Pizza, Hot Dogs, Cola for Children's Goddess

[Guest guest]

14 Aug 2005

 

Rajkot (Gujarat), Aug 14 (IANS) -- If children love hot dogs,

pizzas, chocolates and cola, surely their goddess too will like

these. That's exactly the thought behind these unusual offerings

made by devotees at the temple here of Jivantika Mata, a goddess of

children, according to the Hindu scriptural text Skanda Purana.

 

This principal city of Gujarat's Saurashtra region has the only

temple dedicated to Jivantika Mata. Gujarati devotees from the state

and abroad visit the temple and make large offerings when their wish

is fulfilled.

 

"When they ask us what they should offer, we suggest anything that

children like to eat, which means pizzas, hot dogs, burgers... even

soft drinks," Aimprasad J. Dave, the temple's keeper, told IANS.

 

The goddess is offered chocolates and peppermints daily, apart from

fanciful fast food. The traditional prohibition against the use of

garlic and onions in food, common in most parts of Gujarat, does not

apply here, Aimprasad said.

 

The offerings are later distributed among children in the

neighbourhood and in slums.

 

Dave's family has been devoted to Jivantika Mata for the past four

generations and spreads awareness about the goddess. It was his

father, Ambelal Dave, who built a small temple inside his house and

installed the goddess' idol there 38 years ago.

 

A retired railway employee, Ambelal built the temple from his

savings and the family continues with the tradition of not accepting

any charity for its upkeep.

 

Aimprasad, who works with an insurance firm, has been working to

create more awareness about the goddess by travelling abroad and by

putting up a website dedicated to her - www.jivantikaadyasthan.com.

 

As more and more people come to know about Jivantika Mata, described

as a provider, protector and benefactor of children, many women in

the state are visiting the temple to carry out the ritualistic vrat

of the goddess.

 

Childless couples or parents of sick children too make a beeline to

the temple.

 

"Non-resident Indians also come to do darshan in good numbers. And

the goddess is mother to all, so it is not only to fulfil a child-

related wish that they come here," Aimprasad said.

 

To serve the increasing flow of devotees, the Dave family has built

a pick-up point near the city's main bus stand, for which local

authorities provided land free of cost.

 

A majority of visitors make token financial contributions that are

used by the Dave family for charitable purposes. The family's

donations to the local cancer hospital are used to treat one patient

at a time free of charge.

 

On auspicious days, children visiting the temple are served special

dinners from these funds since they are seen as representatives of

the goddess, Aimprasad said.

 

SOURCE: Religioscope. Indo-Asian News Service. By Ashish Mehta. ©

2005 IANS India Private Limited, New Delhi. Indo-Asian News Service

(IANS) is India's first multinational and multilingual wire service.

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URL: http://religion.info/english/articles/article_192.shtml