Ambaji Temple
Ambaji temple is one of the most important pilgrimage spots in India especially during the Navratri festival with the town (also called Ambaji) recording footfalls of over 30 lakh visitors during the nine days.
To understand the importance of the Ambaji temple one has to read up about the temple’s history and the legends of the ‘Gabbar Parvat’.
Ambaji Temple complex
The templ…e town of Ambaji is located about 180 kilometers from Ahmedabad and buses usually take between 4-5 hours to reach there. Gujarat Travels even runs an air-conditioned sleeper bus service on this route. The nearest railway station is Abu Road which is 20 kms from this temple town.
The temple complex is a lavish dream bathed in white marble with a magnificent 103 feet triangular dome – the Suvarn Kalash Shikhar – carved out of a single piece of marble and weighing about 3 tones. The top end of the dome is gold-plated overseeing a vast stretch of verandah that extends all the way to the entrance gate to the temple.
There are two forms of darshans at the Ambaji Temple. If the purpose of your visit is to beseech the Goddess for a wish to be fulfilled then you’ve got to stand in the ‘mannat’ (wish) line. The wait period for the darshan here can last over there-four hours. However, general visitors are immediately granted darshan as the queue here is minimal.
The difference is that those standing in the ‘mannat’ queue get to touch the Mata’s feet while the others get to see the deity from a short distance.
Also known as the Arasuri Ambaji Mata temple, Ambaji Temple is among the 51 ancient Shakti Piths in Hindu mythology. Being a Shakti Pith devoted to Maa Ambica, an avatar of Goddess Durga, the entire temple complex is lit up extravagantly to mark the occasion of Navratri. Devotees pour into the town in lakhs to get a darshan of Maa Amba and the waiting time for the same usually lasts over 3-4 hours during the nine days of Navratri.
Ambaji Temple at night
Ambaji Temple brightly lit during Navratri
Dancers performing the garba during Navratri celebrations at the Ambaji Temple, Gujarat
The Gabbar Parvat
The Gabbar Parvat is the original location, according to legends, where a piece of the heart of Sati fell and hence Ambaji’s designation as a Shakti Peeth. The Gabbar Parvat or Hill is located about 5 kms away from the Ambaji Temple Complex with the main temple located on its top at a height of 1600 feet. Legend also has it that the location of Gabbar Parvat is very close to the banks of the origin of the river Sarasvati, as mentioned extensively in the Rig Veda.
The temple on top can be reached either by undertaking a trek of about a thousand steps from the bottom of the hill or via the ropeway, Shri Amba Devi Udan Khatola. Once on top, the temple – a simple structure when compared to the grand temple at Ambaji – offers a breathtaking view of the Aravallis. It feels nice to know that Mount Abu is just 45 kilometres away from there.
A unique feature of this temple is that there is no image of the Goddess in the main temple. Instead a holy yantra called the Shree Visa Yantra is worshipped in place of the main deity. The yantra has never been photographed and those who worship it are required to do it blindfolded. A holy flame exactly opposite the Shree Visa Yantra is found to be burning all the time at the temple. The priest here told me that the flame has never been extinguished till date.
It was here that I felt the cosmic connection to nature, the kind one feels when visiting holy places or places with immense energy all around. The air is cooler and the mountain top way quieter. I realised that I was standing at a place which has been widely mentioned in our mythology with a significant number of legends attached to it.
The Summit: Maa Amba Temple, Gabbar Parvat
The arduous climb of a thousand steps to reach the temple. Check out the cable cars in the background.
The Cable Car station on top
Legends of the Gabbar Parvat
● It is said in the Ramayana that when Sita was abducted by Ravana, Rama and Laxman were advised by Shrungi Rushi to worship the deity Ambaji at Gabbar Parvat. It was here that Rama obtained the miracle arrow, ‘Ajay’, from Devi Ambaji that eventually slayed Ravana.
●Legend also has it that the ‘Mundan’ ceremony of Lord Krishna was held on Gabbar Parvat by the Lord’s foster parents, Nand and Yashoda. A Mundan ceremony entails the removal of a child’s hair for the first time and is an important occasion in Hinduism.
●And finally, it was here at the Gabbar Parvat that roots of celebration of the Navratri festival can be traced, according to legends.
● In the Mahabharata, Princess Rukhshamini, who was in love with Lord Krishna, prayed to Goddess Ambica on the Gabbar Parvat that Lord Krishna be successful in eloping with her from the Swayamvara organised for her. Blessed with the Devi’s blessings, Krishna successfully abducted the princess and married her against the wishes of her father and brother. It was then Rukhshamini, who was now the queen of Dwarka, celebrated Navratri for the first time on this planet in reverence of the Maa Ambica. She performed the Garbh-Deep dance for the first time in true Gujrati Garba style.
