Information of Mahalaxmi Temple, Kolhapur, Maharashtra

The Mahalaxmi Temple of Kolhapur is one of the finest and significantly religious places of India. As recommended by the name, the temple is devoted to the 'goddess of wealth' Mahalaxmi. She was the consort of Lord Vishnu and many people still believe that these godly couple exists in this temple. Out of the 108 "Shakti Peethas" present in India, this temple is one of them. 'Shakti' means power, so it denotes that goddess Mahalaxmi was a 'power goddess'.

Mahalaxmi Temple Mythology & History

There are several epic stories relating to the creation of the Mahalaxmi temple. However, only few of them were known from the writings of some popular legends.

Kolhapur was a place of great admiration for Lord Vishnu as it was the residing place of his beloved wife Lakshmi or Mahalaxmi. Once, Mahalaxmi angrily left Vaikuntha, the home of Lord Vishnu just because he didn't punish his sage Bhrigu for making offensive activities against him. She returned to her home Kolhapur and remained penance for several years until hearing the news of her husband remarriage with Tirumata Padmavati. Tirumata was another form or avatar of Mahalaxmi.

While some writings suggested that once there lived a fierce demon named Kolhasura. He frequently threatened the gods to kill them. Lord Vishnu then created Mahalaxmi and the powerful goddess defeated the devil with her supreme strength and skill. The place where the demon was defeated was named as Karavira, which itself is a religious destination for the visitors. After conquering the evil she took shelter in Kolhapur where the present temple is established.

Mahalaxmi Temple Religious Significance

The temple of Mahalaxmi is one of the most sacred places especially for the Hindus. Any individual can achieve salvation from longed desires or can fulfill them here as believed by the local people and the priests of the temple. This is the reason why Indian film actor Sanjay Dutt came here for devotion after getting involved in the case of serial bomb blasts in Mumbai in 1993.

A peculiar type of festival known as the Kirnotsav is observed every year by the local inhabitants and the citizens of Kolhapur. The peculiarity of this festival lies in the cause of its celebration. The ray of the sun falling directly on different parts of the goddess idol i.e., face, feet, chest, etc. is the main cause for the observation of this fascinating festival. Six days in a year comprising of the last date of January, first two days of February and 9, 10 & 11th of November are the days of celebration of this festival.

Mahalaxmi Temple Architectural Significance

The credit for the establishment of this enormous religious structure goes to Karandev. He was the great Chalukya leader who had brought up this heritage temple way back in 634 AD. Though, what he had created was just a basic structure. However, the main acknowledgment for designing and giving this structure a unique look only goes to the rulers of the Silahara dynasty.

The Mahadwara or the main entrance of the fort is at the western part of the temple. It is followed by a chamber, which resides a beautiful structure of Lord Ganesh. Then the enormous and attractive idol of Mahalaxmi appears. It is a heavy structure with an age of approximately 5000 years weighting about 40 kgs studded with various precious stones and ornaments. It has four arms consisting of four different possessions in it. A stone lion as the vehicle and a crown made of cobra's skin are some of the striking features of goddess Mahalaxmi.