India is rich with mythological tales of gods-goddesses and ordinary people being blessed and cursed with long terms effects. These tales have become the culture and customs of Indian society, in a big way, some of them leading to festivals such as Dussehra and Diwali. It wouldn’t be surprising that a few of these tales are also deeply associated with the religious places in India and such places are visited by people on a regular basis. Even though small, but such temples have added to the heritage that proudly became the culture of India. People have revered such places and constructed temples at such locations. Shabari Dham is one such place in India which has intricate relationship with the stories in Ramayana of Ram and Sita.

Location

Off the Ahwa-Navapur road in the village of Subir, there is a temple known as Shabari Dham about 4 kms from the village. It is situated in Dangs in Saputara district of Gujarat. Saputara Hill Station is close by and the place is gradually developing into a tourist hot spot in Gujarat. It was in 2004 that the temple of Shabari Dham was built on the top of a hill where the mythological history is said to have been unfolded.

History

With the history of Shabari Dham, well known in mythological stories, it is making the place quite popular among the tourists. People are well versed with the stories of Lord Ram going to various places in search of his consort, Devi Sita, after she was forcibly taken away by Ravana. During this period, when Lord Rama and his brother Lakshman were moving around seeking leads for the whereabouts of Sita, they came across an old lady known by the same of Shabari at this particular place in Gujarat. Shabari was said to be waiting for Lord Rama to arrive on this hill top. Here, after sitting down to take rest, Rama and Lakshman were served with a fruit known as ‘ber’ by her. She was a woman from the Bhil Community which resided in the region. She offered the berries to Rama only after tasting each of them to ensure that they tasted sweet.

Nearby Locations and Temple Premises

In 2004, the temple was constructed in this small hill. The temple is small, built simplistically, but the remarkable feature is the drawings depicted on the walls related to this particular episode. Main chamber of the temple has idols of Lord Rama, Lakshman and Shabari offering berries in a bowl. At the same place, in front of the three statues, are three stones laid down which are supposedly the seats where the three of them sat down to taste the berries. These stones are worshipped by people.

About 6 kms from Shabari Dham Temple is the Pampa Lake near the village of Jarsol. It is a fresh water lake on the banks of River Pampa. Matang Rishi, the guru of Shabari Mata, is said to have built his ashram near this lake. Around the Shabari Dham Temple, there are plenty of teak and bamboo trees, giving a forested look to this region. Nearby is the forest, which local people believe is the remnants of Dandakaranya Forest. This was the forest where a major part of the exile of Lord Rama was spent. Small plum trees around the temple are also well marked. Saputara Hill station near the Shabari Dham Temple is gradually turning to be a popular site for tourists coming to Gujarat. Shabari Kumbh Mela is organised here every January.