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The town Ambaji celebrates a spontaneous religious fair Lok Melo as a huge gathering of devotees reaches there to worship Ma Ambaji. But on the fifteenth day (full moon day) of the months of Ashvin, Kartik, Chaitra & Bhadrapad, the religious fervor and celebratory mood of the devotees reach a peak, due to the significance of these holy days in the worship of Shakti Swaroopini Mata Ambica. The people celebrate all these four festivals of Purnima, with darshan, ohm havan and community performances of the traditional Garba dances. Moreover, the cultural shows of the Bhavai, an ancient and purely folk form of dance drama that belongs exclusively to Gujarat is also the prime attractions of these festivals.
The Bhadrapadi Purnima is the main festival when a big fair of devotees is spontaneously organized at Ambaji and more than a million devotees gather together to worship Ma Amba on this auspicious day. Some of them form groups, which travel together to Ambaji from far off areas. Some of these groups are called padayatri sangh, which as a show of their faith and devotion to the Mother Goddess, walk all the way from different parts of the state to cover the distance to the Ambaji Mandir. Every year hundreds of such padayatris reach the Ambaji village to celebrate this religious fair dedicated to Mata Ambaji.
HISTORY
The shrine of the Goddess Ambaji, located in the village bearing her name, lies at the foothills of the Aravali mountain range. It is the principal shrine of the goddess in Gujarat and its origins are lost in the mists of time. The earliest reference to this location dates as far back as AD746.
A triangular Vishwa Yantra, inscribed with figures and the syllable shree in the center, represents the deity. Surprisingly, and unlike almost all other Hindu temples, there is no idol in the sanctum sanctorum of this temple. This is a fact testifying to the temple’s antiquity, since worship of images of deities became popular much later than the period in which this temple is believed to have been constructed.
THE SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS
Amongst the most popular places of pilgrimage in Gujarat is the famous temple of Goddess Ambaji. It is situated about 198 km from Ahmedabad on the Arasur Mountain of the Aravali range. On full moon nights, there is a colorful traditional festival at Ambaji and the full moon of Bhadrapad is the day when the most important and elaborate festival takes place.
Agriculturists from all over Gujarat especially go to the temple for this festival along with members of the general public. There is a large fair on this occasion while in the evening, performances of Bhavai are held and Garba programs are organized. The devout attend readings of the Saptashati, the seven hundred verses in praise of the goddess, and visit the temple for an auspicious darshan.
As the devotees come to the Ambaji temple on the Bhadrapadi Purnima, there is a tradition to visit a nearby place called Gabbargadh, a small hill two miles west of Ambaji. There is a pipal tree, at the top of the hill, which pilgrims circumambulate probably to show their respect to nature.
LEGENDS
The temple of Ambaji is recognized as one of the original Shakti pithas where, according to the ancient scriptures written about the goddess, the heart of the Goddess Ambaji fell on the earth, when her body was dismembered. It is said that the tonsorial ceremony or mundan of Lord Krishna, (one of the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu) was performed at Ambaji.
GETTING THERE
Ahmedabad is well connected to the other nearby cities and towns of the state. It is accessible by all the means of transport air, rail, and road. And from Ahmedabad, one can opt for the local transport services or one can cover the 198 km to reach Ambaji by taking state transport service buses available in the city.
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