Who is Umiya Mata
In the town of Unjha in Mehsana district, Umiya Mata is worshipped as the presiding goddess of a temple that has become one of Gujarat's most significant centres of devotion. She is revered above all as the kuldevi of the Kadva Patidar community, whose members carry her worship with them wherever they settle, from villages across North Gujarat to cities around the world.
Her name is closely linked in devotional tradition to Uma, another name for Parvati, and devotees see in Umiya Mata the same nurturing, motherly strength that defines the Devi in her gentler forms.
Katha and Her Connection to Uma
Tradition holds that Umiya Mata's presence at Unjha has been sought and honoured since ancient times, with the goddess seen as a form of Parvati who chose this land as her own to bless the farming families who worked its soil. Local katha describes the fields around Unjha flourishing under her grace, giving the region its enduring association with prosperity and abundance.
Over time, this bond between the goddess and the land's cultivators grew into the strong kuldevi relationship the Kadva Patidar community holds today.
Kuldevi of the Patidars
For the Kadva Patidar community, Umiya Mata is far more than a local deity, she is a marker of shared identity that binds families across states and continents. Wherever large numbers of Patidars have settled, in the United States, the United Kingdom or East Africa, community-built Umiya temples have followed, each one a smaller echo of the mother shrine at Unjha.
Family celebrations, from weddings to the naming of a newborn, often begin with an invocation of Umiya Maa's blessing, keeping the bond between community and goddess alive across generations.
Umiya Dham and Festivals
The temple complex at Unjha, often referred to as Umiya Dham, has grown considerably over the years to accommodate the vast number of devotees who arrive, particularly during major festival days dedicated to the goddess. Community gatherings here often double as occasions for social and cultural events tied to the Patidar community.
Devotees visiting Unjha make it a point to also explore the town's association with agriculture, especially its cumin trade, seeing in the land's fertility a continuing sign of Umiya Mata's blessing.
How to Reach and Mantra to Chant
Unjha is well connected by road and rail, with Unjha railway station on the Ahmedabad-Palanpur line and Ahmedabad serving as the nearest major airport for those travelling from further away.
Devotees at Unjha often chant "Jai Umiya Maa" and remember her alongside the broader invocation to Parvati, "Om Parvatyai Namah", meaning salutations to Parvati. In every prayer offered here, whether by a farmer of the region or a Patidar family visiting from abroad, worship remains an act of faith and love, not a transaction.
Reader Questions Answered
Who is Umiya Mata?+
Umiya Mata is worshipped at Unjha in Gujarat as a form of Parvati and is revered as the kuldevi of the Kadva Patidar community.
Why is the Unjha temple important to the Patidar community?+
The Unjha temple is the mother shrine of Umiya Mata for the Kadva Patidar community, and it serves as a symbol of shared identity for Patidar families across the world.
How is Umiya Dham connected to daily life in Unjha?+
Umiya Dham is closely tied to the region's agricultural life, with devotees seeing the fertility of Unjha's fields, known for cumin cultivation, as a sign of the goddess's continuing blessing.
About the author
Pandit Ravindra Sharma · Vedic Rituals & Bhakti, 22+ years
Pandit Ravindra is the Vandnaa editorial team's resident specialist on aarti, chalisa, and daily devotion. He has performed home and temple pujas across Varanasi and Delhi for over two decades and contributes the bhakti-focused articles on this site.
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