Monthly E-Magazine

March – 2007

published on the Poonam (i.e. full moon night) of every month

Shree Arasuri Ambaji Mata Devasthan Trust, Ambaji Taluka – Danta, Dist – Banaskantha, (North Gujarat)

Pin Code – 385 110 INDIA.

Ph. No – (02749) – 262136, 262930, 262636 WebSite - www.ambajitemple.org E-Mail – jayambe_ad1@sancharnet.in - jayambe_ad1@rediffmail.com

Devotees and pilgrims visiting Ambaji are most welcomed with our good wishes and BLESSINGS of Adyshakti Maa Ambica

Rajendra Raval(G.A.S) Hareet Shukla (I.A.S)

Administrator Collector &Dy. Collector Banaskantha Dist. & Chairman Shree Arasuri Ambaji Mata Devasthan Trust, Ambaji

The ancient and holy place of pilgrimage- the temple of Goddess Ambaji, situated in the Aravali hills of North Gujarat is a centre of the faith of crores of people. This place of pilgrimage of Maa Amba is popular in the scriptures and is a 'Shaktipith'

The original story of the Appearance of Goddess

According to a legend based on the ‘puranas', Prajapati Daksh had performed great yagya named 'Bruhaspati-sak'. He had invited all the Gods but his son-in-law Lord Shankar was not invited. On the other side, when Devisati the daughter of Daksh, came to know about the yagya at her father's place, reached there despite the objection of Lord Shankar. Having come to know that no invitation was given to lord shankar for the great yagya held there and having heard the criticism of her husband by her father, she jumped into the altar and gave up her life.

On seeing the lifeless body of Devisati, Lord

Shankar started ‘Tandava' and carrying the body of Goddess Sati on his shoulder began to roam in universe. Then out of the fear of total devastation of universe, Lord Vishnu sent his Chakra which made small pieces of the dead body he got them scattered on the earth. The ornaments and the pieces of the Goddess' body fell at 51 places. One 'Shakti' and one 'Bhairav' taking tiny forms settled at each of these places.

There is a reference of these 51 'Mahapeeths' in 'TANTRA CHUDAMANI'. The 'Shaktipeeth' of Goddess Arasuri Ambaji is considered one of them. It is believed that the heart of Goddess Devisati had fallen on the Arasur and her lips had fallen on the Arbudachal ( Mount Abu ). So, the Goddess is worshipped as ' Devi Ambica' on the Arasur and as 'ddhar Devi' on the Arbudachal.

The Chaulkarma of Shri Krishna at Arasur

It is referred in the 'Bhagavat Mahapuran' that the 'chaulkarma' (i.e. the ritual of the first hair-cut of a child) of Lord Shri Krishna was held at the shrine of Goddess Amba. On this occasion Nand-Jashoda had sown 'Jawara’(sprouts of barley) and stayed at Ambaji for seven days. We can see the place where jawaras were sown at that time on a holy place named the Gabbar hill situated three kms away from Ambaji.

Lord Ram received the arrow from Goddess

Lord Ram and Lakshman had gone to the hermitage of sage Shrungi while they were in search of Sitaji. The sage sent them to get the blessings of Goddess Amba. Both Ram and Lakshman prayed to Goddess and then, it is believed that, the pleased Goddess gave 'Ajayban' (i.e. an arrow that can't be defeated) to Lord Ram. There is a belief that Ravan was killed with this arrow only.

Killed Mahishasur

According to 'Devi Bhagavat',a demon named

Mahishasur who had a boon from Lord Agni that he could not be killed by any male was spreading terror. All Gods prayed to Lord Shankar to kill this demon. At that time a lustre appeared and mother goddess 'Adyashakti' killed Mahishasur. That is why HER ALMIGHTY is also known as ' Mahishasur-mardini'

Jagadamba saved the ship of Akheram

Akheram, a merchant of Mandsaur, was caught in a sea storm. He prayed to the Maa Jagdamba in the moment of crisis. There was a miracle....... Gradually the storm was pacified and the ship became stable. Here at Ambaji the priest had a dream. The Goddess told him to change her wet clothes. This happened two to three times.

Thereafter when Priest opened the temple and looked into the Shrine of the Matati, he found that drops of water were falling from her clothes and the TRISHUL was bent. Priest rushed in and changed Mataji's clothes.

When Akheram came to Ambaji with half of his property to fulfill his pledge on the twenty first day and told the whole story to priest, he understood the matter why the Goddess had told him in dream to change her clothes. On that day Akheram offered an 'akhand deep' [i.e. a lamp that is never extinguished] and that lamp has been burning since then.

The Gabbar hill

The Gabbar hill situated at a distance of three

kms from Ambaji has a glorious history.The goddess Amba descended on this hill from the heaven first and thereafter she sat in the temple. There are facilities of steps as well as rope way to go up the hil. There is a beautiful temple of the Goddess here.

