हिंदीOn this day
Standing

Umiya Mata Temple, Unjha

In the market town of Unjha, the Kadva Patidar community of Gujarat worships its kuldevi Umiya, Mata Parvati as Uma. Patidar families from across the world come home to her.

Built: Kuldevi temple of the Kadva Patidars; present temple of the 20th century, rebuilt more than onceWhere: Gujarat (Mehsana district)Deity: Umiya Mata, a form of Mata Parvati (Uma)23.80° N, 72.39° E
Photo: Emmanuel DYAN from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0

01Uma of the Patidars

Umiya is Uma, the daughter of Himavan and consort of Shiva. The Kadva Patidars, farming families of north Gujarat, trace their origin to her and to Shiva, and her temple at Unjha is the centre of their community: marriages, vows and the first harvest are offered to her, and the community’s organisations are run from the temple. The Devi rides a lion, with a Shiva shrine beside her. The temple keeps a tradition reaching back many centuries; the present buildings are modern, and great yajnas in her name have drawn lakhs.

02Unjha’s two fames

Unjha is also one of the largest spice markets in Asia, where cumin, fennel and isabgol from north Gujarat and Rajasthan are traded, and the market and the temple sit a short way apart. Navratri at Unjha is one of the great garba gatherings of the region. A new and much larger Umiya temple, Umiya Dham, has been raised by the community at Jaspur near Ahmedabad, but Unjha remains the original seat.

Visiting

Unjha is on the Ahmedabad–Palanpur line, about 100 km north of Ahmedabad. The temple is in the town centre.

Nearby

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