The Jain Oswal community is spread across the world and is a well-known group at that. This blog post is about their kuldevi – Osiya Mata, also called Sachchiya Mata. First, we will understand some history of the Osiyan town, its role, the people staying in it and then their protector Devi who later becomes the kuldevi of the Jain Oswal community.

Osiyan, the Large Trade Town

At one point of time, Osiyan was a large trade town situated on a major trading route. The Osiya Mata temple is large and elaborate suggesting towards a wealthy and prosperous group of devotees. The region around this town is the beginning of Thar Desert of Rajasthan. In ancient times, this region was unsafe because there was never much civilization due to the barrenness. The few Oasis towns – like Osiyan became major stops for the trade caravans. Thus, making it prosperous.

I wondered whether it actually got its name from the word “Oasis”. However, it is not so.

It’s earlier names were Upkeshpur or Melpur Patan. However, it was once destroyed by an earthquake (or maybe a Mughal raid) and then when it was re-built, it was called “Osla” in local Rajasthani dialect meaning a shelter in the desert. From there, it got the name Osiyan.

I have refered to historical research theories from Bipin Shah’s research papers on Researchgate. He has referred heavily to Dr. Vedveer Arya, India’s foremost chronological expert books available on amazon.

History of Jain Oswals

As per one of the research theories, the founder of the re-built Osiya was Uppaldev. His mother quite likely was a Jain, thus the roots were set. Over the years, some Jain monks visited this town, and soon a significant number of Uppaldev’s followers converted to Jainism.

Since, this was a border town at that time, there were a larger number of Kshatriya Hindus staying there as a protection force. They were then converted to Jains. Some records also suggest that these Kshatriya Hindus converted into their own Jain sect as Kshatriya Jains (which has since then become extinct). This also explains why the main protector Devi was an ugra form like Kali or Chamunda. And most of the Jain Oswals can be traced back to Kshatriya Gotras.

Today, the common story heard in the Osiyan town is that Acharya Ratna Prabha Suri visited this town, and he managed to save the king’s dying son. Some stories suggest that it was he who orchestrated the prince’s “death-like” situation in the first place. And then intervened to ‘save’ him. This was a way to get the attention of the royal folk and public alike.

This incident convinced a lot of them to convert to Jainism. At that time, the devi was given alcohol and animal sacrifice regularly. However, Acharya intervened and made her ‘vegetarian’. Then she became “Sachchiya Mata” – a sattvic Goddess.

Osiya Mata is Chamunda or Kali or Sachi ?

If we went by the name then Sachchiya Mata would refer to Sachi Mata, the shakti of Indra dev. She is also a warrior Goddess. However, with the history of Osiya Mata being earlier an Ugra form of Kali or Chamunda, then converted to Sachiya Mata – I don’t know how such dynamics would work. Whether we should think of her as Chamunda but with a different name?

There is one recent interview of the managing authority of Osiya Mata temple on Youtube, he does refer to her as Chamunda. (Watch here).

Bipin Shah’s paper hints towards a Jain legend about Sachya Devi a form of Kali – but there is no further details on it.

This matter bears deeper research.. however, for now, I think we can consider her to be a form of Chamunda. Maybe a sattvic for of Chamunda 🙂 (After all, Jains have a sattvic Kaal Bhairava, so why not Chamumda also)

Some musings from my first trip to Osiyan to meet my Kuldevi here, I was personally quite perplexed with this entire history of my kuldevi “being converted”.

Important to note, that the current temple of Osiya mata is unequivocably a Hindu Temple. There is a Jain Mahavira temple 7 minute’s walk away as a separate complex.

Read about this Osiyan Mahavir Temple in my next blog about Oswal Jains. Stay tuned!