Ashapuri Mata

Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R), Jaipur

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Ashapuri Mata (आशापुरी माता) is considered as Kuldevi by many communities in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. She is considered as the Goddess who fulfills the wish & desires of all those who trust and believe her. The unique thing about most of the idol of Ashapura Mata is that it has 7 pairs of eyes.

Variants

• Ashapuri
• Ashapura Mata (आशापुरी माता)
• Ashapuri Devi (आशापुरी देवी)
• Annapoorna - Some people in Rajasthan and Gujarat consider her to be an incarnation(avatar) of goddess Annapoorna devi.
• Asavari
• Asavari Mata

Kuldevi

She is considered as Kuldevi by many Kutchi communities, Billore and is chiefly the clan deity of Chauhans, Jadejas , the ruling dynasty of Cutch State, Nawanagar State, Rajkot, Morvi, Gondal State Ambliara State and Dhrol (baria state). The main temple is located at Mata no Madh in Kutch, where she is worshiped as kuldevi of Jadeja rulers of Kutch and main guardian deity of region. Gosar & Poladia community of Kutch consider her to be their Kuladevi.

The Sindhi community, like the Khichda group, worship Ashapura Mata as their Kuldevi. In Gujarat Junaghad, Devchandani Parivar worship her as Kuldevi, where her temple is located beside Uparkot.

In Gujarat, even many Chauhans, Barias like Purabia Chouhans also worship her as Kuldevi. The Deoras also worship her as Kuldevi.

The Brahmin communities like Billore, Gaur [Lata] Thanki, Pandit and Dave Pushkarna, Sompura Salat also worship her as Kuldevi. Even the Vaishya community, like Vijayvargiya worship her.

The Brahma Kshatri caste also worship her as their Kuldevi.

The Raghuvanshi Lohana community Sodha from Dhrafa, Surat, Rajkot worship her as their Kuldevi.

आशापुरी देवी

आशापुरी देवी - आशा पूर्ण करने वाली देवी को आशापुरी या आशा पुरा देवी कहते हैं. जालोर के चौहान शासकों की कुलदेवी आशापुरी देवी थी जिसका मंदिर जालोर जिले के मोदरां माता अर्थात बड़े उदर वाली माता के नाम से विख्यात है. चौहानों के अतिरिक्त कई जातियों के लोग तथा जाटों में बुरड़क गोत्र इसे अपनी कुल देवी मानते हैं. (सन्दर्भ - डॉ मोहन लाल गुप्ता:राजस्थान ज्ञान कोष, वर्ष २००८, राजस्थानी ग्रंथागार जोधपुर, पृ. ४७६).

Temples of Ashapuri Mata

Her temples are mainly found in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In Gujarat

• Kutch: The main and original temple of Ashapura Mata, is located at Mata no Madh in Kutch, where she is worshiped as Kuldevi of Jadeja rulers of Kutch and main guardian deity of region. The original temple located 80 km from Bhuj, and apparently thousands of years old was renovated around 1300 AD by Karad Vanias, who were ministers in court of Lakho Fulani, ruler of Kutch. The deity was later adapted as Kuldevi by Jadeja rulers, when they won battles, with her blessings. Every year at Navratri annual fair at Mata no Madh, lakhs of devotees turn up to pay their respects to the goddess form all over Gujarat and even Mumbai.

• Bhuj: Another temple is also at Bhuj, located within fortified town, which was originally capital of Kingdom of Kutch.

Her temples are also found in other Jadeja domains of

• Rajkot, Jasdan, Morbi, Gondal, Jamnagar, Ghumli, where the Jadejas, who migrated from Kutch, built her temples and installed her as clan deity.

• Ghumli, on Barda hills, this is when Maa Shakti kills a demon on request of a Sati and she request Maa too reside on the hills and named her Maa Ashapura. This is the First temple of Mataji. Maa Ashapura is still heard and also hears Maa's lion's roar.

• Gadhkada - Ashapura Mataji's temple is in Gadhkada village in Amreli district. Every 1st day of Navratri, lot of people come there for Mataji's Yagna.

• Vadnagar (वडनगर) city in Mehsana district in the state of Gujarat has Ashapuri Temple.

• Navsari - Ashapuri Temple in Navsari City

In Rajasthan

Sarnau: In samvat 1032 (975 AD) the Delhi ruler Raja Mahi Pal Tanwar gave Jagir of 84 villages to Burdaks with capital at Sarnau. Halani Baori was constructed at Sarnau after Chaudhary Halu Ram. A baori was constructed after Jeenmata with 104 steps. A garden was developed. The constructed plinth of the fort was 1515 yards. Three temples were constructed at Sarnau namely, Shivabadri Kedarnath temple, Ashapuri Mata temple and Hanuman temple. Pooja was performed by Rughraj Brahman. 152 bigha of land was gifted for maintenance of the temples on paush badi 7 samvat 1033 (977 AD).

In Rajasthan, her temples are in Pokhran, Modran and Nadol.

नादोल : आशापुरा देवी का मंदिर राजस्थान के नादोल नाम के गाव मे भी स्थित है.

Asavari Mata - New large temple in Osian, 10 kms from Jaisalmer, at Didwanna, 12 kms from Kiradu (Barmer).

In Karnataka

In Bangalore, there is a temple dedicated to her named "Sh. Ashapura Mataji Mandir" that is located near Bannerghatta National Park.

In Maharashtra

In Mumbai also there is a famous temple of Ashapura Mata.

In Pune, there is temple near Gangadham on katraj Kondhwa road .In Thane also famous ashapura temple located near kapurvadi.

Himachal Pradesh

Palampur: Mata Ashapuri temple near Palampur is one such place having a long history but now suffering neglect. The ancient temple, situated at a secerene and beautiful place, is built in the beautiful hill architecture style, but has lately been finding itself neglected and forgotten as it is difficult to climb up to the place and also lack of support infrastructure.

In Madhya Pradesh

• Simrod (सिमरोड): is a village in Sanwer tehsil in Indore district in Madhya Pradesh. There is very ancient temple of Ashapuri Mata Here.

• Manpur Indore (मानपुर) is a village in Mhow tahsil in District Indore in Madhya Pradesh. There is very ancient temple of Ashapuri Mata Here.

Gallery

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  Ashapura Mata at the Ghumli temple dating back to 1313 AD.

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  Ashapura Mataji at Gadhakda Village in Amreli District

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  आशापूर्णा माता जी का मंदिर ग्राम मानपुर तहसील महू जिला इंदौर में पहाड़ी पर स्थित है और काफी प्राचीन है । नवरात्रि में यहां पर मेला भरता है । यहां पर वर्ष भर दूर दूर से श्रृद्धालू दर्शन करने आते हैं । नगर पंचायत परिषद मानपुर द्वारा सतत् मंदिर का विकास किया जा रहा है ।

See also

• Chahamanas Dynasty
• Towns and Villages of Chauhan Dominions
• Chahamans of Marwar‎ - All Chauhan Inscriptions in Sanskrit and English found in Marwar region
• Harsh
• Bijolia
• Jeenmata
• Burdak,
• Harshagiri Inscription of 961 AD
• Burdak Gotra Ka Itihas,
• Sarnau,
• Shakambhari
• Sakrai

References

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