Near the Arasur hills of the Aravalli range in northern Gujarat, close to the ancient source of the Saraswati, Ambaji is one of the most visited Shakti Peethas of western India. In the tradition of the Peethas recounted in the Puranas, the heart of Sati is said to have fallen here — and the Goddess Amba is worshipped, as at Kamakhya, with no anthropomorphic image at all, but as the sacred Visa Shri Yantra, a geometric diagram of cosmic power honoured behind a veil and never looked upon directly.
The temple, ancient in origin and richly rebuilt in white marble, draws its greatest gathering at the Bhadarvi Poonam fair, when lakhs of pilgrims walk to the shrine. Nearby, atop the Gabbar hill, the original seat of the Goddess is revered.
Worshipped as the compassionate Mother Amba, and linked in legend to the childhood rites of Sri Krishna, Ambaji stands among the great Devi pilgrimages of Gujarat and the Marwar borderland.
At Ambaji there is no idol in the sanctum. A Shree Yantra inscribed in gold is worshipped, and it is never photographed.
Source: Shree Ambaji Mata Devsthan Trust, Gujarat
