Sundha Mata temple is a nearly 900-year-old temple of Mother goddess Chamunda situated on a hilltop called Sundha, located at Longitude 72.367°E and Latitude 24.833°N, in

Jalore District Jalore District is a district of Rajasthan state in western India. The city of Jalore is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district has an area of (3.11 percent of Rajasthan's area), and a population of 1,828,730 (2011 census ...

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 ...

. It is 64 km from

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 ...

and 20 km from the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Bhinmal Bhinmal (previously Shrimal Nagar) is an ancient town in the Jalore District of Rajasthan, India. It is south of Jalore. Bhinmal was the capital of the Bhil king, then the capital of Gurjaradesa, comprising modern-day southern Rajasthan and n ...

Geography

At 1220 m height in the Aravalli ranges on Sundha mountain There is a temple of goddesses Chamunda Devi, Worshipped as Sundha Matha by devotees. It is 105 km from district headquarters and 35 km. from sub divisional

. This place lies in

Raniwara Raniwara is a town in Jalore District of Rajasthan state in India. Situated 35 km south of the Bhinmal on Jalore-Sanchore road, it is headquarters of the tehsil by Raniwala Kallan. Raniwara is 109 km from Mount Abu and 20 km from ...

Teshil in the mid-east of Malwara to

Jaswantpura Jaswantpura is a village in the Jahlore district of Rajasthan, India. It is the headquarters of Panchayat Samiti (block) and a part of the Jaswantpura subdivision; before 1947, it was the headquarters of the Pargana. The village was declared a ...

Road near Dantlawas village. Many Devotees from

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

and

and the rest of

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 ...

visit it. The environment here is fresh and attractive. The waterfalls flows year-round at the

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

, Many Communities of different caste established community centres for devotees, there are very good facilities to stay at hilltop at night and worship Goddess Chamunda.

Architecture

Sundha Mata temple is made up of

white marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphosed ...

, the pillars reminds of the art of Abu's Dilwara temples pillars. A very beautiful idol of goddess Chamunda stands under the huge stone. Here Chamunda's head is worshipped. It is said that the trunk of mother Chamunda are established in Korta and legs in Sundarla Pal (Jalore). In front of mother Chamunda a BhurBhuva Swaweshwar Shivling is established. In the main temple a duo idol of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and

Parvati Parvati ( sa, पार्वती, ), Uma ( sa, उमा, ) or Gauri ( sa, गौरी, ) is the Hindu goddess of power, energy, nourishment, harmony, love, beauty, devotion, and motherhood. She is a physical representation of Mahadevi i ...

, Ganesh's idol are considered very old and extinct.

History

In the temple premises there are three historically significant

inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

s that highlight the history of the region. The temple of Sundhamata was constructed by Dewal Pratiharas with the help of Imperial Chauhans of

Jalore Jalore () ( ISO 15919 : ''Jālora'' ), also known as ''Granite City'', is a city in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. It is the administrative headquarters of Jalore District. It has a river known as Jawai Nadi. Jalore lies to south of ...

. The first inscription is from AD 1262, which describes victory of

Chauhan Chauhan, historically ''Chahamana'', is a clan name historically associated with the various ruling Rajput families during the Medieval India in Rajasthan. Subclans Khichi, Hada, Songara, Bhadauria, Devda etc. are the branches or subclan ...

s and the downfall of Parmaras. The second inscription is from 1326, and the third one is from 1727. The Sundha inscriptions are of particular importance in historical sense—like the Harishen inscription or Delhi's Mehrauli pillar inscription. Sundha inscriptions throw light on the history of India. In ancient days

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition ...

in this

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

was done by Nath Yogis. Emperor of the

Sirohi Sirohi is a city, located in Sirohi district in southern Rajasthan state in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirohi District and was formerly the capital of the princely state of Sirohi ruled by Deora Chauhan Rajput rul ...

