Ambika Mata Temple
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Ambika Mata Mandir is a
Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...
located in the village of Jagat, about 50 km southeast of
Udaipur Udaipur () (ISO 15919: ''Udayapura''), historically named as Udayapura, is a city and municipal corporation in Udaipur district of the state of Rajasthan, India. It is the administrative headquarter of Udaipur district. It is the historic capit ...
in the state of
Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Ambika Devi, a form of Goddess
Durga Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around co ...
is the presiding deity of the temple. It was built under the reign of Rawal Allata of Mewar. The temple, located in a cleft of rock possesses a number of inscriptions. The earliest one, dated 961 AD, refers to a repair made to it. Today, the temple is preserved by the State Department of Archaeology and Museum, Rajasthan. The temple is an early, transitional, example of the style known as
Māru-Gurjara architecture Māru-Gurjara architecture, Chaulukya style or Solaṅkī style, is the style of West Indian temple architecture that originated in Gujarat and Rajasthan from the 11th to 13th centuries, under the Chaulukya dynasty (also called Solaṅkī dyna ...
. This is a little-known temple, dating back to the tenth century with images of Durga and many other female divinities. Ambika, a form of the
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
Goddess Durga, is the principal image in the shrine and worshipped as
Shakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and rep ...
, a primeval source of energy. She is associated with Durga through her lion mount and is connected to the
Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...
through a vision advising Vimala about building his Adinath temple at
Mount Abu Mount Abu () is a hill station in the Aravalli Range in Sirohi district of the state of Rajasthan in western India.The mountain forms a rocky plateau 22 km long by 9 km wide. The highest peak on the mountain is Guru Shikhar at above s ...
.


Architecture

The temple is also known as the ''Khajuraho of Mewar''. There are many fine sculptures in the temple which have been excellently preserved. This pentagonal temple, enclosed by a massive rampart wall, has 17 turrets and a pagoda-like gabled roof. Exquisite details appear high on the exterior walls of the temple, above larger sculptures of gods or goddesses, with musicians, dancers, and singers of the heavenly court, as well as countless beautiful women. The richness and arrangement of the carving often has a curling vegetal motif. The theme is of a mountain palace, a heavenly abode of the gods. The tower is covered with intricate motifs, including clouds, and is surrounded by small
shikhara ''Shikhara'' (IAST: '), a Sanskrit word translating literally to "mountain peak", refers to the rising tower in the Hindu temple architecture of North India, and also often used in Jain temples. A ''shikhara'' over the ''garbhagriha'' chamber ...
towers which echo the surrounding mountain peaks. The architecture of the mountain palace, as the heavenly abode of the gods, echoes the temple which is their earthly residence.


Sculptures

As a Devi temple, most of the sculptures here represent either (1) Durga, the fierce devi, or (2) Lakshmi and other beneficent devis, or (3) Brahmani and other theoretical counterparts of the traditional (male) Hindu divinities. File:Jagat 21-54.jpg, Ladies of the Heavenly Court.Ambika Mata temple, Jagat. This section of the wall is decorated with goddesses in various postures: holding an Eka-tantri vina (photo left), playing a vina (type unknown) while supported by an elephant (photo center), and holding a child (photo right). File:Jagat 22-92.jpg, A fierce form of Devi, Chamunda is portrayed as a frightening, emaciated hag. Her attributes include fangs, a sword, Shiva's trident, skull garland, skull staff, skull bowl, and skeletal corpse which she tramples or sits on. Woman playing eka-tantri vina, far right. File:Jagat 21-62.jpg, Musician's playing flute and a vina. File:Jagat_22-73.jpg, Roof model


Notes


References

*Harle, J.C., ''The Art and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent'', 2nd edn. 1994, Yale University Press Pelican History of Art,


Further reading

*Stein, Deborah L. "The Theft of Amba Mata: Ontological location and Georges Bataille’s bas matérialisme," RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics (Spring 2010): 264–282.


External links


Ambika Mata Temple
{{Udaipur Durga temples Hindu temples in Rajasthan Tourist attractions in Udaipur district 10th-century Hindu temples Buildings and structures in Udaipur district Māru-Gurjara architecture