Bahuchara Mata

Overview

The temple of Bahuchara Mata is dedicated to goddess Shakthi. The temple is located in Bahucharaji town, Mehsana district Gujrat approximately 110 km from Ahmedabad and 35km west of Mahesana.The original temple complex dates back to 1783 AD and is decorated. The origins of Bahuchra Mata originate from the Varakhdiwala Temple, in Bechraji. Bhakta Vallabha Dhola wrote in his “aanand no garbo” that the original site of the Bahuchara Mata temple was between Sankhalpur And Dedana Village. The site is 2km from Bahuchraji.

About The Temple

The temple is decorated with stone artefacts. Every year 1.5 million devotees visit this shrine. The temple is exquisitely decorated with ancient carvings and paintings on the wall. South and North gate are designed with carvings and ornamented zharukha. There is also havan mandap for yagna. A big meeting hall is also built by the temple trust to organize meetings and other functions. Temple is designed using vastu shastra. Fairs are held here at every chaitra and ashadhi purnima, full moon day. On this day numbers of devotees visits the temple.

About The Deity

Bahuchara Mata is portrayed as holding a sword on her top right and a text of scriptures on her top left hand. The bottom right hand denotes the abhay hasta mudra or showering of blessings. She holds a trident, in her bottom left hand. Bahuchara Mata is seen wearing a prominently decorated crown. Her nose ring is round and earrings are of the south-Indian thonggattan kundalas. Mata is heavily decked with ornaments. A lengthy garland adorns her red saree-clad body. Illustrative portrayals show her in a natural environment with flora and fauna.

VAHANA

Her vahana is the rooster, a regional bird that asserts its area by its crowing. The rooster also signifies guiltlessness, proximity of divine unfoldment and knowledge. Incidentally the rooster is also depicted as ‘Seval’ in Lord Skanda’s battle flag. Rooster is also seen as the intermediary of communication between gods and man, in many mythologies. In Hindu ceremonial worship, spattering rooster blood is common among ‘Theyyam’ cults. Theyyam dance is dated back to the times of sage Parasurama.

As a manifestation of Mother Goddess, Bahuchara Mata is the Benefactor Goddess of the Hijra community, meaning eunuchs or hermaphrodites. The Bahuchara Mata idol is represented as a woman carrying a sword on the top right, text scriptures on the left, The Abhay Hasta Mudra ("Showering Of Blessings") on the lower right and a trident in the lower left. The goddess is depicted as sitting on a rooster symbolising innocence. Bahucharaji is refereed to as the goddess Of starting The Awakening Of Kundlini Which leading to The liberation or Moksha.

Legends and Stories

According to the lore, bahuchara mata was a daughter of a charan, bapal dan detha. She along with her sisters was on a convoy trip, when they were attacked by a bandit named bapiya. It was common practice among Charan men and women if attacked by their enemies, they would kill themselves. The shedding Charan blood was considered terrible sin. When Bapiya attacked the travelling party, bahuchara and her sisters announced tragu and cut their breasts. While inflicting themselves with these wounds, they cursed Bapiya to become impotent. The relief from the curse was said to have been lifted only when Bapiya revered Bahuchara Mata by dressing and acting like a woman. Although many of bahuchara mata devotees have faith in non-violence and consider it as a sin to slay all animals and creatures, Historically Bahuchara Mata was, like many hindu gods and goddesses, the recipient of annual animal sacrifices. Other legends give divergent versions about the background of Bahuchara Mata. Yet another lore talks about a king who prayed to Bahuchara Mata for a son and was blessed with one but was born impotent. Bahuchara Mata was said to have come in the prince's dream and commanded him to remove his genitals, attire in women's clothes and serve her. Bahuchara Mata was said to have commanded impotent men to follow the same and those who declined were said to be cursed with impotency for the next seven rebirths. Thus began the cult of Bahuchara Mata whose devotees were had to be emasculated and submit to a life of celibacy. Other folktale associate Bahachura Mata as a princess who sterilized her husband because he favoured going to the forest and act as a woman instead of coming to her nuptial bed. In another story a would be molester was cursed with impotence. He was only forgiven after he was emasculated, dressed as a woman and venerated the goddess. Theories suggest that she is one of the Goddesses in the Sri Chakra. The symbol of her vehicle is Kurkut, the twin mouth serpent. The temple conducts fairs during every Chaitra and Ashadhi purnima, full moon day.

Significance

The temple is important to women as it is said to grant wishes relating to marriage, health and the long life of a woman's husband.

Temple Timings

Timings-5:00 AM to 9:00PM

Accessibility

By Air

Nearest Airport: Ahmedabad

By Rail

Nearest station: Mahesana

By Road

Nearest Bus stop: Dhinoj

Address

Shri Bahucharji Temple Derdi (ku),
Dist. Rajkot GUJRAT ( INDIA ),
Pincode – 364 465