state gave land of the "Sonani", "Dedol" and "Sundha ki dhani" villages to one of the Nath Yogi Rabad Nath Ji, who worshiped in Sundha Mata Temple at that time. After the death of one of the Nath yogi Ajay Nath ji, no one was there to do the worship so Ram Nath ji (Aayas of Mengalwa that time) was taken there to take the responsibility. The land of Mengalwa and Chitrodi villages were given to these Nath Yogis in ancient days by king of Jodhpur Maharaja Jaswant Singh. So Nath yogi of Mengalwa were called as "Aayas". After the death of Ram Nath ji, Badri Nath ji, pupil of Ram nath Ji became Aayas at Sundha Mata temple and took the responsibility of worship. He also looked after land of "Sonani", "Dedol" ,"Mengalwa" and "Chitrodi". As the time passed, no one was there to do all the management, so a trust (Sundha Mata Trust) was created to look after temple and manage

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

. Shri Nath Ji Soni Sahib of Jaisalmer, the royal jewellers of the Jaisalmer State was also one of the prominent devotee of Sundhamata, another form of Chamunda Mata in Bhinmal, Jalore. Sundha Mata is the Kuldevi of the Shrimali Brahman Sonar of Lahecha Gotra i.e. Nathani Sonar.

Wildlife sanctuary

There is a

wildlife sanctuary A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

nearby covering an area of 107 square kilometers. Nearest Khodeswar

Mahadeva Mahadeva may refer to: Religion *Mahadeva, a title of the Hindu god Shiva ** Parashiva, a form of Shiva ** Parameshwara (god), a form of Shiva *Para Brahman, a Hindu deity *Adi-Buddha, in Buddhism, the "First Buddha" or the "Primordial Buddha" *M ...

in Jawiya forest area also has wildlife and natural spots in the sanctuary. Sloth bear,

Nilgai The nilgai (''Boselaphus tragocamelus'') (, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus ''Boselaphus'' and was described by Peter S ...

jungle cat The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat, swamp cat and jungle lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to the Middle East, the Caucasus, South and Southeast Asia and southern China. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, littoral ...

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, striped hyena, hanuman

langoor The Colobinae or leaf-eating monkeys are a subfamily of the Old World monkey family that includes 61 species in 11 genera, including the black-and-white colobus, the large-nosed proboscis monkey, and the gray langurs. Some classifications sp ...

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

, Indian

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

, rock and jungle bush,

quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New Wor ...

, spotted

dove Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

, and 120 species of

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

are found here.

Fairs

During

Navratri Navaratri is an annual Hindu festival observed in the honour of the goddess Durga. It spans over nine nights (and ten days), first in the month of Chaitra (March/April of the Gregorian calendar), and again in the month of Sharada. It is ob ...

tourists from

and nearby areas come in a large numbers. Regular buses are run by Gujarat roadways from

Palanpur Palanpur is a city and a municipality of Banaskantha district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Palanpur is the administrative headquarters of Banaskantha district. Palanpur is the ancestral home to an industry of Indian diamond merchants. Ety ...

Deesa Deesa is a city and a municipality in the Banaskantha district in the state of Gujarat, India. History Deesa is situated on the east banks of the river Banas. Deesa was an estate and thana ( faujdari/thanedari ) ruled by the Mandori (Jhalori) ...

and elsewhere during that time.

Amenities

Near the temple area a big Community Hall is established by the Trust for devotees to rest during the night and enjoy the scenery of the mountain. Recently, a

ropeway Ropeway may refer to: Cable transport * Cableway, or cable transport, a broad class of transport modes that have cables * Aerial lift, a means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas, or open chairs are hauled above the ground by mean ...

service has been started to climb Sundha Mountain, to make the journey easier for pilgrims, making it a memorable experience.

Ropeway Ropeway may refer to: Cable transport * Cableway, or cable transport, a broad class of transport modes that have cables * Aerial lift, a means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas, or open chairs are hauled above the ground by mean ...

to the temple—first in

—is ready, Rs 130 for both ways (Up & Down) and for up only RS. 106. For senior citizens RS. 65 (Age proof is required)

References

Jalore district web siteWebsite of Sundha Mata Tirtha

External links

About Sundha Mata Temple
{{Hindu temples in Rajasthan Hindu temples in Rajasthan Tourist attractions in Jalore district Temples of Jalore District