Not an idol, but a 'Visa Yantra'-

There is no idol of the Goddess in the Ambaji temple but a ' Visa Yantra' is worshipped.The decoration of the 'VisaYantra' is arranged with the crown and 'Chunari' in such a way that it appears like an idol of the HER ALMIGHTY riding her SAVARI. The 'visa Yantra' is made of pure gold. Every day this decoration is done with different SAVARI on animals [ Simha-the lion, Vyaghra - the tiger, Gaja-the elephant, Airavat - the mythical elephant with seven trunks, Nandi - the bull, Garuda - the eagle, Hansa - the swan etc. according to the day of the week.

The temple of Goddess Ambaji is based on the 'Visa Yantra'. There is a belief that this is a 'Shree Yantra'. It is believed that this golden yantra having the back of a tortoise is connected with the original yantras of the 'Shaktipeeth's of Ujjain and Nepal. The yantras in these Shaktipeeths are worshipped as per the rituals of tantric scriptures. It is so said that there are 51 letters in this yantra. It is prohibitted to look at this yantra with open eyes, therefore the priest also worships the yantra blind folded. This yantra is considered to be a 'Kalpavruksha' [i.e.the mythological heavenly tree that fulfills all desires].

Poonam (i.e. the Full Moon Night) posh, the day of Goddess incarnation

The full moon night of the Hindu month 'Posh' is celebrated as the day of incarnation of the Goddess. This birthday of the Adyshakti is celebrated with a great pomp, much enthusiasm and in an atmosphere of great joy and devotion. A grand procession is taken out. A 'Shatchandi' yagya is performed in the campus of the temple. Kings- devotees of the Mother Goddess

Shiladitya of Valabhgi, the Ranas of Mewad,the kings of Danta and Idar, King Karan of Anhilpur Patan and his wife Minaldevi also were great devotees of the Goddess.It is cited that Siddharaj Jaysimha went to Ambaji, the shrine of Goddess Amba and performed a sacrifice after he had defeated Yashovarma, the king of Malwa. The last ruler of danta state the Maharana Bhavanisinhji was great devotee of Maa Jagadamba and worshipped till his last breath.

The Penance Performed by the Pandavas

We can see the reference in the scriptures that the Pandavas came here while their exile and stay in the forest and stayed here to perform a penance of the mother goddess.

Shri Arasuri Ambaji Mata Devasthan Trust-

Shri Arasuri Ambaji Mata Devasthan Trust was formed in the year 1963 A.D.The District Collector of Banaskantha district is its chairperson as per the designation. Moreover,prestigious citizens are also included in the committee. The Government of Gujarat appoints a full time Administrative Officer of the rank of deputy collector for the administrative work of the temple management.

The timings of Aarati and Darshan in the Ambaji Temple

{This time changes in accordance with the time of sunrise and sunset}

Present timings Morning Aarati -- 7 - 30 To 8 - 00 AM

Morning Darshan -- 8 - 00 To 11- 30 AM

Afternoon Darshan -- 12-30 To 04 - 15 PM

Evening Aarati -- 06-30 To 07 - 00 PM

Evening Darshan -- 07-00 To 09 - 00 PM

Places worth seeing at Ambaji The sacred and ancient Maan Sarovar situated

very close [ about 100 metres] to the east of the Ambaji temple.

The Gabbar hill Koteshvar Kumbhariya Jain temples Rinchhadiya Mahadev

Places worth seeing nearby Ambaji

Name of the Place Kms. Balaram 45

Pataleshvar Mahadev [Palanpur] 60

Mount Abu [Rajasthan] 50

Mokeshvar 46

Khedbrahma temple 50

Agricultural University [Dantivada] 78

The nearest railway station from Ambaji-

Aburoad 20 kms. Palanpur 60 Kms. These stations are on the Ahmedabad-Delhi line. Railway station inquiry phone number Aburoad – (02974) – 222222 Palanpur – (02742) - _______________

The nearest airport from Ambaji-

Ahmedabad 180 kms. Contact phone numbers, Ahmedabad Air port (1) Indian Airlines(Domestic) :- 22869233 - 44

(2) Indian Airlines(International) :- 22869238

(3) Jet Air ways :- 22868307 – 22866240

(4) Air Sahara :- 22858002 -22858003

(5) Spy Jet :- 18001803333

(6) Air India :- 22867237 – 22869540 -

22865211

(7) King Fisher Air Lines :- 22858040 - 22858070

(8) Air Duccan :- 22861195

(9) Go Air :- 55426481 – 2255426485

Air Port Director Mr. Suresh Dutt Avasthi = 22869211

DETAILS OF THE RELIGIOUS AND DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMMES HELD IN AMBAJI IN THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY- 2007

Pratishtha of 'Ambalsara'and 'Dhvajdanda' [flagpost] of 7.25 kg of Gold on the 'Shikhar' of the Ambaji temple

The 'Pratishtha' of eight 'Ambalsara's of 6.04 kg of

gold on the 'Shikhar'of the temple and other parts and a flagpost of 1.249 kg of gold was performed with the auspicious hands of the Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendrabhai Modi on 9th Feb.2007. The gold used in these was obtained through the donation by 182 devotees of the mother goddess.The donors got the chance to participate in the ritual of the'Pratishtha' held in the ' Chachar Chowk'with their spouse.

The pilgrims feel overjoyed just by the sight of the flag on the ' shikhar' of the temple.The 28.5 feet long flagpost is made of gold plated copper pipe of 7 inches diametre filled with rosewood inside.

There are total 358 golden pitchers and 8 golden ' Ambalsaras' on the Ambaji temple now.This temple possesses the highest number of golden pitchers among all the 'Shaktipeeths' in the nation.

“The sacred and Mythological Maan Sarovar of Ambaji – made full of facilities and beautiful at an expense of Rs.1.05 crore – was dedicated to the people”

The sacred and mythological Maan Sarovar situated at a distance of hardly 100 metres to the east of the Ambaji temple has a very glorious history. It is said that the ‘Chaulkarma’ ritual i.e. the ritual of the first hair-cut of Lord Shri Krushna was performed here. Plenty of people come here for the ‘Chaulkarma’ [popularly known as ‘Babari’] of their children. Recently it has been renovated, made full of facilities and beautified with an expenditure of Rs.1.05 crore by the assistance of Gujarat Pavitra Yatradham Vikas Board, Gandhinagar. It was dedicated to the public by the auspicious hands of the Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendrabhai Modi on 9th Feb. 2007

“The newly built ‘Yagnashala’ in the temple-campus dedicated to public”

The devotees perform ‘Navchandi’, ‘Sahasrachandi’ and all types of yagyas in the ‘Yagnshala’ situated in the campus of the Ambaji temple. Removing the old ‘Yagnashala’ with iron-sheet shade, the newly built ‘Yagnashala’ at an expense of Rs.70 lac recently was dedicated to the public by the auspicious hands of the Chief Minister of Gujarat Shri Narendrebhai Modi on 9th Feb. 2007. As per the tradition of scriptures the ‘ Yagnashala’ must touch the earth directly. So, it has been made by filling up earth from the ‘Chachar chowk’ of the temple upto the land. Seven altars including one main and six small ones have been built. The devotees of the mother goddess will find it extremely comfortable to perform their yagyas in the new ‘ Yagnashala’.

Request :- Please forward this mail to all the

devotees of the Goddess known to you.

“The details of other developmental programmes at Ambaji performed by the auspicious hands of Shri Narendrabhai Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat on 9th Feb., 2007”

Ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the proposed new hospital to be built at an expense of Rs.6.39 crores in front of the Ambaji Arts and Commerce College situated on the Ambaji-Danta road.

Commencement of supplying sufficient water to Ambaji through the water supply plan based on the Dharoi Dam

Commencement of ‘Dudh Sanjivani Yojana’ of providing Cardamam flavoured milk pouch of Banas Dairy to the pupils of the primary schools and Ashramshalas of Danta and Amirgadh talukas.

Important Phone numbers at Ambaji(02749)

[1] Office of the Administrator : 262136, 262930,

262636 [2] Ambika Bhojanalaya : 262505 [3] Ambika Vishramgruh : 262143 [4] Shakti Pathikashram {Holiday Home} : 262800 [5] S.T. Bus station : 262141 [6] Government Guest House : 262157 [7] Police Station : 264599 [8] Cottage Hospital : 262155

Important Phone Numbers at Palanpur(02742)

Collector Office, Palanpur : 257171 D.D.O. Office, Palanpur : 254060 D.S.P. Office, Palanpur : 257015 D.C.F (General) : 257084 D.C.F (Extension) : 257056 R.D.C. Office, Palanpur : 254004 D.S.O. Office, Palanpur : 254309 S.D.M. Office, Palanpur : 257335

The numbers of private hotels, guest houses for lodging and boarding in Ambaji (02749)

Akashganga - 262764 Panch Gam leua Patidar - 262134 Savita Govind Sadan - 262456 Umiya Pathikashram – 262169 Revaprabhu Sadan - 262124 PrajapatiBhuvan [Kailas Tekri] - 262278 Ambaji International - 264540 Prajapati Bhuvan [Near Holiday Home] - 262902 Asopalav Hotel - 264344 Samarpan Atithigruh - 262144 Chaudhary Vishramgruh - 262228 Rabari Samaj - 264829 Sunrise Hotel - 264570 Swargarohan - 262269 Hira Lakshmi Saraswati Sadan - 264319 Rajmandir - 264540 Yevla Bidi Dharmashala - 262126 Sitaba Sadan - 262605 Panchal Bhuvan - 262153 Panchal Dharmashala - 262342 Bhavani Palace - 262425 Hotel Rupali - 262194