Ashapuri Mata Temple - Piplav, Gujarat

Site Name: Ashapuri Mata Temple

Site Type: Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess

Location:  Piplav, 90 kms from Ahmedabad, Gujarat state, India

Highlights: One of the most important temples of Mataji (Goddess) in Gujarat state of India

Nearest Railway Station: Anand, at a distance of 25 kms

Nearest Airport: Ahmedabad, at a distance of 90 kms

How to reach: Well connected by road from Ahmedabad and Anand

Hotel: A lot of options in Anand and Ahmedabad

Restaurants: Varieties of options in Anand and Ahmedabad

Piplav is a village located at a distance of about 25 kms from Anand in Gujarat state of India. It is an important pilgrimage center of Gujarat state. Ashapuri Mata temple located in Piplav is one of the most popular Mataji temples in Gujarat.

Legend/History:

When the Pandavas of Mahabharat were on their exile to the forest, they had visited this site where the Piplav village is currently located. As Kunti, the mother of five Pandavas, got a dream in which the Goddess appeared, she advised her sons to install the idol of Goddess here. Accordingly, the Pandavas installed the idol of Goddess Asha in this site. They had completed their 12 years of exile by then. As per their agreement with their enemies Kauravas, they had to disguise and hide themselves for another one year called as Agyat Vas. They lived in the nearby Virat Nagar for one year. After they passed the one year successfully by eliminating all the obstacles, they came back to the same site and installed another idol named Puri Mata. Thus, the Pandavas installed two idols Asha and Puri in this village.

Hundreds of years passed by. The place became a forest. People forgot about the deities and there was no temple. One day, the shephards found a cow milking on its own in a particular place. When they dug the place, they discovered two idols. The King Pilaji Rao was reported about this. He built the temple for these two deities and thereafter the temple was called as 'Asha Puri Mata' temple.

Temple Layout:

There is no specific architectural significance associated with the structure of the temple. The temple structure looks like any other typical medieval period or modern day temples of Gujarat. 

The small temple enshrines two deities named as Asha and Puri, one shorter and another taller in height. Both the deities are red colored stone idols. Two silver plated lion statues are found as their mounts in the main shrine. Two men dressed as the Kings are also found on either side of the Goddesses.

Some idols such as Ganesh, Hanuman, Shiva Linga and Kodiyaar Mata are also found in this temple. A large lake is also located near the temple.

Happy travelling.