Legend has it that the Goddess Shakambhari Devi (the tutelary deity of the Chauhan Rajputs), converted the town of Sambhar to a plain of precious metals. Fearing that this will lead to endless feuds, the people here prayed to the Goddess to retract the boon and she obliged by converting the lake from precious metal to salt. The Salt Lake is known to have had its beginnings from here, and a temple in her honor stands under a rocky outcrop jutting into the lake, 15 km from the town of Sambhar in the village of Sirthula. The 2500 years old temple dedicated to the Goddess Shakambhari, believed to be an incarnation of Goddess Durga is one the 3-shakipeeths attributed to Mother Shakambhari. It is a venue of a grand religious fair on the days of Bhado Sudi (Shukla Paksha) Ashtami. ABR Greens Infrastructure’s township is at a driving distance from Shakambari Mata Temple. According to another legend, the Mother had the austerity in this deserted place devoid of rains for hundreds of years. It is believed that during austerity she would consume Shakak-a vegetable only once in a month and the name Shakambhari stems from Shakak and Sambhar is further variation of Shakambhari.
