Tanot Mata is a temple in the western state of Rajasthan in the Jaisalmer district of India. The village is close to the border with Pakistan, and very close to the Longewala battle site of the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war. Contemporary folklore attributes the result of the battle to the temple. Tourists cannot go beyond this temple to see the Indo-Pak border unless one obtains the relevant documentation in advance from the District and Military Authorities. Now it is a tourist destination in India. The area is said to have oil and gas reserves. According to the oldest Charan literature, Tanot Mata is an incarnation of the divine goddess Hinglaj Mata. The goddess Aavad, the daughter of Mamadia Charan (Gadhvi), is worshiped as Tanot Mata.
- The bombing of Tanot Mata during the 1971 Indo-Pak War was depicted in the 1997 Bollywood war film Border.
- Hindi news channels such as Zee News and Aaj Tak portrayed Tanot Mata in their documentaries on the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971.
History
A temple priest mentioned the history of the temple. Long ago there was a man named Mamadia Charan, who had no ‘son-daughter’, that is, no son. He traveled entirely on foot to Hinglaj Mata about seven times to have a child. One night when Hinglaj Mata asked Mamadiya Charan (Gadhvi) in his dream if you wanted a son or a daughter, Charan said that you should be born in my house. By the grace of Hinglaj Mata, seven daughters and one son were born in that house. One of them was Aavad Mata, known as Tanot Mata.
The temple was built and the idol of the reigning deity was installed by King Tanu Rao of Bhati Rajput in 828 AD. Since then, the temple has been revered and worshiped by the Bhati Rajputs and the people of Jaisalmer for generations.
Tanot was attacked by the Pakistani army during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 during which 3,000 bombs were fired at the temple. However, according to local tradition, the bombs either missed their target or did not explode. After the 1965 war, the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) took over the temple and the responsibility for its administration and maintenance.
Tanot was attacked again during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, but this time the attacking tanks got stuck in the sand, allowing the Indian Air Force to destroy them. After the 1971 war, the Indian Army built a Vijay Stambha (Victory Tower) within the temple compound to commemorate the victory at the Battle of Longewala.
Location
The temple is about 122 kilometers (76 miles) from the city of Jaisalmer, and it takes about two hours to get there by road. The area has a high average wind speed and as a result there are now a large number of wind-based renewable energy projects in the area. The road to Tanot is surrounded by miles and miles of sand dunes and mountains of sand. Temperatures in the area can reach up to 49 ° C and the ideal time to visit the place is from November to January.
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