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The Shri Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple is located in the Kolhapur city of Maharashtra on the banks of the Panchganga River, about 156 miles south of Pune is one of the three and half Shakti Peethas listed in various puranas of Hinduism. According to these writings, a Shakti Peetha is a place associated with Shakti, the goddess of power.

The Kolhapur Shakti Peetha is of special religious significance being one of the six places where it is believed that one can either obtain salvation from desires or have them fulfilled.According to the written records, the history of the Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple dates back to the Chalukya period 550 AD to 660 AD.

It is commonly agreed that the original Temple was built during this particular period by the Chalukyas as also evident from the distinctive architectural style. However, an earthquake in the 8th century destroyed most of the ancient structures. Some portions survived and can be seen to date.

Mahalakshmi Temple (also known as Ambabai Mandir) is an important Hindu temple dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, who resides here as Supreme Mother Mahalakshmi and is worshipped by locals as Ambabai. Goddess Mahalakshmi is the consort of Lord Vishnu and it is customary among Hindus to visit Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple and Padmavathi Temple as a yatra (pilgrimage). It is believed that visiting these temples as a pilgrimage helps achieve moksha (salvation).

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The Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple was unknown&nbsp;to the world for a long time&nbsp;as it was covered by tall forests. Eventually, the Konkan King Karnadeo discovered the temple&rsquo;s existence in 109 AD.King Gandaraditya of the Shilahara dynasty (11th century) built the path on which the devotees circumambulate the main sanctum. He also built the two shrines dedicated to Goddess Mahakali and Maha Saraswati. It is believed that the&nbsp;Matulinga&nbsp;installed on the second level of the main sanctum was installed during the Yadava reign.

The Eastern entrance of the Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple Complex has an inscription dating back to the Maratha reign in the 18th century. It states that renovation work was carried out by the Dhabades and the Gaikwads who were ruling the area at that time.In 1941, Shrimant Jahagirdar Babasaheb Ghatge installed the idols of the nine planets in the Navagraha Temple. The five domes or spires were constructed comparatively recently by Sri Shankaracharya of Sankeshwar in the 19th century. The&nbsp;Garud Mandap&nbsp;was built under Daji Pandit between 1838 &ndash; 1843. The Kurma Mandap and the Ganapati Chowk is believed to have been built by the Yadava dynasty.

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The Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple architecture follows the &ldquo;Hemadpanthi&rdquo; style. The temple complex consists of five huge towers and the main hall. The biggest spire is above the sanctum housing Goddess Mahalakshmi. The North and the South domes house Goddess Mahakali and MahaSaraswati respectively. The Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple also houses a&nbsp;Shree Yantra&nbsp;which geometrically represents the three Goddesses.The temple has four entrances but the main entrance called the Mahadwaar lies towards the West. It is believed that the Mahadwaar was built by&nbsp;Sri Adi Shankaracharya&nbsp;himself.

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The Sheshashahi Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Navagraha Temple, Vithal Temple, and Rakhumai Temple are all present in the complex.&nbsp; Towards the southern side, several shrines dedicated to Kalbhairav, Siddhivinayak, Radhakrishna, Annapurna, Indrasabha and Rameshwar are present.Above the main sanctum, on the second level, a shrine dedicated to Lord Ganapathi is present. A Shiva Linga called the Matulinga can also be&nbsp;seen along with a stone Nandi

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Puranam

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Once there was a&nbsp;fight between Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi in the Vaikuntha. When a sage named Bhrigumuni kicks Lord Vishnu on his chest, and Lord Vishnu, of course, being the supreme and the eternal controller of all does not retaliate or curse the sage on his wicked gesture but in turn greets him with great hospitality and ensures that his foot is not aching as he had kicked him real hard.

Vishnu then tells Bhrigu that his chest is strong but his foot might not be very strong and hence starts pressing his foot to provide comfort to the sage.Goddess Lakshmi witnessing all of this, unable to bear the insult to her husband, grows extremely furious as Vishnu&rsquo;s chest is where she resides. In spite of the muni disrespecting her, Lord Vishnu puts up a kind, gentle decorum which was disliked by Lakshmi who then decides to leave Vaikhunta and come down to earth. The place where she came down to earth from Vaikhunta is the very Kolhapur, where she lived and decided to stay forever to bless all her countless devotees who visit her then, now and forever.

Goddess Lakshmi being an extremely knowledgable and wife of the supreme did not, just like that, come to this particular town but in fact with a purpose for sure, as Gods and Goddesses do not do anything without the purpose of welfare to devotees or people on earth.

A story emerges in the Puranas that there lived a fox-like demon. The word &lsquo;Kolha&rsquo; translates to Fox in English. &lsquo;Pur&rsquo; translated to a city or town. According to the story, there was this place where a river flowed. Once, there came a demon named &lsquo;Kolhasur&rsquo;. This demon was sucking away the water of this river. And thus people there were deprived of water. So, they prayed to Goddess Parvati to solve their miseries.&nbsp;So she came in the form of Mahalakshmi and killed this demon. Before dying, he begged her to forgive him and she did. But his last wish before dying was to name the place he lived after him. Thus the city retains its name &lsquo;Kolhapur&rsquo; from &lsquo;Kolha&rsquo; or the demon &lsquo;Kolhasur&rsquo;.

