Khodiyar Mata Temple in Rajpara Travel Guide (2024)

Khodiyar Mata Temple is on the banks of the Tataniya Wali Lake and is about fifteen kilometers away from Bhavnagar, Gujarat. It is one of the oldest temples in Gujarat and is popular among locals and tourists as well. If you are planning to visit the Khodiyar Mata Temple, read this article to know what to expect. The exact location of the Khodiyar Mata temple is Rajpara village.

The Khodiyar Mata Temple Legend

Like so many other temples with a spectacular legend, the Khodiyar Mata has an interesting one as well. You will see several Khodiyar Mata temples all over Gujarat and Maharashtra, and other states as well.

According to the legend, A man, Mamaniya Gadhvi, a good friend of the then king, Maharaji Shilbharda, was humiliated by the Queen and the courtiers, as he did not have children. Gadhvi was a devotee of Lord Shiva and prayed to him. Seeing his devotion, Shiva took him to Naagloka, and the daughters of the King of Snakes, Naagdev, advised him to set up eight cradles when he returns to his wife. Soon, Gadhvi has eight children, seven daughters, and one son. One of the daughters is Khodiyar Mata, who had divine powers and people started worshipping her.

Image Source
Another legend about this temple is the incident of the Maharaja Wakhatsinghji, the ruler of Bhavnagar. He was a devout devotee of the Khodiyar Maa, and prayed to her to bring herself to Sihor, the capital of Bhavnagar. Khodiyar Maa conceded, and said that she would follow him – but only on the condition that he would not turn back and see whether she was following him. Wakhatsingji walked till Rajpara, a place very close to Sihor, but turned to see if the Mata was following. Khodiyar Maa then decided to settle down in Rajpara.

Khodiyar Mata Temple Experience

The Khodiyar Mata temple in Bhavnagar is a scenic location. It has lush greenery surrounding it, and it is on the banks of a river, adding to the calmness and serenity that it offers.

You will see some shops at the entrance, and they generally sell you products that you can either offer at the temple or take it as the prasad, the traditional offering of a religious place. The colors of the Khodiyar Mata temple are light brown and purple. There’s a water body in the vicinity. There’s also a ropeway facility available within the temple premises, though you don’t need one to travel to the top of the temple.

The temple premises have gardens as well, and the authorities are taking good care of the temple. All around, you will see signboards that give you information. At the temple area, you will see barricades that allow the devotees to have a hassle-free and quick darshan. There’s a lifesize image of the Khodiyar Maa inside the temple.

Image Source

Another good thing about the Khodiyar Mata Mandir is the lush green gardens that it surrounds itself. Devotees can rest among flowers and plants for a while. Not just in the gardens, there are specific benches for the devotees to sit in at different junctures of the temple premises.

The existence of such garden benches for devotees is unique to the Khodiyar Mata temple. We don’t see it in other temples in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The temple premises and its vicinity are large, and there’s even a market, so you don’t need to pack drinking water or snacks. Of course, you might not be allowed to take any eatables inside. The sanctum sanctorum has the idol of the Khodiyar Maa in red, and there’s a silver crocodile at her feet. Legend states that the crocodile is the animal of the Khodiyar Maa. At the temple premises, you will see smaller shrines of other Gods of Hindu mythology. You will also see a well that’s now dry and covered.

The Khodiyar Mata temple is looked after by the authorities and there are a couple of amenities for the devotees, like free lunch and dinner for them. The temple has a Dharmasala, which has 100 rooms and 50 rooms, both air conditioned and non-air conditioned.

There are some hotels in the Bhavnagar area that offer your accommodation at budget prices as well. The hotels like Hotel Heaven, Hotel Comfort Inn, and Hotel Sankalp offer their rooms in the price range of 900-1200 INR. Several hotels like the Narayani Heritage, the Efcee Sarovar Portico and the Hotel Virgo Sumero offer their rooms in the range of about 2000 to 2500 INR. If you are looking for ultra-budget accommodation, check out the dormitories, something that’s now become popular in cities like Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Gujarat as well.

The dormitories offer you a cot and a place to store your belongings for as low as 300 to 1000 rupees. There are air conditioned as well as non airconditioned dormitories available. One disadvantage of staying in the dormitory is that you might have to return to the dorm within a particular time. Also, most dormitories don’t offer you food arrangements.

Places to Visit Near Khodiyar Mata Temple

The Khodiyar Mata temple is on the banks of the Tataniya Dharo Lake, which is a popular picnic spot. The other nearby places are the Takhteshwar Temple, the Nishkalang Mahadev temple, and the Shatrunjaya hill temple. Another place of tourist attraction is the Blackbuck National Park.

Image Source

How to Reach Khodiyar Mata Temple?

The Khodiyar Mata Temple is in Bhavnagar, Gujarat and is therefore easy to reach, as Bhavnagar is well connected via rail, road and airways. Bhavnagar railway station connects well to the other cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Mangalore and others. The nearest airport is the Bhavnagar airport, which is just a few kilometers away from the town. Bhavnagar also connects well via the NH 8E highway link that connects it to Dwarka.

Image Source