Jhabua (Madhya Pradesh): As Navratri fervour grips the town, the Shri Ambe Mata Temple draws large numbers of devotees and carries forward a legacy that began nearly two centuries ago.
Bhairaji Jain, diwan in the court of King Dilip Singh Rathore of Jhabua, commissioned the temple around 1830. An eight-metal idol of the Goddess was installed here.
Jain later handed the temple to the family of Shri Satanand Sharma, whose fifth generation still manages its worship and daily arrangements.
Ambe Mata, one of the Mother Goddess's nine forms, has resided here for 196 years, and the temple buzzes with activity all year round, not only during Navratri.
Garba here once began as a women-only affair, played with hands alone. Over time, it evolved. For years, devotees danced 'Garba' with the late Fateh Singhji, who took the form of the mother, with Bherubaba dancing beside him.
Onlookers watched in awe, some with goosebumps, as he performed in a fierce form, a skull in one hand and a sword in the other, while devotees bowed their heads for blessings.
Local youth have played a key role. Thirty-eight years ago, they founded an organisation named Triveni Parivar, which has become prominent in social service while working to enrich the temple's ancestral heritage. Their efforts paid off as the temple was renovated and the Garba pandal got a grand look.
