Shakatambika

Shri Shaktambika Mataji temple is situated at Paswadal near Sidhpur in the Indian state of Gujarat. She is Kuldevi or "Family Goddess" of Sage Gautama's descendent's, who are from the "Gautam Gotra" or Clan of Sage Gautam. Virtually all of them are Brahmins.

To visit this temple by train, either you need to get down at Siddhpur or Chhapi.

Shri Shaktambika Mataji
Shri Shaktambika Mata
Shaktambika Mata Mantra

Legend

Before 1100 years ago, King Mulraj Solanki ruled over North Gujarat. He had established Siddhpur-Patan as his capital. He had done much unjust to the people and killed Gautra’s. To repent upon his deeds, he decided to build a ‘Rudra Mahalaya’ in Siddhpur. Siddhpur – as described in the third chapter of ‘Bhagat’ – a place where many saints had done penance, birthplace of god Kapil, where Goddess Saraswati resides, which is equivalent to heaven. To build this Rudra Mahalaya, the king invited 1037 holy Brahmins who were scholars too. Among those Brahmins were Gautam gautri Brahmins too. They were carrying their Goddess in a caravan to Siddhpur.. This city was palatial as it had many Temples of God’s and Goddesses along with Jain temples. The step-wells and ponds were also established there. The caravan suddenly stopped in this city named Pushpawati which was located nearby Siddhpur and with the permission of Mataji, Gautami Brahmins established her in this city and then Mataji became well known by the name of Shaktambika. By establishment of the Brahmins in this city, the king donated the whole city to the Gautami Brahmins. These Brahmins were later known as ‘Pushpadaliya’.

In the time being, due to the curse of some saint, this city was demolished and people evacuated the whole city. After many years, due to evidence of the temple of ‘Ambaji Mataji’, the Rabari community people re-established in this village after 800 years. After that many people of different community established here and the village was known by the name ‘Paswadal’ and it flourished there on.

The vital fame of Shaktambika Mataji returned with the rehabilitation which was done before 86 years on Friday 7th of Maha sud 1971. After that, since 30 years, there has been constant increase in Brahmins coming here for worship. By the mixed effort of villagers, People serving here and the donations given by the Gautri Brahmins, a land had been purchased on which Halls, Rooms and Kitchen has been constructed.

Maha sud 7 is celebrated as Mataji’s patotsav

Lord of Gautami brahman

Shri Shaktambika mataji reside on following living being as per day given below

Maha Tapaswi Maharishi Gautam


According to the ancient History, there were many men with name Gautam, such as Gautam, Gautam Andra, Gautam Aruni, Gautam Krushmand, Gautam Vyas etc. Adjectives such as Andra and rest distinguished one from the other. Here Rishi Gautam’s familiarity was distinctive apart from adjective.

His father Dirdhtamas and mother Pradweshi were of Aagiras caste. It has been known from somewhere that Dirdhtamas himself had adopted Gautam’s name.

Ours chief highly holy Maharishi with his efforts attended place among renowned Saptrishi’s. He was married to Ahalya maa. His son Rishi Satanand was priest in the court of king Janak. (Apparently he belonged to Ram’s period).

According to Bhagwad Gondmandal Gautam’s daughter named was Anjani, whose son is Hanuman devotee of lord Ram.

Ahalya mata: According to the information provided in Shatpath Brahmin, Ahalya, s father was Mudgal Vadhyaswa and mother a celestial damsel meneka. Ahalya maa (being a daughter of fairy) was extraordinary beautiful.’ Haalya’ means ugly and critically talked about while ‘A’ means no. This girl deprived of critics was extremely beautiful and so Lord Brahma gave her name ‘Ahalya’ and made her marriage with Jitendriya Brahma rishi Gautam.

Indra Dev along with other Dev and Demons wanted to marry Ahalya maa as she was beautiful. In this situation Brahma kept condition that the one who would first complete moving around earth would marry her. The one’s who wished to marry her started their journey but Maharishi Gautam (as he was being of earth and was deprived moving around earth) satisfied the condition by moving around the cow who was in middle of her pregnancy and was first to return. Brahma gave Ahalya’s hand in his hand and they were married.

Indra who was highly influenced by Ahalya’s beauty did not compromise. He decided to cheat and took the appearance of Gautam muni and cheated Ahalya maata. On knowing this, Maharishi Gautam gave curse to Indra saying O Indra! You will be defeated by your enemies, your position on throne won’t remain stable, you will be impotent, your body will have hundred holes and as you have started perverse acts, and you will be cursed for half of the sin of immortal acts done by wicked person in future.

