Mahalakshmi

Mahalakshmi or Mahalaxmi famously knowns as Shri Ambabai Temple situated in Kolhapur on the banks of the Panchganga River, Maharashtra. 

The main deity of the temple is Goddess Mahalakshmi. Above the Mahalakshmi sanctum is a shrine with a Shivalingam and a nandi. There are also shrines of Venkatesha, Katyayani and Gowri Shankar – facing the north, east and the south. There are number of other shrines in the courtyard including Navagrahas, Surya, Mahishasuramardini, Vitthal-Rakhmai, Shiva, Vishnu, Tulja Bhavani and others.

Significance of Goddess Mahalakshmi:

Mahalkshmi Idol: Mahalakshmi idol in this temple is very beautiful, attractive and 3 feet in height. Here Mahalakshmi idol faces west side. 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 mhalunga (a citrus fruit), in the upper right, a large mace (kaumodaki) with its head touching the ground, in the upper left a shield (khetaka), and in the lower left, a bowl (panpatra). We can worship maa Ambabai feet with kumkum.

Sri yantra is carved on one of the walls in the temple. A stone lion, the vahana of the goddess, stands behind the statue.

Significance of Kolhapur:

Kolhapur has history for more than 5000 years. This holy city will compared with kasi in many aspects. Kolhapur was called as Dakshina Kasi. Agastya maharshi also visited this city when he came out from Varanasi. Daily Lord Dattareya was in Kolhapur for Bhikshatana.

The Kolhapur peetha is of special religious significance, being one of the six places where it is believed one can either obtain salvation from desires or have them fulfilled.

Temple Legend:

This legend is associated with the destruction of Daksha's sacrifice and the origin of the Shakti Peethas of India.

Sati, the consort of Shiva was the daughter of Daksha Prajaapati a descendant of Bhrama.. Sati had married Shiva against the wishes of her father. The vain Daksha performed a great yagna (with the sole aim of insulting Shiva), to which he invited all of the gods and goddesses except his son in law Shiva. Against Shiva's wishes, Sati attended this sacrifice and was insulted by her father. Unable to bear this insult, Sati immolated herself.

Enraged at the insult and the injury, Shiva through Veerabhadra, destroyed Daksha's sacrifice, cut off Daksha's head and replaced it with that of a goat, as he restored him to life. Still crazed with grief, he picked up the remains of Sati's body, and danced the dance of destruction throughout the Universe. The other gods intervened to stop this dance, and the disk of Vishnu cut through the corpse of Sati, whose various parts of the body fell at several spots all through the Indian subcontinent and formed the sites of what are known as Shakti Peethas today.

The place where the back part of Sati is said to have fallen here.

Temple Festival: