Ashapura Mata is an aspect of Devi, a Hindu goddess. She is one of the kuladevis of Kutch and Rajasthan, and the Jadeja clan of gujarat and Chauhans inhabiting the western indian provinces. She is a goddess regarded to fulfill the wishes of her adherents. In her iconography, [1]
Ashapura Mata was a kuldevi of the Chauhan Dynasty, also known as Songara Chauhan of Shakambhari (Sambhar Lake City, Rajasthan), from where Great Chauhan ruler Prithviraj Chauhan belongs. the first temple of Shakambhari Mata The origin of which can be traced back to almost 1300 years or more at Sambhar.[2]
The second temple was built by Rao Lakshman Chauhan in the 10th century, 945–970 AD, at Nadol. He was from the same Chauhan dynasty of Sakambhari. As he became ruler of Nadol with the blessings obtained from Sakabhari devi to fulfil his wish, Sakambhari devi became famous as "Ashapura mata".[3]
The branch of the Songara Chauhans of Jalor came from Nadol to Jalor. They established the Ashapura Mata Temple at Modran village near Jalore, most probably in the 12th century. According to the popular legend, Maharaja of Junagadh Khangar Chudasama's wife, Sheetal Solankini, accepted her as Kuldevi after fulfilling her hope of having a son. The king named his son Navagan Ronedhan, who became the great king of Junagadh.
Kutch
The temple was built in the 14th century by two Karad Vanias, Ajo and Anagor at Mata no Madh . She is the kuladevi of Kutchi Jadeja Rajputs, Bhanushali, Gosar & Poladia community. The Patels of charotar in piplav also worships ashapuri mata as kuldevi.
Central Gujarat
Chauhan, Baria Rajputs like Purabia Chauhans also worship her as a kuladevi. The Deora chauhan Rajputs also worship her as their kuladevi. The Brahmin communities like Billore, Gaur Lata Thanki, Pandit and Dave Pushkarna, Sompura Salat also worship her as a kuladevi. The Vaishya community Vijayvargiya worships her. The Brahma Kshatri caste worships her as their kuladevi.
Sindhis like the Khichda group, worship Ashapura Mata as their kuladevi. In Gujarat Junaghad, Devchandani Parivar worship her as kuladevi, where her temple is located beside Uparkot.
Temples
Nadol Ashapura temple
in Gujarat the temple is located at Mata no Madh in Kutch, where she is worshiped as kuladevi of Jadeja rulers of Kutch and main guardian deity of region.[4][5] The original temple located 80 km from Bhuj, and apparently thousands of years old was renovated around 1300 AD by KaradVanias, who were ministers in court of Lakho Fulani, ruler of Kutch. The deity was later adapted as kuladevi by Jadeja rulers, when they won battles, with her blessings.[5] 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.[6] Another temple is also at Bhuj, located within fortified town, which was originally capital of Kingdom of Kutch.
In Ghumli, in the Barda hills, Gujarat, 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.
Ashapura Mataji's temple is in the Gadhkada village in Amreli district. Every 1st day of Navratri, lot of people come there for Mataji's Yagna.
