History Of Varahi Mata Mandir

OM VARAHI MATA OLPAD IS A TOWN, FALLING IN OLPAD TALUKA OF SURAT DISTRICT. IN THIS TOWN IS SITUATED FAMOUS MANDIR, KNOWN AS VERAI MATA MANDIR OF BHATT STREET. THE MENTIONED TEMPLE IS BESIDE LOCAL ROAD LEADING FROM CIVIL COURT TO THE TALUKA PANCHAYAT OFFICE. THERE ARE IDOLS OF THREE MAIN & MUCH REVERRED MOTHER-GODDESSES IN THE SANCTUM SANCTORUM = GARBH GRUH OF THE TEMPLE. SHREE MAHALAXMI MATA, VERAI MATA & MAHA SARSVATI MATA. OTHER DEITIES SUCH AS GANPATIJI, HANUMANJI AND SHIV-LINGS ALSO SHOWER BLESSINGS FROM GARBH GRUH. SOME TEN TO FIFTEEN FEET AWWAY FROM THE MANDIR TEMPLE YET IN THE SAME COMPUND, IN THE NORTH-WEST CORNER ANOTHER SMALL TEMPLE OF SHIVJI EXISTS. RELIGIUS PERFORMED

RITUALS

WITH

NAVRATRIS,

CARE;

DIPAWALI

AS

PUJA,

DURING DAYS

AARTI,

DIP-PRAGATYA

AASO=SHARDIYA AND

ON

ETC.

NAVRATRI OTHER

ARE AND

DAILY OTHER

FESTIVALS,

SPECIALLEMBELLISHMENTS ARE AMDE; DELOTEES FLOCK TO THE TEMPLE; SOME FAMILIES OBSERVE FAST FOR THE WHOLE DAY, TO BREAK IT ONLY AFTER PERORMING LITURGE = PUJA OF THREE GODDESSES OF THE TEMPLE; IN THE TOWN, MANY PEOPLE MAKE GHAT-STHAPAN AND ON THE VIJAYADASMI, ALL SUCH GHATS ETC. ARE BROUGHT TO THE TEMPLE WITH SINGING OF BHAJANS, GARBAS AND RAS DANDIYA-RAS, GOP-GUNTHAN ETC. AREENACTED WITH GREAT POMP ENTHUSIASM AND DEVOTION. SOME DEVOUT PERSONS HAS MADE VRAT=RULE TO BOW BEFORE THE MOTHERS OF THE TEMPLE DAILY. MAHALAXMI MATA OF THIS MANDIR IS FAMILY-DEITY=KULDEVI OF MANY MOTALA BRAHMANS OF MOTA GAM, SARAS GAM AND OLPAD; THE REAL NAME OF VERAI MATA IS VARAHI MATA. SOME HAVE FAITH IN THE LATER AS THEIR FAMILY DEITY=KULDEVI. THERE IS A SAYING ABOUT IDOLS OF MAHALAXMI MATA AND VERAI MATA. IT IS LIKE THIS - TO SAVE THE SACRED IDOLS FROM BEING BROKEN BY NON-HINDU HEATHENS, THE IDOL OF VERAI MATA WAS CONCEALED IN A WELL. WHICH BELONGS TO THE TEMPLE, AND AFTER SOME YEARS IN WAS RETRIVED FROM THE WELL AND INSTALLED AT ITS PRESENT PEDESTAL AND IN THE SAME WAY. THE IDOL OF MAHALAXMI MATA HAD BEEN REMOVED FROM THE TEMPLE AND HIDDEN OUT

OF THE TOWN WITH BUSH-CREEPERS-SHRUBS ETC. AFTER SOME YEARS, THERE WAS CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD FROM OLPAD TO BHATGAM ETC. AND WHILE THE LABOURERS WERE DIGGING FOR ROAD, THE IMAGE OF MAHALAXMI MATA WAS FOUND AND THEN INSTALED WITH PRESENT PEDESTAL. THUS BOTH IDOLS WHICH HAD BENN REMOVED FROM THE TEMPLE, FOUND THEIR ABODE WITH GREAT POMP ETC. IN THE PRESENT TEMPLE. THE MANDIR IS WELL KNOWN AS VERAI MATA TEMPLE, HAVING THREE IDOLS OF MAHALAXMI MATA, VERAI MATA AND MAHA SARASVATI MATA; SOME MOTALA GENTLEMEN TAKE CARE OF THE TEMPLE AND ADMINISTER THE TEMPLE, PUJA, CELEBRATING VARIOUS FASTIVALS ETC. THEY THEMSELVES BEAR THE WHOLE EXPENSES, AS THE MANDIR HAS NO SUFFICIENT MONETARY INCOME; THE TEMPLE IS POOR-RESOURCELESS ONE; MANY YEARS AGO SOME DEVOTEES HAD DONATED AGRICULTURAL LAND TO THE TEMPLE-DEITIES WHICH ARE SNATCHED BY THE GOVERMENT SOME YEAR AGO, BY ENACTING LAWS WHICH WERE SPECIALLY MADE TO SNATCH LANDS, WHICH WERE OWNED BY HINDU MANDIRS. OLPAD IS A TOWN BUT POOR TOWN, PEOPLE ARE NOT RICH AND BELONG TO LOWER MIDDLE CLASS FINANCIALLY, AND AS THE LOCAL IN-HABITANTS OF THE TOWN ARE SUFFERING FROM MONEYLESS NESS, SO DOES THE TEMPLE THERE WIS BIG OPEN GROUND IN WHICH THE TEMPLE COMPLEX IS SITUATED. THE GROUND IS WALLED ON ALL SIDES. THERE IS A BIG DHARMSHALA=CARAVANSARY ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE TEMPLE,

WHICH

CONTAINS

TWO

ROOMS.

