Ambaji Shakti Peeth is among the 51 Shakti Peeth of Maa Sati. It is said that, the heart of maa Sati fell here, when Lord Vishnu in order to relieve Lord Shiva from grief of losing his wife Sati, used his ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ to incise maa Sati Body. Then, at the place of fall of heart, this temple was constructed. Ambaji Shakti Peeth is situated in Chitrakoot (Ramgiri), in Uttar Pradesh, India. Here the idol of maa Sati is called as ‘Maa Ambika’ and the Lord Shiva is worshipped as ‘Baidyanath’.
Ambaji Shakti Peeth is situated near to the Mount abut and it is around 40 KM away from here and it is a 1 hour journey from Mount abu. The Shakti Peeth is situated on a hill and pilgrims have to travel several steps to reach there. The art and architecture of the temple is really adorable and among the best. The red colored temple and decorated dome put up a good and picturesque view. The temple is made of white marble and stone and it glitters in night when the light of Diyas falls over them. Around the temple is the long courtyard and there are railings which are used to keep crowd in systematic manner during the festivals. Dandia Raas is the famous dance that is performed by people and they use sticks to dance. Hindi, Gujarati, Rajasthani are some of the common languages spoken here.
History of Ambaji Shakti Peeth
History to this place dates back in the time when it is said that the Heart of Maa Sati fell to this place. Best information about the origin and the formation of this temple, people can be taken from with local people. Religious books, Purans etc are worth trying to find out the history about the Shakti Peeth.
Festivals in Ambaji temple
- Bhadarvi Purnima is quite famous fair here and celebrated with great devotion, energy and enthusiasm.
- Navratri that falls two times in a year- one in the month of March or April and other in the September or October month depending on the Hindu calendar, is among the major festival here. Navratri are celebrated for over 9 days, with some people not eating any type of food that is derived from the soil for these nine days. Special ceremonies and rituals are carried during these days.
- People (Almost every day) offer their offering to the god in form of fruit, milk, homemade sweets etc.
- Another festival that is celebrated with great enthusiasm is the ‘Shivaratri’ and during this day, people keep fast, pour milk on the Shiv Lingam and offers ‘Bail’ (A type of fruit) to the god idol.
Where to stay
If you are looking for either affordable or expensive type of accommodation, then both are available here. Here we have listed names of some hotels that will help you to short your search for finding accommodations spaces. Silver Oak Hotel, Hilltone Hotel, Hillock Hotel, Hotel Parash New, Chacha Inn Hotel, Saraswati Hotel, Shikhar Hotel, Jaipur House, Swagat Hotel, Hotel Sudhir are some of the affordable, yet good accommodations places. Here the rent of each room may vary from Rs 600 to Rs 400. Also there are several non payable guest houses that are run by the government organizations. Beware of the touts who promises to give hi-fi deals with cheap rates.
Shopping around Ambaji temple
- Religious Paraphernalia can be bought from the shops that are located just outside the temple.
- People buy gazak and rewri, all are sweets and are worth for trying when you are coming to this part of the country.
- Traditional Clothes like Rajasthani cloths or Gujarati Clothing are quit famous here.
- In terms of food Mirchi ke pakode, Dhokla, Rawri etc. are the star attraction and every visitor should try them once.
- Bargaining for the items is really necessary here as shopkeepers tend to ask higher price for the good that you want to purchase. A little knowledge about the prices of the basic things in this country will help travelers a lot.
Other places that can be visited nearby
Following are some of the places that you might want to visit:
- Wildlife Sanctuary, Abu Road, Dilwara Temples, Guru Shikhar, Nakki Lake, Sun Set Point, Achalgarh, Brahma Kumaris Spiritual University, Peace Park, Adhar Devi Temple, Sri Raghunathji Temple, Trevors Tank are the star attraction nearby this Shakti Peeth.
- Mansarover (Where devotees take holy bath),
- Kamakshi temple
- Koteshwar-Origin of holy river Saraswati
- Kailash Hill Sunset
How to reach the Ambaji temple
- Direct trains are available to Mount Abu Railway station and various trains ply directly from Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad etc to here.
- Several deluxe bus services are available to Mount Abu and they are worth trying, if you are not getting reservation in the train.
- Nearest airport is in the Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaipur and national flights are available till here. For international flights, Delhi is the nearest location. But it is advisable to have taxi or your own mode of transportation when you are coming to Chitrakoot from airport.
- Rickshaw, Auto Rickshaw and Bus are common mode of transportation inside the city.
- Take necessary steps to protect yourself from sunburn etc, because in the summer season, temperature shoots up to 40+ degrees in this part of the country.