Ambaji temple is one of the most important pilgrimage spots in India especially during the Navratri festival with the town (also called Ambaji) recording footfalls of over 30 lakh visitors during the nine days.
To understand the importance of the Ambaji temple one has to read up about the temple’s history and the legends of the ‘Gabbar Parvat’.
Ambaji Temple complex
The templ…e town of Ambaji is located about 180 kilometers from Ahmedabad and buses usually take between 4-5 hours to reach there. Gujarat Travels even runs an air-conditioned sleeper bus service on this route. The nearest railway station is Abu Road which is 20 kms from this temple town.
The temple complex is a lavish dream bathed in white marble with a magnificent 103 feet triangular dome – the Suvarn Kalash Shikhar – carved out of a single piece of marble and weighing about 3 tones. The top end of the dome is gold-plated overseeing a vast stretch of verandah that extends all the way to the entrance gate to the temple.
There are two forms of darshans at the Ambaji Temple. If the purpose of your visit is to beseech the Goddess for a wish to be fulfilled then you’ve got to stand in the ‘mannat’ (wish) line. The wait period for the darshan here can last over there-four hours. However, general visitors are immediately granted darshan as the queue here is minimal.
The difference is that those standing in the ‘mannat’ queue get to touch the Mata’s feet while the others get to see the deity from a short distance.
Also known as the Arasuri Ambaji Mata temple, Ambaji Temple is among the 51 ancient Shakti Piths in Hindu mythology. Being a Shakti Pith devoted to Maa Ambica, an avatar of Goddess Durga, the entire temple complex is lit up extravagantly to mark the occasion of Navratri. Devotees pour into the town in lakhs to get a darshan of Maa Amba and the waiting time for the same usually lasts over 3-4 hours during the nine days of Navratri.
Ambaji Temple at night
Ambaji Temple brightly lit during Navratri
Dancers performing the garba during Navratri celebrations at the Ambaji Temple, Gujarat
The Gabbar Parvat
The Gabbar Parvat is the original location, according to legends, where a piece of the heart of Sati fell and hence Ambaji’s designation as a Shakti Peeth. The Gabbar Parvat or Hill is located about 5 kms away from the Ambaji Temple Complex with the main temple located on its top at a height of 1600 feet. Legend also has it that the location of Gabbar Parvat is very close to the banks of the origin of the river Sarasvati, as mentioned extensively in the Rig Veda.
The temple on top can be reached either by undertaking a trek of about a thousand steps from the bottom of the hill or via the ropeway, Shri Amba Devi Udan Khatola. Once on top, the temple – a simple structure when compared to the grand temple at Ambaji – offers a breathtaking view of the Aravallis. It feels nice to know that Mount Abu is just 45 kilometres away from there.
A unique feature of this temple is that there is no image of the Goddess in the main temple. Instead a holy yantra called the Shree Visa Yantra is worshipped in place of the main deity. The yantra has never been photographed and those who worship it are required to do it blindfolded. A holy flame exactly opposite the Shree Visa Yantra is found to be burning all the time at the temple. The priest here told me that the flame has never been extinguished till date.
It was here that I felt the cosmic connection to nature, the kind one feels when visiting holy places or places with immense energy all around. The air is cooler and the mountain top way quieter. I realised that I was standing at a place which has been widely mentioned in our mythology with a significant number of legends attached to it.
The Summit: Maa Amba Temple, Gabbar Parvat
The arduous climb of a thousand steps to reach the temple. Check out the cable cars in the background.
The Cable Car station on top
Legends of the Gabbar Parvat
● It is said in the Ramayana that when Sita was abducted by Ravana, Rama and Laxman were advised by Shrungi Rushi to worship the deity Ambaji at Gabbar Parvat. It was here that Rama obtained the miracle arrow, ‘Ajay’, from Devi Ambaji that eventually slayed Ravana.
●Legend also has it that the ‘Mundan’ ceremony of Lord Krishna was held on Gabbar Parvat by the Lord’s foster parents, Nand and Yashoda. A Mundan ceremony entails the removal of a child’s hair for the first time and is an important occasion in Hinduism.
●And finally, it was here at the Gabbar Parvat that roots of celebration of the Navratri festival can be traced, according to legends.
● In the Mahabharata, Princess Rukhshamini, who was in love with Lord Krishna, prayed to Goddess Ambica on the Gabbar Parvat that Lord Krishna be successful in eloping with her from the Swayamvara organised for her. Blessed with the Devi’s blessings, Krishna successfully abducted the princess and married her against the wishes of her father and brother. It was then Rukhshamini, who was now the queen of Dwarka, celebrated Navratri for the first time on this planet in reverence of the Maa Ambica. She performed the Garbh-Deep dance for the first time in true Gujrati Garba style.
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