THE

ROOMS

AND

CARAVANSARY=DHARAMSHALA ARE USED FOR MARRIAGE CEREMONIES AND DINNERS, OTHER FAMILY, SOCIAL, RELIGIOUS OCCASSIONS, FESTIVALS FOR POLITICAL

MEETINGS,

TO

CONDUCT

SHAKHAS

TO

IMPART

PRACTICAL

YOG

LESSONS-LECTURES ETC. FOR BHAGVAT ETC. SAPTAHS FOR SEVEN DAYS, FOR FESTIVITIES OF SHREE JALARAM JAYANTI. ANNUAL FUCTIONS FOR SAINT JALARAM AND OTHER FUCTIONS FESTICALS ETC. THERE WAS PUJARI, A WORSHIPPER OF SHREE MAHALAXMI MATA, VERAI MATA AND MAHA SARASVATI MATA. HE PERFORMED PUJA ACCORDING TO THE RELEIGIOUS SCRIPTURES FOR MANY YEARS DURING SHARDIYA=ASSO NAVRATRI, HE HAD FELT DIVINE PRESENCE-VOICES ETC. OF THE MOTHER GODDESSES AND FELT EXTREMEBLISS;

HE

WAS

NOT

INCLINED

TO

DIVLI-LGE

MORE

ABOUT

CHAMATKAR=MIRACLES. THERE WAS AN OLD TEMPLE OF VERAI MATA COMPLEX,

INCEASEANT - UNINTERRUPTED PUJA ARCHNA, AARTI ETC. ARE BEING PERFORMED TO MALAXMI MATA ETC. FROM VERY VERY ONG PAST TILL TO-DAY. THE OLD TEMPLE COMPLEX WAS DILAPIDATED, SO ITS RENOVATIONS HAD BEEN MADE IN VIKRAM SAMVATERA-1995. PRESENTLY THE MANDIR IS AGAIN IN VERY BAD STATE, DUE TO SALTY WINDS. SALTY AND MISTUROUS ATMOSPHERE AND OTHER NATURAL FORCES, EARTHQUAKE ETC. DHARMSHALA=CARAUANSARY TOO IS VERY MUCH DAMAGED ON ACCOUNT OF ABOVE FACTORS AND BOTH. THE TEMPLE COMPLEX AND CARAVANSARY GET MORE AND MORE DAMAGED; HENCE RENOVATION AND RE-BUILDING OF BOTH IS A MUST. THE MANDIR ETC. ARE A PRIDE TO HINDU SOCIETY AND MORE SO TO MOTALA BRAHMAN SOCIETY AS A WHOLE; MAHALAXMI MATA IS KULDEVI OF MANY MOTALA BRAHMANS OF MOTA GAM AND TO A SMALL GROUP OF SARAS GAM. SO ALSO VERAI MATA IS ALSO KULDEVI OF LITTLE GROUP OF MOTALA BRAHMANS. SOME MOTALA BRAHMAN DEVOTEES OF MOTA GAM, HAS DONATED FOR RECONSTUCTION ETC. OF THE TEMPLE COMPLEX FOR WHICH WE ARE VERY MUCH THANKFUL TO THE DONORS. YET PRICES ARE SOARING RAPIDLY BUILDING MUTERIALS, LABOUR CHARGES, TRANSPORTATION CHARGES GO UP MORE AND MORE. THE TEMPLE COMPLEX & DHARMSHALA BOTH NEED RECONSTRUCTION, DOORS, WINDOWS, COMPOUND WALL, SHIKHAR BANDHI- SLABS CELEANING OF WELL-WATERS, LIGHT FITINGS, MARBLES TILES ETC. COLOUR MOTOR FOR DRAWING WATER, BULIDNG A WATER STORAGE TANKS ETC. ARE URGENTLY NEEDED, RECONSTRUCTED OR MADE NEW FOR THESE PRESENTLY RS. 10 TO 11 LAKHS ARE ESTIMATED COST FOR THE TEMPLE COMPLEX AND 13 TO 14 LAKHS ARE PRESUMED TO BE COST FOR DHARMSHALA. WE REQUEST ALL TO DONATE FOR ABOVE, ACCORDING TO THEIR FINANCIAL CAPACITY ETC. AND WE INVITE TO VISIT THE TEMPLE COMPLEX AND SEE PERSONALLY THE TEMPLE COMPLEX - DHARMSHALA AND RECONSTRUCTION ETC. BEING MADE. SENDER :

SMT. HASMITA MUKUND ADHVARYU MOBILE PHONE NUMBER l 94278 11760 "AMBA LAXMI" BHATT FALIA, NEAR VERAI MATA MANDIR, OLPAD AT. & PO. TAL. OLPAD DIST. SURAT PIN:394540. GUJARAT STATE - INDIA.