Umiya Mata Temple is the Temple of Goddess Umiya, the clan-deity or ''

kuldevi A kuladevatā (), also known as a kuladaivaṃ, is an ancestral tutelary deity in Hinduism and Jainism. Such a deity is often the object of one's devotion (''bhakti''), and is coaxed to watch over one's clan (''kula''), gotra, family, and child ...

'' of the

Kadava Patidar The Kadava Patidar (also variously spelled Kadwa, Kadva) are a sub-caste of the Patidars in Gujarat. They are mainly found in North Gujarat and Ahmedabad. They were dependent on cash-crop agriculture and occupied a lower status than the wealthy ...

s. It is located in the center of

Unjha Unjha is a town and a municipality in the Mehsana district of the Indian state of Gujarat. Unjha is 26 km north of Mehsana and 102 km north of Ahmedabad. Geography Unjha is located at . It has an average elevation of 111 metres (3 ...

Mehsana district Mehsana district (alternate spelling "Mahesana") is one of the 33 districts of Gujarat state in western India. Mehsana city is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district has a population of over 1.8 million and an area of ov ...

Gujarat, India 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- ...

, where thousands of visitors visit every day.

History

In November 2009, the temple celebrated its Silver jubilee. The temple was renovated from donations from wealthy industrialists and farmers. Large numbers of Kadava Patidars came to the pilgrimage, with tents and guesthouses being set up to shelter the masses. Then

Chief Minister of Gujarat The Chief Minister of Gujarat is the chief executive of the government of the Indian state of Gujarat. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly. The chief minister's term ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

gave a speech at the beginning of the vegetarian sacrifice on his devotion to his own clan's ''kuldevi''.

Influence on Politics

The temple is an important destination for politicians to win the votes and support of the

community. In 2016, the temple was visited by then Vice-President of the

Indian National Congress party The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

Rahul Gandhi Rahul Gandhi ( ; born 19 June 1970) is an Indian politician and a member of the Indian Parliament, representing the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala in the 17th Lok Sabha. A member of the Indian National Congress, he served as the president of ...

, in order to win the Kadava Patidar vote bank.

Umiya Dham in Ahmedabad

An Umiya Dham complex is being built by the

community in

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

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 ...

. The complex will have a temple, an NRI guest house, a convention hall, boys/girls hostel, senior citizen care facilities, medical facilities, recreation and sports facilities, and career and business development facilities. As of 2018, Prime Minister of India

was set to lay the foundation stone. This is because the Kadava Patidars had begun to be disgruntled with Modi's

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...

after Gujarati politician

Hardik Patel Hardik Patel (born 20 July 1993) is an Indian politician and social activist. He rose to prominence in July 2015, where he led the Patidar reservation agitation that sought Other Backward Class (OBC) status for the Patidar caste. He joined the ...

and his Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti organized the

Patidar reservation agitation Starting in July 2015, the people of India's Patidar community, seeking Other Backward Class (OBC) status, held public demonstrations across the Indian state of Gujarat. The largest demonstration was held in Ahmedabad on 25 August 2015, and was ...

. The BJP sought to regain the votes of Kadava Patidars through this gesture from Prime Minister Modi.

Umiya Maa Temples in United States

In 2013, an Umiya Mata temple was commissioned by the Kadva Patidar Samaj in

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

. As of 2014, two more were coming up in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Umiya Mataji Sanstha Chicago Midwest (UMSCM) celebrates Holi festival in Joliet. More than 500 people joins to celebrate Holi every year. This festival signifies the victory of good over evil. This festival celebration is split into two events –

Holika Dahan Holika Dahan (), rendered Holika Dahanam in Sanskrit, is a Hindu occasion that celebrates the legend of the burning of Holika, an asuri, upon a burning pyre, and the salvation of her nephew, Prahlada. It precedes the occasion of Holi, the festi ...

and color Holi. In Holika Dahan, wood and cow dungs are burned in a symbolic pyre to signify good defeating evil. The next morning, people gather in open space at the temple to take part in Rangwali Holi, where people put colored powders (gulal) and colored water, on each other in celebration of spring. At the temple in Chicago, snacks and dinner are served in the free event as children and families participate in this event. In addition, the devotees also pray, dance, and sing devotional songs.

References

{{Reflist
Kadva Patidar Kuldevi Shri Umiya Mataji Sansthan, Unjha

External links

Official Website
Mehsana district Hindu temples in Gujarat Tourist attractions in Mehsana district