Kolhapur was previously known as Karvir or Karveer, hence the taluk in which Kolhapur City is situated is named Karveer. It is said that both Lakshmi and Vishnu reside in the Karveer area eternally and shall not leave even at the time of Mahapralayakala(where the whole world is supposed to drown in water). Karveer region is eternally blessed and is believed to be held by Mother Jagadamba in her right hand, and hence the region is protected from all destruction.Lord Vishnu himself adores this region more than Vaikuntha since it is the home of his consort Lakshmi.

The greatness of this region has, therefore, attracted many sages and devotees, the blessings and affections showered by this region on its devotees are immeasurable. It is believed that Prabhu Shri Dattatreya still comes here every noon to seek alms.Having a glimpse of the deity of the temple, Goddess Mahalakshmi &lsquo;s beautiful idol will leave you not taking your eyes off it! yes, just a glimpse because the immense crowd there would not let you watch your heartful. The idol is considered to be at least 5000 to 6000 years old. Mounted on a stone platform, the idol of the crowned goddess is made of gemstone and weighs about 40 kilograms. The image of Mahalakshmi carved in black stone is 3 feet in height. The &lsquo;Shri Yantra&rsquo; is carved on one of the walls in the temple. A stone lion (the vahana of the goddess), stands behind the statue.

The crown contains an image of the Sheshnag the serpent of Vishnu.In her four hands, the deity of Mahalakshmi holds objects of symbolic value. The lower right-hand holds a Mhatulinga (a citrus fruit), in the upper right is a large Mace or Gadha called the Kaumodaki &ndash; with its head facing the ground, in the upper left hand is a Shield or Khetaka and in the lower left, a bowl called the Panpatra. Unlike most Hindu sacred idols, which face north or east, the deity faces West. There is a small open window on the western wall, through which the light of the setting sun falls on the face of the image for three days every year.

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The temple belongs architecturally to the Chalukya empire and was first built in the 7th century.The temple is referred to in multiple Puranas. There is evidence to show that the Konkan king Kamadeo, Chalukyas, Shilahara, Yadavas of Devagiri dynasties visited this city. Adi Shankaracharya also visited. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj ruled this area and they also visited the temple regularly.Yadav king Tolum built Mahadwar, and offered jewels to Devi. Shilahara being a Jain monk built the Maha Sarasvati Mandir and got 64 Hindu idols carved. Yadav king Tolum built Mahadwar, and offered jewels to Devi. King Gandavadix extended the temple by building the Mahakali Mandir.

This way the temple has seen enormous contributions of great men who were even greater devotees.In 109 CE, Karnadeo cut off the jungle and brought the temple to light. The existence goes back to the 8th century, according to Bhandarkar and Khare.[who?]&nbsp;Itihāsa Chakra indicates that the temple dates back to Mahājanapadā times. In the 8th century, the temple sank down due to an earthquake. In the 9th century, Gandavadix (King) extended the temple by building Mahakali Mandir. During 1178&ndash;1209, in the reign of Raja Jaysing &amp; Sindhava, South gate &amp; Atibaleshwar Temple were built. In 1218, Yadav king Tolum built Mahadwar and offered jewels to Devi. Further,&nbsp;Shilaharas&nbsp;built Maha Sarasvati Mandir. He being a Jain, got 64 idols carved.

It is possible that a new idol called Padmavati was installed at that time.Historian&nbsp;Paul Dundas&nbsp;in his book&nbsp;The Jains[5]&nbsp;mentions that Mahalaxmi temple Kolhapur was a Jain temple.&nbsp;Sheshashayee Vishnu which is an octagonal structure closer to the eastern gate has a panel of 60 Jain Tirthankaras carvings.&nbsp;Jains worshipped the idol in the temple as Padmalaya or the abode of Padma or Padmavati, an epithet of Goddess&nbsp;Lakshmi.

Further, in&nbsp;Chalukya&nbsp;times, Ganapati before the temple was installed. In the 13th century, Shankaracharya built Nagar Khana &amp; Office, Deepmalas.Later during the time of&nbsp;Maratha Empire, the temple was repaired. Though many invasions over this part of India have caused some damages of the beautiful idols which are all around the temple.During&nbsp;Mughal&nbsp;reign, the worshippers had hidden the idol for protection. During(Chhatrapati&nbsp;Sambhaji II&#39;s Reign, Narhar Bhat Shastree had a dream by goddess Mahalakshmi informing him of her location, which he told to Chhatrapati.[citation needed]. Believing Sangavakar&#39;s dream, Chhatrapati Sambhaji started a search. 
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This idol was found in a house in Kapila Teertha Market in the city. According to Chhatrapati Sambhaji&#39;s letter dated 8 November 1723, Sindhoji Hindurao Ghorpade of Panhala installed the idol again on 26 September 1712 (Monday, Ashwin Vijaya Dashami). The number of devotees grew, and in due course of time, the Devi became the Deity of Maharashtra. The deity began to denude due to Abhishekas. So the then Shankaracharya of&nbsp;Sankeshwar&nbsp;got it repaired. After Vajralep &amp; sacrifices, it was again installed by Shahajee Raje of Kolhapur in 1954. There are 5 main temples and 7 Deepamalas now. Around are 35 temples of various sizes and 20 shops. There are 5 Hemad-style tops and a Garud Mandap. Sheshashayee Vishnu which is an octagonal structure closer to the eastern gate has a panel of 60 Jain Tirthankaras carvings.

