restraint of the wandering senses — and ananda — the bliss that arises when ego subsides. No worship of the Devi here is complete without honouring Him.
Sylhet has long been a meeting-place of Vedic, Shakta and folk traditions — a land of saints, scholars and sacred rivers. The Peetha is the radiant centre of this older inheritance, where civilisational continuity flows undisturbed through soil, song and ritual.
Approach the Peetha with reverence, preparation and an open heart.
Joinpur Village, near Gotatikar, Dakshin Surma — approximately 3 km south-east of Sylhet town, Bangladesh.
Morning · 5:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Evening · 4:00 PM – 9:00 PM
October to March — and especially during Navaratri, Lakshmi Puja and Maha Shivaratri.
A distinguished circle of nation-builders and cultural ambassadors carrying this heritage forward.
The Peetha's stewardship draws together pioneers in cultural diplomacy, heritage preservation and cross-border civilisational dialogue — committed to ensuring that this sacred seat continues to bless devotees for generations to come.
Meet the StewardsThe moment I crossed the threshold, I felt the air itself slow down. The chant of the priests, the scent of incense, the gold of the deepa — it is no ordinary temple. It is a living presence.
I had read of the Shakta Peethas in old texts. To stand at the seat where the Mother's neck is said to have fallen is to feel history, mythology and grace meet in a single breath.
The sanctum is small, the silence is vast. Sambaranand at the threshold reminded me to leave my noise outside, and only then did Mahalakshmi answer.
For our youth delegation, this Peetha was the most moving stop on our cultural circuit. It reframed Bangladesh as a land of shared sacred memory.