Ashapura Mata
Ashapura Mata is an aspect of Devi, a Hindu goddess. She is one of the kuldevis of Kutch and Rajasthan, and the Jadeja clan of Gujarat, Chauhans and Patiyats inhabiting the western Indian provinces. She is a goddess regarded to fulfill the wishes of her adherents.
Her temples are mainly found in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. She is considered to be an expansion of goddess Shakambhari Devi.
Rajput Kuldevi
Ashapura Mataji and Avad Mataji are both considered forms of the same goddess.
Ashapura Mata and Awad Mata are essentially different names or forms of the same goddess, primarily considered an incarnation of Shakambhari Devi. She is the family deity of the Chauhan, Jadeja, and other clans, and is called Ashapura because she fulfills the 'hopes' of her devotees and Awad Mata due to her miraculous powers. She is associated with the Shakti Peethas of Nadol and Kutch.
Main Connections:
The Same Goddess: Ashapura Mata and Awad Mata are often considered different forms of the same goddess, who is an aspect of Adishakti.
Family Deity: Both names are worshipped as the Kuldevi of the Chauhan, Jadeja, and many other clans.
Legend:
Naming in Nadol: When the Chauhan king Rao Lakshman of Nadol worshipped Shakambhari Mata and all his wishes were fulfilled, he called the goddess 'Ashapura', and this name became famous.
Incarnation of Awad Mata: Awad Mata was born in the house of Mamadiya Ji Charan and is known by many forms, one of which is Ashapura, who slayed many demons and provided stability to the Bhati rulers.
Veneration
She is kuldevi of numerous communities in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.Rajasthan
Ashapura Mata is kuldevi of the Chauhan Dynasty, also known as Songara Chauhan of Shakambhari, from where Great Chauhan ruler Prithviraj Chauhan belongs. the first temple of Shakambhari Mata The origin of which can be traced back to almost 1300 years or more at Sambhar.The second temple was built by Rao Lakshman Chauhan in the 10th century, 945–970 AD, at Nadol. He was from the same Chauhan dynasty of Sakambhari. As he became ruler of Nadol with the blessings obtained from Sakambhari Devi by fulfilling his wish, Sakambhari devi became famous as "Ashapura mata".
The branch of the Songara Chauhans of Jalor came from Nadol to Jalor. They established the Ashapura Mata Temple at Modran village near Jalore, most probably in the 12th century where Patiyats of Dhansa now worship Ashapura Mata as their Kuldevi. According to the popular legend, Maharaja of Junagadh Khangar Chudasama's wife, Sheetal Solankini, accepted her as Kuldevi after fulfilling her hope of having a son. The king named his son Navagan Ronedhan, who became the great king of Junagadh.
Ashapura Mata is also kuldevi of Hada Chauhan dynasty of Hadoti region.
Kutch
The temple was built in the 14th century by two Karad Vanias, Ajo and Anagor at Mata no Madh. She is the kuldevi of Kutchi Jadeja Rajputs, Bhanushali, Gosar, Savla & Poladia community. The Patels of charotar in piplav also worship Ashapuri Mata as Kuldevi.Central Gujarat
, Baria Rajputs like Purabia Chauhans also worship her as a kuldevi. The Deora chauhan Rajputs also worship her as their kuldevi. The Brahmin communities like Billore, Gaur Lata Thanki, Pandit and Dave Pushkarna, Sompura Salat also worship her as a kuldevi. The Vaishya community Vijayvargiya worships her. The Brahma Kshatri caste worships her as their kuldevi.South Gujarat
The Lohanas worship her as their kuldevi.Saurashtra
s like the Khichda group, worship Ashapura Mata as their kuldevi. In Gujarat Junaghad, Devchandani Parivar worship her as kuldevi, where her temple is located beside Uparkot.Temples
in Gujarat the temple is located at Mata no Madh in Kutch, where she is worshiped as kuldevi of Jadeja rulers of Kutch and main guardian deity of region. The original temple located 80 km from Bhuj, and apparently thousands of years old was renovated around 1300 AD by Karad Vanias, who were ministers in court of Lakho Fulani, ruler of Kutch. The deity was later adapted as kuldevi by Jadeja rulers, when they won battles, with her blessings. Every year at Navratri annual fair at Mata no Madh, lakhs of devotees turn up to pay their respects to the goddess form all over Gujarat and even Mumbai. Another temple is also at Bhuj, located within fortified town, which was originally capital of Kingdom of Kutch.Her temples are also found in other Jadeja domains of Rajkot, Jasdan, Morbi, Gondal, Jamnagar, Ghumli, where the Jadejas, who migrated from Kutch, built her temples and installed her as clan deity.
In Ghumli, in the Barda hills, Gujarat, this is when Maa Shakti kills a demon on request of a Sati and she request Maa too reside on the hills and named her Maa Ashapura. This is the First temple of Mataji. Maa Ashapura is still heard and also hears Maa's lion's roar.
Ashapura Mataji's temple is in the Gadhkada village in Amreli district. Every 1st day of Navratri, lot of people come there for Mataji's Yagna.
In Rajasthan, her temples are in Pokhran, Modran, Morseem and Nadol. In Mumbai also there is a famous temple of Ashapura Mata.
In Bangalore, there is a temple dedicated to her named "Sh. Ashapura Mataji Mandir" that is located near Bannerghatta National Park.
In Pune, there is temple near Gangadham on Katraj Kondhwa Road. In Thane also a famous Ashapura Temple located near Kapurvadi.