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Varnam

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The temple of the goddess Mahalakshmi was built by Karnadeva in 634 CE Chalukya reign. Mounted on a stone platform, the murti of the crowned goddess is made of gemstone and weighs about 40 kilograms. The image of Mahalakshmi carved in black stone is 3 feet in height. The Shri Yantra is carved on one of the walls in the temple. A stone lion (the vahana of the goddess), stands behind the statue. The crown contains a five headed snake. Further, she holds a Matulinga fruit, mace, shield and a pānapātra (drinking bowl).

In Lakshmi Sahasranama of Skanda Purana, Goddess Lakshmi is praised as &quot;Om Karaveera Nivasiniye Namaha&quot; means &quot;Glory to the Goddess who lives in Karaveera&quot; and as &quot;Om Sesha Vasuki Samsevyaa Namaha&quot; means &quot;Glory to Goddess who is served by Adi Sesha and Vasuki&quot;. They are the 119th and 698th names of Lakshmi in Lakshmi Sahasranama.

This is also the description mentioned in the Rahasya of Devi Mahatmya.Professor Prabhakar Malshe says, &quot;The name of Karaveera is still locally used to denote the city of Kolhapur&quot;.Unlike most Hindu sacred images, which face north or east, the deity faces west (Pashchim). There is a small open window on the western wall, through which the light of the setting sun falls on the face of the image for three days around the 21st of each March and September.

There are a number of other shrines in the courtyard to the Navagrahas, Surya, Mahishasuramardini, Vitthal-Rukmini, Shiva, Vishnu, Bhavani and others. Some of these images date back to the 11th century, while some are of recent origin. Also located in the courtyard is the temple tank &quot;Manikarnika Kund&quot;, on whose bank is another shrine to Visweshwar Mahadev.The form of the Goddess worshiped in the Kolhapur Mahalakshmi Temple is unique and a sight to behold. Unlike the usual calm representation of Goddess Lakshmi sitting on a Lotus, the idol of Goddess Mahalakshmi is 3 feet tall and weighs 40 kilos.

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The idol is in a standing posture with four arms. In the lower right hand, she holds a&nbsp;Mhalunga (a kind of Citrus fruit). In the upper right hand, she holds a large mace and in the lower left hand, she holds a bowl. In the upper left hand, she holds a shield, locally called a&nbsp;Khetaka.A stone lion, the Vahana for the Goddess stands behind her. The crown of the Goddess contains the image of a&nbsp;Sheshnag, representing Lord Vishnu. A Shiva Linga is also carved on the crown but is not visible to the devotees as it lies &nbsp;under the Goddess&rsquo;s ornaments.

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Highlights

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Sevas/Festivals

The most prominent festival held at Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur is the Kirnotsav (lit. festival of Sun Rays) festival. Kirnotsav festival is celebrated in the temple when the rays of the sun fall directly on the deity at the time of sunrise. It is said that the&nbsp;Sun god&nbsp;pays his homage to Mahalakshmi Ambabai for three days in a year.

In January the Sun is in the sign of Capricorn (Shravana nakshatra) transiting between the 17th, 18th, and 19th degree; while in November, Sun transits through the 24, 25, and 26th degree in the sign of Libra (Vishaka nakshatra). This is not aligned to any specific this since Lunar Calendar needs adjusting every few years and every year aligns to different Tithi. It is also not aligned to Uttarayan/ Daskshinayan of Sun&#39;s movement since it is 9 months apart.

It is not surprising that even the rays of a setting sun pay homage to Goddess Mahalakshmi Ambabai as the life of a human being revolve around illumination and prosperity. But it is the wonder of wise architects who built the temple of Mahalakshmi at Kolhapur that the rays of the setting Sun, bow at the feet of the Goddess through a window, for a while before vanishing.

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It is the architect&#39;s excellence, which was done more than 1000 years ago, and can still be observed. This special event is celebrated by thousands of people as Kiranotsav.

Kirnotsav (festival of Sun Rays) is celebrated in the Mahalakshmi Temple when the rays of the sun fall directly on the deity at the time of sunset. It is said that the Sun god pays his homage to Mahalakshmi for three days in a year. This will be on the occasion of &ldquo;RathaSaptami&rdquo;.

31 January &amp; 9 November &ndash; Sun rays fall directly on the feet of the deity. 
1 February &amp; 10 November &ndash; Sun rays fall directly on the chest of the deity. 
2 February &amp; 11 November &ndash; Sun rays fall directly on the entire body of the deity.

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