Udaipur is blessed with a number of temples with fascinating historical stories behind it. One such temple is the Ambamata temple.
According to the legend, the arrival of goddess Amba in the form of an idol in Udaipur was a miracle. It was back in the time when Maharaja Raj Singh (1652-1680) was suffering from a severe eye problem which no Raj Vaidya (doctors of the ancient time) could find a cure of. The king was advised to visit Ambika Mata temple in Gujarat. Maharana made all the preparations to visit the temple. But just the day before beginning his journey, he saw goddess Amba in his dream who told him that he need not visit the temple in Gujarat as Goddess herself would be coming to his city. Moreover, she also directed him towards the place where she would arrive.
Next morning, Raj Singh woke up from his sleep and immediately went to the place where Goddess Amba directed him in his dream. He ordered to dig the ground and as the digging advanced, Maharana’s eye began to get better. Surprisingly, the idol was actually there where the Maharana saw it in his dream. And when the idol was extracted, Maharana’s eye got completely cured.
Maharana then ordered to construct an idol similar to that of what he saw in his dream. This idol got completed in 1664 AD. Both the idols were placed majestically. On the occasion, Maharana also gifted land to the temple.
The miracle has not just restricted itself to the royal family but even the mango people of the city. During the research, we had a conversation with a florist right outside the temple. He shared his story with us. He says “We were very poor before and did not have a source for income. My father had a great burden of 2 sons and 3 daughters upon himself. One night, he had a dream in which Goddess Amba in the form of a little girl suggested him to own a flower shop outside the temple. Today this shop is the source of income for both of us (He and his brother) and we could collect the amount to marry off our sisters.
About the Ambamata temple
There are two idols in the temple where the small idol, according to the priests, was originally appeared. In every six months, the idol is decorated with sindoor. The temple that homes these two idols is huge and is surrounded with a spacious lawn where several functions such as Gavri, Ger, and Garba dances are held.
The campus which is not much crowded generally is flooded with people during Navratri (the nine-day festival of Goddesses) and Sunday.
Apart from that, one can witness a number of roosters in the temple. Upon asking the people there, it was known that these roosters were left by the people here. Usually, these animals are used for the divine sacrifice (Bali) but it doesn’t happen here. The animals are not killed instead people simply leave them here at the temple when their wishes are granted by the goddess. These roosters then live here for the rest of their lives.
The Ambamata temple is worshipped by several devotees including the royal family. Many people offer flowers and other offerings before beginning their work.
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