To set an example in the society, Maharishi gave a curse to his beloved wife saying “The flesh of your body will dry up, your nails will fall out, skin and bone will remain a part of your body and you will be converted into stone. Lord Rama will give you life”.

Maharishi Gautam was deeply grieved by the incidence. He loved his wife very much and so to make her free from the curse, he started penance in Kotitirth. He also built a pond named Ahalya over there. With the effect of penance, mother Ahalya became free from the curse. Maharishi was happy due to this and he established ‘Gautameshwar mahadev. (Shatanand was born before the event of curse).

The scholars narrate this story as follows:-

1. Ahalya is compared to night, Gautam with Chandra (moon) and Indra with sun. (Night looses its beauty when sun rises). 2. As explained by Rabindranath Tagore, ‘Halya’ means digged fertile land and ‘Ahalya’ means unfertile land. Lord Rama had dug out the southern unfertile land and converted into fertile land, similarly Ahalya was saved by Lord Rama.

Maharishi Gautam’s Ashram was located in ‘Paariyatra Mountains’, where he did penance for sixty thousand years. During this period, disciple of god visited this place and Maharishi asked how to get salvation. He replied that he can get heaven by worshipping and by providing service to mother and father with truth, religion penance, purity.

Maharishi had taken vow of not taking possession and so he did not accept donations from king vrushadbhir during tough drought.

The incidence was such that drought broke out in a region for about 12 years. As explained in ‘Bhagwad gomandal’, it was of 15 years. The situation was worse where hungry people use to eat away the skeletons of dead people. Maharishi was well-known among the people for his penance. Therefore Brahmins came to his Ashram along with their family. Maharshi worshipped Bhagwati Gayatri. Impressed by his bhakti Goddess endowed him with an ‘Akshaypatra’. Food grains and useful animals like cow were obtained with the help of Akshaypatra. Maharshi donated all these things to Brahmins, which led them alive for 12 years. The Brahmins also started worshipping Goddess Gayatri. Impressed by their worship, Goddess Gayatri appeared in form of child in the morning, as youth in noon and old aged in the evening.

Likewise, the fame of maharshi had spread till heaven. Jealous by his fame, many Brahmins held him responsible for killing the cow. But he was proved innocent and thus was saved.

Maharshi’s first Ashram was at Prayag, followed by other at Mithila and the third was in Himachal. He had established this ashram in Himachal to release his wife from curse and did hard penance there. At last he established one more ashram in Varunkanan. (It was called Gautamshram. here was Ahalya’s limit.

Among the 28 Vyas till now, Maharshi is the 20th Vyas. Gautam was one of the disciples of Vyas muni among the samvedic culture taught by him. This was prestigious branch of samved culture amongst other nine branches.

Once he impressed Lord Shankar by tough penance. Maharshi asked for “Ganga ‘which was also named as Godawari-Ganga from Lord. Thereafter it was named as Gautam as it was asked and brought by Maharshi Gautam. According to one of the tales, Lord ‘Trayambkeshwar’ came to earth for Maharshi Gautam. This ‘Jyotiling’ is located near Nasik.

Novels written by Gautam Rishi:

He wrote Gautam smriti, Nyayshastra, Gautam dharmasutra. (This novel resembles to Buddhist dharma sutra)

He has mentioned ‘Taiteriyah Aaranya 25 times in his novel. According to this, we can say that his life was between the period of Taiteriyah Aaranya and Buddhist dharma sutra.

It is our moral responsibility to preserve this grand heritage of past. Genes of Maharshi Gautam and Mother Ahalya are present in us. There is need to awaken this moral strength. We cannot become like maharshi who did tough penance but let us vow that we don’t become ill cultured or in efficient, which can make our fore fathers ashamed.

ACTIVITY :-

 - on the New Year day of kartaksud 1 Annakut ceremony is held.
 - In Mataji‘s campus garba is held from Aso sud 1 till the day of poonam.
 - Individual worship (puja), Navchandi, Thal, mataji’s solsomvar and Rajoprachar puja, Rajbhog, Annakut is considered with   prior appointment of worshipper (pujari).
 - Food for Brahmans, minor girl, and gopni is arranged with prior appointment of pujari.

References

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