Mahālakṣmī, Kolhāpur

Goddess Mahālakṣmī (Ambābāī) · Kolhāpur, Maharashtra

The Mahālakṣmī temple of Kolhāpur, lovingly called Ambābāī, is among the eighteen Mahā Śakti Pīṭhas and one of the “three and a half” Śakti Pīṭhas of Maharashtra, alongside Tuljāpur, Māhur and the half-pīṭha of Saptaśṛṅgī. The Goddess holds a mace, a shield, a citron and a bowl, and wears a crown with a cobra hood and a liṅga.

A famous event is the Kiraṇotsava, when on a few days of the year the setting sun’s rays travel through the temple and reach the image. Navarātri is the great festival here.

Tradition says the Goddess slew the demon Kolhāsura here, who at his end asked that the place bear his name — hence Kolhāpur. Another tradition says Lakṣmī left Vaikuṇṭha after the sage Bhṛgu struck Viṣṇu’s chest and came to Karavīra (Kolhāpur), which links this temple with Tirumala.

Maharashtra · Ambābāī · Kiraṇotsava · Navarātri

Holy Places and Pilgrimage · Ask a Jyotishi your own question