from Ahmedabad and 35 km west of Mahesana. The original shrine was built by a king called Sankhal Raj in 1152 CE and the first surviving mention of the shrine was found in an inscription dating 1280 CE. According to the inscription no changes were made in the temple architecture until the eighteenth century. There are three shrines of the Goddess within the temple complex. The oldest part of the shrine complex termed 'Adyasthan' (the original site) is a small temple enclosing a sprawling, small-leafed varakhadi tree, believed to be the site where the goddess first appeared. Adjoining this is another small temple, the madhya sthan (second or intermediate place), which houses an incised plaque representing the goddess and has a locked silver door at its entrance. This part of the temple is believed to have been built by a Maratha named Fadnavis (or an official with that title) in the eighteenth century. In 1779 CE, Manajirao Gaekwad, the younger brother of the Maratha ruler of Baroda, built a third structure close to the original shrine after the goddess cured him of a tumor. The third is the main temple today and contains the Bala Yantra of quartz crystal representing the Goddess. Saint Kapildev and Kalari king Tejpal have also contributed to the construction and renovation of the temple. The temple complex is beautifully decorated with stone carvings and wall paintings. Though less well known outside of Gujarat and Rajasthan, the temple is considered a minor Shakti Peetha and every year about 1.5 million pilgrims visit this temple. Notes References Aggleton, Peter. Culture, Society and Sexuality: A Reader, Taylor & Francis 2007, p. 240 Abbott, Elizabeth. A History of Celibacy, James Clarke & Co. 2001, pp. 329–330 Ellingson, Stephen. Religion and Sexuality in Cross-Cultural Perspective, Routledge 2002 Young, Serenity. Courtesans and Tantric Consorts, Routledge 2004, p. 111 External links Official site of the Shri Bahucharaji Temple Bahucharaji Mata Temple in Becharaji near Mehsana Bahuchara Mata: Liberator, Protector and Mother of the Hijras in Gujarat Hijra (South Asia) Hindu temples in Gujarat Hindu goddesses Hindu folk deities Fertility goddesses Virgin goddesses Transgender topics and religion Transgender in Asia Charan Mehsana district Cāraṇa Sagatī