The roots of Shaktism – a Hindu denomination that focuses worship upon Shakti or Devi, the Hindu Divine Mother – penetrate deeply into India's prehistory. The Devi's earliest known appearance in Indian Paleolithic settlements is believed to go back more than 8000 years ago. The Badrinath Monastery, dated to about 7000 years ago, and its associated ritual site of Adi Shankara have been well studied. Then came the refinement of her cult in the Indus Valley Civilisaztion