It’s been an annual pilgrimage for my family to visit the Shri Mahalaxmi Temple of Kolhapur, Maharashtra. This year too, we visited the temple to take blessings from goddess Shri Mahalaxmi. Most of the Maharashtrians worship goddess Shri Mahalaxmi as their Kuldevi – the family goddess whose blessings are sought before every auspicious ceremony in the family.

According to Wikipedia, the Shri Mahalaxmi Temple is one of Shakti Peethas located on the river banks of Pancha Ganga. It is also known as Dakshin Kashi as listed in various scriptures of Hinduism. A Shakti Peetha is a place associated with Shakti, the goddess of power. This is one of the oldest temples of
Shakti built during the Chalukya period (550 AD to 660 AD) by King Manglesh. The walls of the temple are built using black stone with beautiful carvings and sculptures of various gods and goddesses.

Within the temple premises there are small stalls selling pooja materials, special kumkum, kandi pedas, small replicas of Goddess Mahalaxmi and Maharashtrian style imitation jewellery. The view of hanging jewellery in all stalls is just beautiful. There so many varieties of jewellery that you will get attracted toward the stalls for taking snaps or detailed view of the glittering pieces.

Outside the temple there are shops selling famous Kolhapuri leather sandals popularly known as Kolhapuri Chappals. If you are a foodie, don’t miss to taste Misal Pav and Zhunka Bhakri with thecha/kharda (chutney) while you in Kolhapur. These dishes are made by using Kolhapuri masalas. They are a bit spicy but you will just love it.

If you are planning to visit the Shri Mahalaxmi Temple then you can also plan your trip for nearby must see places such as Shri Jyotiba Temple, Panhala Fort, Kaneri and Narasobawadi.

Here are some beautiful photos captured by me during the visit to Shri Mahalaxmi Temple.























































How to reach:
Kolhapur is well connected by rail and road with the other cities in Maharashtra and other states. Shri Mahalaxmi Temple is situated in the centre of the city.

By Road – Kolhapur lies on NH4 which connects Mumbai to Bangalore. It takes 8 hours to driveby road from Mumbai to Kolhapur. From Pune to Kolhapur is takes around 3 hours drive.

By Train – The Kolhapur railway station is named after Chatrapti Shahu Maharaj. It well connected with all the important cities in India. There are daily trains running from Mumbai such as Sahyadri and Mahalaxmi Express.

By Air – Kolhapur city has a domestic Airport at Ujalaiwadi which has daily Air Deccan Flight to and from Mumbai.

References:
1. Official Website – Shri Mahalaxmi Temple – Kolhapur
2. Wikipedia.org – Shri Mahalakshmi Temple, Kolhapur