It is said that after the Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Shiva cut the burnt corpse of Ma Sati into fifty-two pieces, her elbow fell on the Bhairav Hills. The Mother is worshipped as Avanti in this temple and is protected by the Bhairav Lambkarna. Many say that it was not her elbow but rather her upper lips that fell there but that is highly debated.
Avanti or Bhairav Parvat Shakti Peeth is one of the 52 Shakti Peethas of Maa Sati. Maa Avanti Shakti Peetha is located near Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, India. This temple is also known as Gadkalika. The temple is beautifully located on Bhairavparvat, at Bhairav hills on the banks of Shipra river a little distance from Ujjaini town.
Ujjain is well called Ujjain, Ujjayini, Avanti, Avantikapuri and is a historical city of Malwa region in central India, on the far eastern bank of the Shipra or Kshipra River, today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the management center of Ujjain District and Ujjain Department.
In historical times the city was called Ujjayini. As mentioned in the Mahabharata epic, Ujjayini was the capital of the Avanti Kingdom and has been the Prime Meridian for Hindu geographers since the 4th century BCE. Ujjain is among the 7 spiritual cities “Sapta Puri” of the Hindus, and the Kumbh Mela a world popular spiritual celebration is held here every 12 years.
It is also Temple to Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, among the twelve Jyotirlinga Shrines to Lord Shiva, and is also the place where Lord Krishna came for learning with Balarama and Sudhama from Maharshi Sandipani.