Ramgiri (Chitrakoot)

Ramgiri, associated with Chitrakoot in the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh, is remembered as the place where the right breast of Sati fell. The goddess is Shivani and the Bhairava is Chanda. Some lists put Ramgiri elsewhere or assign a different part, and Chitrakoot's identification as the site is a tradition favoured by many but not all compilers.

Chitrakoot is better known as the forest where Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are said to have spent a large part of their exile, according to the Ramayana tradition. The hills, the river Mandakini and the many small shrines make it one of the most beloved pilgrim places in central India. Adding a peeth to such a Vaishnava setting reveals how the sacred landscape of India is layered, with Rama's story and the goddess's story sharing the same hills.

Shivani, meaning the consort of Shiva, is a gentle and general name for the goddess. The pairing with Chanda as Bhairava appears also at the Bangladesh sites of Yashor and Jeshoreshwari, which shows that Bhairava names repeat from one peeth to another. The Daksha yajna story, the grief of Shiva and the division of Sati's body supply the familiar frame, while the Chitrakoot setting adds an overlay of Ramayana memory.