Ambaji

Ambājī Mātā of Arasur

Ambaji (Arasuri Ambaji) is one of the 51 Śakti Pīṭhas of the Hindu tradition, where — according to the myth of Satī's dismemberment — her heart fell when Viṣṇu's cakra divided her corpse to free Shiva from his grief-driven tāṇḍava.

The imageless sanctum

A distinctive feature of Ambaji: there is no image in the sanctum. Instead, the central object of worship is a marble śrī-yantra — the geometric diagram of Tripura Sundarī — inscribed with the bīja-mantras of the goddess. Pilgrims offer darśan to this yantra. The imageless worship is said to preserve the deity's formless (nirguṇa) nature.

A procession image of the goddess (Ambā riding a lion) is displayed during festivals, but is NOT installed in the sanctum.

Bhadarvi Poonam

The annual Bhadarvi Poonam (Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā, September) is one of India's largest pilgrim gatherings — over 2 million devotees walk padyatra from Ahmedabad (200 km), Gandhinagar, Palanpur, and surrounding districts to reach Ambaji on the full-moon day. The walk is barefoot; pilgrims carry red banners and chant Jai Ambe.

Gabbar Hill

The original Śakti Pīṭha is not the main temple but Gabbar Hill (literally "great hill") about 4 km away — a naturally-formed rock outcrop said to be the original resting place of the heart of Satī. Pilgrims climb 999 steps to reach the hilltop shrine, where a single eternal flame (nanda-dīpa) burns.